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Building and renovation in Ubud

In a village near Ubud, you'll work with your hands to renovate schools, kindergartens and community spaces. Lay bricks, paint walls, build furniture and discover how rewarding it is to give shape to real change.

Where

Where

Pejeng (Ubud), Bali

When

When

Departures every week, all year round (excluding holiday closures)

Duration

Duration

From 1 week

Accommodation

Accommodation

Shared or private rooms in the volunteer house, with meals included

Language

Language

Basic English is enough

Ideal for

Ideal for

Anyone who enjoys hands-on work and wants to help improve community spaces with their own hands while getting into Balinese culture.

Travel destination

Project details

About section

In Pejeng, near Ubud, lend a hand on real building and renovation work for schools, community centres and public spaces.

 

In the small villages around Ubud, many community buildings, schools, kindergartens, libraries, temples, need maintenance and improvement work to keep serving the people who use them every day.

The project comes from that real need: bringing hands, energy and creativity to build and renovate the spaces that sit at the heart of Balinese community life.

As a participant, you'll work alongside local coordinators and village families on masonry, carpentry, painting, tiling and gardening. Each day has a clear goal and a visible result.

No specific skills required: the local team will guide you step by step. What matters is the willingness to get stuck in, get your hands dirty and help improve living conditions in the community.

A practical, rewarding experience where your effort takes shape in front of you, all surrounded by the rice paddies, temples and unique atmosphere of the Balinese countryside.

Why participate

Build something tangible for the community

Renovate schools, kindergartens and public spaces in the villages around Ubud, leaving a mark that lasts.

Build something tangible for the community

Settle into village life in Bali

Settle into village life in Bali

The Weekly Program

Weekdays

Monday is for project planning with the coordinator: site visit, briefing on the activities and task allocation. In the afternoon you head to the community site to start the work.

From Tuesday to Friday, after breakfast there's free time to get ready for the day. After lunch you head to the assigned site for the building and renovation work: masonry, painting, carpentry, tiling and gardening.

Each day is split between hands-on work and time with the local team and the other participants, with space too for downtime and evening activities back at the centre.

The weekend is free: you can explore Ubud and the rice paddies, visit temples, head to the beach or organise trips with the other volunteers.

07:00Breakfast at the centre and getting ready for the day
08:30Free time to get ready and unwind
12:00Lunch and free time to relax and socialise
14:00Site work: building, painting and hands-on activities
17:00Back to the centre, group feedback and pool time
19:00Shared dinner, film evenings and group activities with the other volunteers

Weekend

Weekends are free of set activities. You can explore the area, plan a short trip, or just take it easy with the other volunteers.

Explore Ubud and the Monkey Forest

Explore Ubud and the Monkey Forest

Walk through craft markets, temples and rice paddies before meeting the curious macaques of the sacred forest.

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Cost calculator

Weeks:
2
Total cost:
£0
🍽️Accommodation, meals and daily essentials included
🚫No group kitty, no add-ons, no hidden fees
🫶Your fee directly supports our local partner

What's included

What's not included

FAQs

During your stay in Pejeng (Ubud) you'll be based at the volunteer house, a simple but welcoming place set among rice paddies, with mountain views and fresh air, about 15–20 minutes from Ubud. The house has shared rooms (4–8 people) with private bathrooms, air conditioning and common areas with a pool to socialise and relax.

The accommodation has Wi-Fi in the common areas, but it's set up for a real, grounded experience close to local life. If you'd like to stay connected for messages, calls and maps, we'd suggest using Airalo to buy an eSIM and have it active before you travel. That way you're connected from arrival. You can do that easily here.

Rooms have beds with linen provided, hot showers, air conditioning, fans and personal lockers. The spaces are cleaned at weekends, but every volunteer is encouraged to keep things tidy.

🛏️ What's included:

- Shared rooms with a private bathroom
- 3 meals a day on weekdays, 2 at weekends
- Drinking water available
- Ongoing support from the local team
- Personal lockers and lockable rooms
- Pool, Wi-Fi and air conditioning
- Quiet, safe setting set in nature


The volunteer house is also a place to gather: you'll live alongside other participants from around the world, sharing experiences, meals and everyday moments in an open, homely atmosphere.
Your safety is our top priority. All our programmes are carefully chosen and monitored to keep things safe, both at the work sites where you'll be helping and at the house that hosts you during your stay.

🔹 Background checks and safe spaces

To keep things calm and safe for everyone, we ask each participant to provide a criminal record check (DBS or equivalent) before travelling. This lets us verify each volunteer's background and protect children and the communities involved in the project. The whole process is online, and we'll guide you through it.

