Bali Rice Terraces

Why is it special?

Its bright green, stair-step fields curve around the hillside in perfect rows, making it one of the most beautiful farming views on Earth.

Farmers have grown rice on these exact slopes for more than a thousand years, using methods passed down through many generations.

How was it built?

Farmers carved flat, level steps into the steep hillside so water could be shared evenly, field by field, all the way down the slope.

They use an ancient system called Subak, a network of channels and bamboo pipes that carries water fairly to every terrace.

Amazing facts

The Subak water system is so important to Balinese culture that UNESCO named it a World Heritage treasure.

Farmers plant, tend, and harvest the rice almost entirely by hand, just as their ancestors did centuries ago.

Quick facts

• The Subak water system is so important to Balinese culture that UNESCO named it a World Heritage treasure.
• Farmers plant, tend, and harvest the rice almost entirely by hand, just as their ancestors did centuries ago.
• The terraces stay a vivid green nearly all year thanks to Bali's warm, rainy climate.
• Tall palm trees and jungle plants grow right alongside the rice paddies, making the whole valley feel like a green maze.