This afternoon was spent going to the Tanalot Temple in Bali, Indonesia . It is a picturesque temple on a small island next to the beach. It is also a popular tourist destination.
Some fellow travelers, staying at the same hostel expressed interest to go and I responded enthusiastically. There was 6 of us in all. We decided to go via motorbike since we had 4 motorbikes collectively that some of us had rented. The drive was roughly 45 minutes one-way.
Driving on the roads in Bali is a great way to elevate your heart rate. Fortunately, I have experience driving in Thailand which is similarly crazy. There is a lot of motorbike traffic on Bali and it seems as if everyone is racing to get to the next destination.
How To Get To Tanah Lot Temple
The temple is on the west coast of Bali, northwest of Kuta. We did not know specifically how to get there but it was pretty straight forward. You get on the main road and drive west, follow the signs and eventually turn left off the main road to the Tanah Lot Temple.
We get to the temple safely and get in line to pay the entrance fee of 30,000 Rupiah ($2.50 USD) per person plus 2000 Rupiah ($0.20 USD) for motorbike parking.
The area is very popular with tourists. There are a variety of shops and food stalls that line the walking path to the temple.
It is a short walk to the temple and is easy to get to. Once you have the temple in view, you have to wade across a short section of water, depending on the tide. I was surprised by the amount of people that came to view the temple. It a clearly a popular tourist site.
You can also walk on paved paths to different viewing areas. The viewpoints are less crowded and make for great photograph opportunities. We had arrived in the late afternoon and it would make for an ideal location to watch the sunset.
The area is loaded with locals selling food, beverages, hand-made trinkets and photographers. It can get overwhelming and aggravating to be constantly asked if you want to buy X, Y, or Z.
The Tanah Lot Temple has a natural fresh water spring that has religious significance which flows beneath it. You can be blessed by monks with the holy spring water which allows you to walk around the temple. You cannot walk on the island without being blessed. You can vaguely see a line of people, waiting to be blessed in the photo above.
After walking around and getting some great pictures, we headed back and tried to navigate through heavy traffic. I took the opportunity to pull off and take a photo of the sun-set. If you are not comfortable on a motorbike or feel nervous in heavy traffic that does not obey any rules, than I would recommend to go with a guided tour.