🔹 Trusted local partners

We only work with schools and communities that offer welcoming, well-organised settings for international volunteers. The accommodation is in safe areas with controlled access, with the local team always on hand. Our partners host more than 2,000 travellers a year worldwide, ages 14 to 70+, and are experienced at managing that mix.

🔹 24/7 support

From your arrival to the end of your trip, the local staff are available, evenings and weekends included. Our UK team is also a WhatsApp message away whenever you need us.

🔹 Briefing and orientation

Before you travel, you'll receive a detailed pack with everything you need on culture, etiquette and safety. On your first day, you'll join an orientation briefing with helpful pointers for getting the most out of the experience.

🔹 A few sensible habits

Indonesia is warm and welcoming, but as anywhere it's worth keeping a few things in mind:
✔ Dress respectfully for local culture, cover shoulders and knees, especially at temples and ceremonies
✔ Avoid showing valuables and only carry what you need when you head out
✔ Always use sun cream, a hat and sturdy shoes during the building work and follow the local coordinator's advice


💡 Our aim is to give you a safe, well-supported and welcoming environment, so you can focus on what really matters: a meaningful experience.
🧭 Orientation day

Your time in Indonesia starts with a full day of orientation, designed to help you settle in, get to know the local context and start the experience safely and confidently.

On your first Monday, you'll join a series of activities led by the local team:

- Welcome meeting, programme introduction and house rules
- Practical advice on health, safety and local etiquette
- A short introduction to Balinese culture, a few first words in Bahasa Indonesia and useful local insights
- A walk around the area, with useful info on supermarkets, transport and local SIMs. If you'd rather arrive with an eSIM already active without having to track down a SIM locally, you can buy one before you travel through Airalo, our affiliate partner.
👉 You can do that using this link
- Visit to Pejeng town to pick up any essentials


Orientation is also a chance to start building a sense of group with the other volunteers, share what brought everyone here, and get pointers from people who know the area inside out.

📌 After this introductory day, from Tuesday you'll start the building and renovation project. By the end of day one you'll already feel part of a community.
For an easy start, we'd recommend booking your flight into Denpasar International Airport (DPS), ideally on the Sunday between 00:00 and 14:00. That's when our pickup and transfer to Pejeng (Ubud) is running.

If you arrive on Saturday, you'll need to book an extra night at the house (small supplement applies).

If you arrive after 14:00, pickup is still possible with a small extra for out-of-hours transport.

Arriving too early or too late? Not a problem: you can make your own way or arrange a private transfer (with a small supplement). Either way, please send us your flight details as soon as you book so we can help.

On arrival, a member of our team will be at a clearly marked meeting point outside the terminal, with a sign with your name or our local partner's name. All practical info is sent by email after your booking is confirmed.

📱 Useful tip: if you'd like internet from the moment you arrive, you can activate an eSIM before you travel with Airalo, our partner. Use this link.

The drive from the airport to the volunteer house takes about 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours, and you may share it with other participants arriving around the same time.

If for any reason you can't spot the team at the meeting point, stay where you are: we'll find you. Emergency contacts are sent after your booking, along with detailed instructions.

🚖 Heading home: return flight tips

When the project finishes, check-out from the volunteer house is by 11:00 on the Saturday. The return transfer to the airport (or anywhere else) isn't included, since there are usually lots of people leaving at different times and only a small coordination team.

That said, our team will happily help you book a taxi or share a private transfer with the others heading back at the same time.

We'd suggest booking your return flight for Saturday afternoon or evening, so you can leave the house in your own time and get to the airport without rushing (about 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours by car).

🗓️ If you're carrying on with your trip elsewhere, let us know in advance and we'll share useful tips so your departure goes smoothly.

💡 Once your booking is confirmed, we'll email you a detailed pre-departure pack with all the practical info and emergency contacts.
Still have questions?

Book your spot

Booking
1

Send your application (free)

Pick the project you like the look of and tell us when you'd like to travel. No commitment, the application is free and non-binding.

2

Meet your coordinator

After your application, we'll put you in touch with your dedicated coordinator. They'll walk you through everything and answer your questions.

3

Confirm your spot

When you're ready, pay the deposit to lock in your spot. You'll get everything you need: local contacts, a visa guide and your pre-trip pack.

4

Off you go

Pack your bag and travel. On arrival you'll find other travellers like you, a welcoming local team, and a trip you'll be talking about for a while.

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97+ confirmed participants in the coming months