Get ready for a day of culture and adventure on this full-day guided tour along the Salak Agro Jeep Village Trail. You'll start with a warm welcome and a glass of freshly pressed salak juice – a sweet, tangy fruit native to Indonesia. Then, there's a quick safety-and-trip briefing before you head out. As Wayan, one of our local guides, puts it “you haven't really seen the village until you've been to the village temple and had a look behind the scenes at the arak house.”
So, that's where you're off first. A short trek takes you to the village temple, a place central to village life, where ceremonies and festivals take place. You can check out its traditional architecture, like its intricately carved stone gates, and learn about Balinese Hinduism. Next, it's the arak house, where you'll be welcomed in by the scent of fermenting fruit and the warmth of fire-heated stills. Here, you'll see how the traditional Balinese spirit is made using fermented spa or rice, distilled with age-old techniques passed down through generations.
Then, hop into a vintage off-road vehicle and head to the salak plantation. Roll up your sleeves and dive into salak farming, helping to gather ingredients for your cooking class. Guided by the local team, you'll learn to whip up dishes like timbungan, seasoned meat cooked inside bamboo tubes, grilled satay, and tum, which is steamed chicken or tofu wrapped in banana leaves. Once everything's prepared, you'll tuck into your dishes for lunch. In the afternoon, head to a scenic hilltop with views of Mount Agung and stop for a cup of local coffee before starting the return journey.
