Base in central Ubud and spend five days on a hard-charged Ubud loop: rice terraces before sunrise, waterfall mornings, temple and craft stops by midday, and one full volcano or highland day. This works because Ubud rewards early starts and punishes late arrivals with traffic, heat, and tour buses. Do every major nature stop at opening time, use one private driver for all outer-day trips, and keep dinners in town so you never waste daylight in Bali traffic.