Uluwatu Temple and its cliff: the rules, the fees and the way round

Uluwatu Temple Bali, known locally as Pura Luhur Uluwatu Temple, is one of the six holiest temples of Bali, the Sad Kahyangan, and the one that guards the southwest.¹⁰ The management says historical records place it at least in the 9th century, and that the sage Mpu Kuturan, who arrived in the 11th century, is credited with the idea of village, mountain and sea temples.^11,12 Uluwatu was set up as a sea temple, built to turn back harm that comes in from the ocean.¹³

The name describes the place. The Ministry of Tourism reads ulu as end and watu as rock, a fitting label for a shrine at the rocky tip of a peninsula.¹⁴ The same page says a priest named Dang Hyang Nirartha reinforced the temple in the 16th century and is believed to have spent the end of his life here until his moksa.¹⁵ A statue inside the precinct honors his role.¹⁶

The god worshipped here is Shiva Rudra, and the temple's anniversary, the Piodalan, is celebrated every 210 days according to the Pawukon calendar of Bali.¹⁷ A second statue shows Kumbakarna, a warrior of the Ramayana, a hint of the story the evening dance tells a short walk away.¹⁸ The rest is scenery: the cliff rises 70 meters from the water.¹³

The temple opens every day from 07:00 to 19:00.¹ The entrance fee is paid at the official booth near the main gate.³ International adults pay IDR 60,000 and international children IDR 40,000, while domestic visitors pay IDR 40,000 for an adult and IDR 30,000 for a child.² The ticket covers the public visitor areas.²⁹

The temple ticket leaves out parking and the Kecak.⁴ For the Kecak itself an adult ticket is IDR 150,000 and a ticket for ages 2 to 9 is IDR 75,000; cash is generally what the ticket booth wants.^28,31 The management also notes that prices and arrangements may change around ceremonies and public holidays, and recommends checking its site before you travel.³²

The sarong and sash come with the ticket, free at the entrance.⁵ The Ministry describes the entrance ticket the same way, as including the loan of a sarong and shawl.³⁸ Add the evening show and an international adult's budget at the ticket booths is IDR 60,000 plus IDR 150,000, before parking and food.^2,28

Around 650 macaques live at the temple and about 50 more at Labuan Sait beach, and the caretakers work with the veterinary faculty of Udayana University on their health.⁶ The management says injured animals get care at the Anom Veterinary Clinic and asks visitors to report a monkey that looks sick or hurt.^58,59

Do not carry things where they can be grabbed. The management warns that monkeys may take sunglasses, hats and phones.⁷ If one does take something, stay calm, do not chase it, do not offer food and ask temple staff for help.⁶⁰ The monkeys page of this site goes through those rules in order.

Sundays at 4:00 PM bring a supervised feeding at the foot of the Kumba Karna statue.²¹ Feeding on your own is what the management discourages, since it disrupts the animals' natural behavior.⁶¹ Watching from a distance, with the camera zoomed in, is the approach the temple recommends.⁶²

Uluwatu Temple lies in Pecatu village, in the South Kuta district of Badung Regency.⁶⁴ By rental vehicle it is about 45 minutes from Ngurah Rai Airport, and the Ministry of Tourism puts the drive from Kuta or Seminyak at about 45 minutes as well.^39,46

Leave early at holiday time: traffic thickens in the late afternoon before the show.⁴⁶ A tour with pickup removes the parking question, and the listings on this site compare several of them, from a bare ticket to a private sunset trip.

On site, the management lists public toilets, first aid, a prayer room, wheelchairs for elderly or disabled visitors, an ATM center and charging points for electric vehicles.^65,66,67 The practical gap is the car park: parking is charged on top of the ticket and is not covered by the Kecak ticket either.^4,31