Photo By: Elin Chow

A trip to Bali is never complete without a visit to Tanah Lot, one of the most famous tourist attraction on the island.

Tanah Lot

Located at Beraban village, Tabanan, about 20 kilometers from Denpasar, the capital of Bali, Tanah Lot is a rock formation off the Indonesian island. Attracting over a million visitors every year, Tanah Lot is known as one of the most important landmark in Bali.

Admission Fee

Due to tourism development in Bali, the area around Tanah Lot is highly commercialized and visitors will be required to pay an entrance fee in order to enter the area.


The price of admission is as above. As you can see, the attraction has a dual pricing. Foreign visitors are required to pay double the price in order to enter the site.

Parking Fee

Other than admission fee, visitors are required to pay parking fee in order to park their vehicle on site. The price of parking fee is as below.


In order to reach the temple, visitors have to walk through a pathway lined with souvenirs shops and restaurants that are specifically targeted at tourists. Most of the shops offer a variety of T-shirts, Balinese sarong, hats, sandals, accessories and typical tourist souvenirs such as magnet trinkets. There were also art shops selling local handicrafts, paintings and wood cravings and food stalls selling overpriced food and drinks.



In Balinese language, "Pura" means "temple" and "Tanah Lot" means "land in the sea". The location of the Tanah Lot Temple is incredible. The temple itself is perched atop an enormous off shore rock surrounded by the waters of the Indian ocean. It is built to honor the gods of the sea and is one of the seven sea temples around the coast of Bali.

Each of the sea temple is said to be visible from the next, forming a chain around the island, protecting it from the evil spirits. It is also said that the temple is founded in the sixteenth century by Danghyang Nirartha, a wandering priest who traveled to Bali from the kingdom of Majapahit in East Java to spread Hinduism.

Nirartha arrived at the beautiful area where he shared his teachings to Beraban villagers. Unfortunately, he faced opposition from the village chief, who gathered his loyal followers to dispel him. Nirartha resisted, incredibly shifting a large rock he mediated upon out into the sea.


Impressed by Nirartha's powers, the village chief became his follower. Before Nirartha left this sacred spot, he advised his followers to build a shrine to worship the guardians of the sea because he felt that this is a holy place.


Unfortunately, the continuous crashing of huge waves and fierce winds gradually wear away the rock. In 1980, the rock face of the temple started to crumble. Due to the erosion of the rock face, the temple is under threat and in danger of collapse. As the result, the entire area had to be sealed for restoration works. With the aid of Japanese government, the rock was fully restored. However, one-third of the rock is artificial.

Visitors are able to walk along the coastline and enjoy the view of the magnificent holy temple of Tanah Lot.


Tanah lot is one of the most visited and photographed temple in Bali. Hundreds or even thousands of visitors flocked to the site everyday to snap pictures of this beauty. So, be sure to bring along your camera for breathtaking photo opportunities. Do not worry if you forget to bring your camera or runs out of battery. You can hire one of the many local photographers at the site to take photographs of you and your family.


Tanah Lot is known for its spectacular sun set. It is one of the best spot to view the beautiful sun set in Bali. Thus, the best time to visit is around 5.00 pm when the sun is just about to set.

However, be prepared for massive crowds if you plan to visit Tanah Lot at sunset.  This is undoubtedly one of the best place in Bali to get prefect sunset ocean shots. However, if you prefer to watch Tanah Lot without the massive crowds, I would suggest that you visit early before noon.



Walking further in, you will find Tanah lot temple on your left and the Batu Balong temple (Pura Batu Balong) on the right (if you are facing the sea).




Surrounded by waters on all sides, Tanah Lot temple is only accessible at low tides. The water recedes at low tides to reveal a sandy foot path between the shore and the island, allowing visitors to walk across the water to the temple. There are no boats to the island, it can only reached by foot. The temple becomes an isolated island again once the water comes in during high tides.


However, please note that the waters is not recommended for swimming or surfing for beginners due to strong currents and waves.The waves around this part of the island is usually very rough and choppy with tides coming in so much faster than you might imagine.


Unfortunately, just like Batu Balong Temple, non-Hindu visitors are also not allowed to enter the Tanah Lot temple.The temple is known as one of the most holy places in Bali and only true Hindu devotees are allowed to climb the uneven stairway craved out of the face of the rock and enter the compound of the temple.



However, the outer sanctum of  temple is open to the public where non Hindu visitors can get close enough to admire its pavilions and pagodas. There is a little cave beneath the temple where you can receive a blessing from the holy Balinese priests. In the cave, you will also find a fresh water spring which the Balinese believe to be holy water. This is because the water in the spring is fresh even though the temple is surrounded by salty sea water.


In order to receive a blessing from the Balinese priests, simply queue and proceed to wash your face and hands with the spring water. The priest will then sprinkle some holy water over your head, offer you a drink from the sacred water that flows down the rock wall and press some rice grain to your forehead. Once you are done, you are required to place a small donation in a basket next to the priest.


The constant pounding of ocean waves have created a number of caves at the base of the rock formation and many of which are home to highly venomous sea snakes. Many of these caves around the temple can also be explored if you are not worried about the snakes. However, according to legends, the temple is guarded by these black-and-silver striped sea snakes from evil spirits and intruders. The Balinese actually believe that these holy snakes are not dangerous and will not attack anyone as long as you do not disturb their natural habitat.

The scientific name of the holy snake is Bungarus Candidus, also known as Malayan Krait or Blue Krait. These snakes are said to be created by Niratha's sashes, which fell into the sea when he left the sacred spot. It is believed that these holy snakes can only be found in Tanah Lot and not anywhere else in the world. Well, I am not sure true is this, but this is what the Balinese believe.


Located directly opposite the temple, you will see another cave where visitors can receive a blessing from a sacred snake. Visitors are welcome to see and even touch the holy snake for a small donation. The Balinese believe that touching the snake will bring luck to the person.

This was actually the first time I got to touch a snake. If you have never touched a snake before, you might think that they will feel slimy. But in actual fact, the skin of the snake is dry and surprisingly cold and smooth to the touch. It was a really amazing experience!

If you are interested to know more about our trip, you may want to check out our 6D5N Bali Trip Itinerary + Overview for the list of attractions that we had visited during our 6 days in Bali. Be sure to follow me on Facebook or Twitter  for the latest updates on my 6 days adventures in Bali! You might also want to check My Wanderlust page for some of my other travel adventures.