When you are thinking about Indonesia as a holiday vacation destination, Bali immediately springs to mind and this is followed by dreams of paradise and enjoying the beaches morning, noon and night. You've heard of the stunning sunsets and the Islands you can enjoy day trips to. There's never an imperfect moment:
It's amazing and why we love Bali and why you could very well fall in love with Bali too. Unfortunately, not as many tourists make their way to the temples, we suspect. Bali's ancient Hindu Tanah Lot Temple is one of very few exceptions in Indonesia. Read on to discover why.
One of a number of temples that were built along the coast of Bali, Tanah Lot Temple is probably the most famous of them all. Memorizing sunsets experienced from the shoreline and from the temple itself, perhaps make it famous? You bet. The temple on a rocky outcrop has regular entertainment for tourists and there are restaurants and shops close by. And there is the gorgeous beach, don't forget.
The temple regularly attracts close to a million visitors each year and the numbers continue to climb year on year. When you are holidaying in Bali, when you visit, do so in the morning as early as you can, to be first in the queues. Only so many can get to the temple at any one time due to the tides: only when the tide is low can you scramble across. When the tide is low and you are waiting to cross the sea spray blown in the breeze is cooling and refreshing. The sounds of the wave's hitting land are also mindful. You almost don't mind queueing.
The normal course of action is to grab a snack (or two) before queueing, so you don't go hungry in the meantime. When the tide is high you relax on the beach, go swimming and sunbathe until the tide subsides.
There are many vantage points to viewing the Island from the shore and one of the best (and most popular obviously) is the crowded entrance.
When you do eventually cross over onto the Island you are drawn in by the history and culture of this Hindu temple. The stunning beauty of ancient architecture plays nicely with modern additions ― initially it's a vast Island to you. Only once you've found your bearings do you feel comfortable exploring all the nooks and crannies.
The 15th century temple built by a priest and dedicated to Bali's sea gods and goddesses as were the other similar coastal temples elsewhere. The spiritual journey many take to this Island temple for their pilgrimage is in thanks to the various shrines in place and the Island's unique beauty. In our opinion what enhances the visit to the Island is the fact it's a rocky outcrop off the shore. You reach the Island from a sand bank at low tide.
And the Island is rocky: volcanic rock is our thoughts. Once you look over the sides you see rocky ledges and slopes below. Looks dangerous and unsafe but appealing to thrill seekers. A few adventurous souls we saw down on the rocks sunbathing in the full glare of the sun. You do so at your own risk, of course.
During your time at the Island temple and its shrines, on closer inspection you see remarkable carvings and sculptures of serpents of the sea staring back at you. Beautiful each of them and the detail hasn't been lost to the centuries. The temple itself is gorgeous and a testament to the human ability (and need) to create works of art out of rock.
If you are there to worship you can enter the shrines but for the average travel to the Island, tourists are not permitted to enter the shrines. You can still, however, experience the Tirta Pabersihan fountain and frequent the pools.
Aside from the spiritual aspects of the temple it is situated very well to get most of the setting sun over the Indian ocean. The views out to the far-off horizon are seldom experienced elsewhere on Earth at sunset. In fact, it's maybe the only reason why so many come to this small Island: for the glorious sunset. Just a short walk from the Island is another, smaller, rock that is reachable.
Basked in the dim light of night fall be sure you watch where you place your footing and not fall off over the side. If that sounds too risky for you then you can capture the sunset from one of the restaurants found on the clifftops. The sunset normally begins around 6pm.
The temple is located near Tabanan Town with the city of Denpasar being the nearest built-up metropolis some 20km away. It is quite feasible for you to take a private taxi from Denpasar to then be dropped off at Beraban Village. The journey is no more than an hour despite Bali's traffic being chaotic the best of times.
Arrive as early as 07:00 hours to have any chance of being in the front of the queues. There may be tourists camping close to the beach ― for the just as amazingly beautiful sunrise ― chances are you won't be alone. You can expect to pay US$5 per person to gain access to the temple.
We mentioned there are other sea temples along the Balinese coastline. In fact, there are 7 other sea temples:
And another firm favorite is surely Batu Temple. Thought to be the twin of Tanah Lot, the temple is built on a nearby cliff face and a must go to attraction on the holy day of Kuningan. Visiting at this time you see the pilgrimage to the temple and a few days afterwards there is the anniversary of Tanah Lot and its (larger) pilgrimage.
Bali has many temples, and other cultural attractions that are a must-see experience before heading back home. For example:
Those other three temples we've pointed out are as good to visit as Tanah Lot Temple, from a cultural point of view. They're all as popular a destination anyway and you may even feel the need to visit more than Tanah Lot Temple? Please do so because it be a boring, less interesting holiday just to spend all your time on a beach. An hour by taxi from Sanur you will find Tirta Empul Temple.
You must enjoy this utterly beautiful temple and its surroundings as much as the full pleasure of bathing in the purifying water. But experience Tanah Lot Temple first and foremost, of course.
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