experience
Temples, surf beaches and rice terraces on one island
Overview
Bali is called the Island of a Thousand Temples, and its best ones cost almost nothing to enter — usually IDR 50,000–100,000 ($3–$5.50) each. What you pay for is the driver to reach them, since temples are scattered across the island.
Bali practises its own island form of Hinduism, and you see it everywhere: palm-leaf offerings on every doorstep, temple festivals most weeks, dress rules taken seriously. The temples are the best cultural reason to leave the beach.
| Option | Good for | Rough price |
|---|---|---|
| Uluwatu Temple + Kecak dance | The one to book — clifftop sunset and fire dance | Entry ~IDR 50,000 ($3) + dance ~IDR 150,000 ($8) |
| Tanah Lot | The famous sea-rock temple at sunset; very crowded | ~IDR 75,000 ($4) |
| Tirta Empul | The holy spring where visitors bathe in blessed water | ~IDR 75,000 ($4) |
| Lempuyang (Gates of Heaven) | The Instagram shot — with a long queue | ~IDR 100,000 ($5.50) + queue time |
| Besakih (Mother Temple) | Bali's grandest complex, on Mount Agung's slopes | ~IDR 150,000 ($8) with sarong and guide |
| Ulun Danu Beratan | The lake temple on the Bedugul route; cool climate | ~IDR 75,000 ($4) |
Book Uluwatu with the Kecak dance for your first evening in south Bali — it is near Kuta, Seminyak and Nusa Dua, so no long drive. Buy dance tickets in advance in peak season; the amphitheatre fills up.
Choose between Tanah Lot and Uluwatu for sunset — they are in opposite directions, and doing both in one evening is not realistic. Uluwatu has the show; Tanah Lot has the postcard rock.
Tirta Empul suits travellers who want to take part, not just look: you can join the purification bathing ritual (bring a change of clothes). Pair it with Ubud sights.
Skip Lempuyang if queues ruin your mood — the photo takes hours of waiting in peak months. Besakih rewards the long eastern drive only if you love temple architecture.
Hire a private driver for temple days (about IDR 600,000–850,000 ($33–$47) per car per day) — see Bali day tours for how the circuits work, or start with the Bali guide.
Good to know
Uluwatu, for the combination: a clifftop temple, sunset over the ocean, and the Kecak fire dance performed in an open-air amphitheatre. If you see one temple in Bali, make it this one.
Small amounts — typically IDR 50,000–100,000 ($3–$5.50) per temple. The Uluwatu Kecak dance ticket is separate, around IDR 150,000 ($8). Sarongs are usually included with entry or rented cheaply.
Yes, visitors of all faiths can enter the outer courtyards of most temples. Inner sanctums stay reserved for worshippers. Women are asked not to enter during menstruation — this is stated at temple gates.
A sarong and sash, worn over your clothes — temples usually provide or rent them at the entrance. Shoulders covered, and no climbing on shrines. It is simple; just follow what the gate staff hand you.
The gate is real; the mirror-like reflection is a trick done with glass under a phone camera. The queue for that photo can run 1–3 hours in peak season. Go before 7 am or decide the queue is not worth it.
Two, comfortably — three at a push. Distances are long and Bali traffic is slow. A classic day: Tirta Empul + Besakih or Lempuyang (east), or Tanah Lot + Uluwatu (coastal sunset run, but only doable in that order).
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