By far the three most famous temples in Ubud are Goa Gajah, Tirta Empul and Gunung Kawi. We visited all three of them as part of our day trip in and around Ubud. Unlike some other temples in Bali, the entry fees for these Ubud temples include the renting of a Sarong if you don’t have your own. Also make sure to cover your shoulders and belly.
Gunung Kawi
If you only have time to visit one temple in Ubud, I would choose the Gunung Kawi temple. It takes a 300 step climb to reach the temple, but it is so worth it. The temple itself consists of shrines carved in rocks:
The area surrounding the Gunung Kawi temple is also well worth a visit, as it consists of rice fields and some amazing viewpoints over the river valley:
It costs IDR 15,000 (less than Β£1) per person to enter the Gunung Kawi temple. This price includes the renting of the Sarongs. Out of the three Ubud temples we visited, this one was the quietest.
Goa Gajah
My second favourite Ubud temple is the Goa Gajah, also known as the Elephant Cave temple. It takes only 50 steps down to reach this temple, which is not bad at all. The carvings of the Elephant Cave itself is the most impressive part, but the temple garden also has a few cute photo spots:
It costs IDR 50,000 (around Β£3) per person to enter the Goa Gajah temple, and this again includes the renting of the Sarong. The Goa Gajah temple is more crowded than the Gunung Kawi temple, but not as crowded as the Tirta Empul.
Tirta Empul
The Tirta Empul is a holy water temple where locals come to purify their body and soul by doing a religious ritual. Tourists can also come and join this ritual, but we were way too shy to do this as we don’t know much about their religion. I guess it would have helped if we had a local tour guide telling us how to participate in this ritual. Also, there were long queues of people wanting to join this ritual.
Worshippers continue their prayers after the purification bath at the inner court of the temple. Tourists are welcome at the inner court to witness the prayers, but women need to tie up their hair. I was given a rubber band to do my hair with.
It costs IDR 50,000 (around Β£3) per person to enter the Tirta Empul temple, which includes the renting of the Sarong that looks like a skirt. If you’re brave enough to join the bathing ritual, you will incur some extra costs to rent a special bathing sarong and a locker for your valuables.
Book now:
If you prefer to book your Ubud temple visits in advance, check out:
- Viator β for organised group and private tours (price per person), or
- Hi, hi Guide β put together your own itinerary with a private tour guide (price per guide).
These are affiliate links, so I will be earning commission when you buy through my link. This comes at no extra cost to you, and helps me keeping my website online.
We combined our visit to the Ubud Temples in a day trip with:
Pingback: 3x day trips in Bali ~ Yvettheworld
Pingback: My favourite waterfalls in Bali ~ Yvettheworld
Pingback: Terrace River Pool Swing in Bali ~ Yvettheworld
Pingback: A visit to the Tegalalang rice fields ~ Yvettheworld