The temples of Bali are not only breathtaking and ornate, they are a place of complete serenity and deep rooted history. In part 2 of my Eat, PRAY, love posts, I wanted to share some photos from just a slice of the most beautiful places in Bali, the temples. In Bali, Indonesia, there are a multitude of religions including Christian, Muslim, Buddhist and the predominant, Hinduism. It was immediately apparent to my husband and I when we landed and literally every single person was so welcoming and warm that something here was just different. It didn’t feel like the warmth we felt when we have traveled to any other country, it was heartfelt, genuine, and almost felt like these people were excited to see us, it felt great!
During our stay in Bali, we hired a driver (will leave his info below because we loved him so much!) for the duration of our stay. Getting around in Bali for longer excursions was so much easier when you could have that relationship with just one driver. During one of our long drives, I asked him if anyone in Bali ever gets mad (jokingly). He laughed and responded “yes but we don’t show it, we believe in Karma”. He continued to explain that the religion of Hinduism is very strongly rooted in giving what you wish to receive. Aha! No wonder everyone was so genuinely kind, because they were practicing the golden rule: treat others how you wish to be treated.
After hearing this, I began to look at everyone a little differently. I yearned to be more like them, to be more intentional in how I treat people, something I feel like is looked over sometimes here in the states. If you are having a bad day, then be extra kind to everyone…it will come back to you!👍🏽 Now onto the temples…there were SO many but we didn’t have much time to explore them all so we chose those that were best for our trip. Truth be told, I could have spent two weeks alone exploring the temples of Bali!
Tirta Empul Temple
Things to know:
- Price: 50,000 Rp or around $3.40 USD per person which includes entrance to the temple gardens and the blessing water fountains.
- Dress Code is strictly enforced: Everyone must wear a sarong that covers their knees. Everyone must rent a specific sarong to enter the holy water pools.
- Hours: 9am-5pm (I suggest arriving earlier if you want photos with less people in the background).
- You can rent a locker to store your belongings in if you will be entering the holy water pools for a small donation of around 10,000 Rp or around $0.75 USD.
Sacred Monkey Forest Temple
It is nearly impossible to read about Bali travel at all without hearing about the famous monkey forest. The Sacred Monkey Forest is home to over 1000 monkeys and is their natural habitat. Inside this forest there are 3 temples that have been overtaken by the monkeys but that are still absolutely beautiful and used for prayer. There is one temple that has a cemetery and that is used as a place to hold the bodies of loved ones until the event of “mass cremation” happens which is every 5 years. While tourists are allowed to view these temples from outside of the gates, we are not allowed to enter, that is reserved for the prayer community. Now…onto the monkeys 🐒
What you need to know:
- Cost to enter: Adults are 80,000 Indonesian Rupiahs which is roughly $6 and children 60,000 rupiahs $4.50.
- Feeding the monkeys is strictly prohibited as of Summer 2019 for your safety.
- Do not touch or make direct eye contact with the monkeys (we made eye contact but were very aware of the monkey’s behavior at all times).
- Remember you are in the monkey’s home, be respectful and do not taunt or get too close. It is totally fine to get photos but be alert. Do not bring plastic bags, paper bags or water bottles and expose them. The monkeys can smell EVERYTHING and can possibly come in contact with you to get what they think you’re hiding!
With just 4 full days to really explore Ubud, we didn’t have much time to see many temples, but I will listed some of the other notable ones below for you and I definitely recommend planning an itinerary to see as many as you wish!
Other Notable Temples in Bali:
- Besakih Temple: Lots of stairs but located high up so the views are amazing! Click here for more info.
- Pura Tanah Lot: Built by fisherman in the 15th century. Great sunset views and need to gain access over rocky terrain only during low tide…hard to get to, but worth it for the adventurer! 😉 Click here for more info.
- Uluwatu Temple: One of the top temples for tourists in Bali, this temple sits atop a cliff and has nightly events including masked actors and fire dancers. Click here for more info.
- Pura Luhur Lempuyang: The famous gates to heaven in Bali! This is very highly frequented by tourists looking to get that token photo in front of the gates. Click here for more info.
- Tirta Gangga: This temple has tiered fountains, views of the rice paddies, gardens and stone sculptures! You can feed the koi fish here as well 🙂 Click here for more info.
Offerings, Offerings, Offerings Everywhere!
Walking around Bali you are sure to come across these tiny offerings on the ground. It is important to be mindful when walking because they are literally outside almost every hotel, restaurant, store, and temple! These are called Canang Sari and are a daily offering to the Hindu god, Ida Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa. Inside these palm leaf baskets are things like flowers, fruit, etc., even rice! Our driver explained to us that people will often give anything as an offering that they feel happy to have on Earth. This all made sense when I saw an offering that had a lit cigarette in it! 😆 This person was obviously thankful for the cigarette and wanted to share it back the the gods…hey I get it, I guess 🤷🏽♀️. Often lit on top of these is the beautiful scent of incense.
Balinese Healing/Cleansing
I did a ton of research on the best and most authentic balinese healers so that I could book us an appointment with one during our trip. I wanted to take the opportunity to cleanse my mind body and soul while in one of the holiest places on the planet, who wouldn’t?! Well, after reading much research and reviews, I found that a lot of these healers can be scams 😞. I did, however find two that I would recommend because they were recommended to us by the local Balinese people! Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to get an appointment with either by the time I got their info, but I am here to give you the heads up so you don’t miss out like I did!
- Floating Leaf Balinese Healing Retreat: This one will require advanced notice and a few days but is an entire cleansing experience and reading the testimonials gave me goosebumps…if I am ever in Bali again, I am DEFINITELY reserving my spot here. Click here for more info.
- Traditional Balinese Healing Center: Local to Ubud, this location had wonderful reviews as well and was also recommended by the locals. They do healing massages, body reading, body balancing and overall health cleansing. Click here for more info.
Our AMAZING driver in Bali: CONTACT HERE!
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