Pura Besakih: A Guide to Bali's Mother Temple

Pura Besakih (Besakih Temple) is the largest and holiest of all the temples in Bali, located on the majestic slopes of Mount Agung, around 30 minutes north of Sidemen.

Here you'll find not just one temple, but an entire sprawling complex of public and private temples that are still used for praying and religious ceremonies, earning it the nickname ‘the mother temple’.

During our travels across Bali, we had the privilege of visiting this important Balinese Hindu site for ourselves. In this guide, we’ll share our review and some tips so that you can enjoy a seamless visit to Pura Besakih.

Summary

Our Review: Is Pura Besakih Worth Visiting?

Pura Besakih is one of our favourite temples that we’ve visited in Bali. Not just because of its extraordinary size and commanding position with Mount Agung in the background, but because it’s a place of cultural significance and a great opportunity to learn about Balinese Hinduism.

Besakih isn’t just a tourist attraction. It's the most significant temple in Bali and still sits at the centre of many important Hindu traditions. Depending on what time of year you visit, you might even get to witness one of these.

Visiting the temple costs 150,000 IDR ⓘ per person, which includes a local guide who'll lead you around the huge complex, sharing facts about the temple’s history and activities taking place here.

We've seen some bad reviews of this temple online due to over-zealous locals pressuring tourists to buy things, but that doesn’t reflect our own experience.

Yes, people tried to sell us offerings by telling us they were ‘essential’ and one man asked us if we wanted a mirror photo, but we politely declined and walked away without a problem. It did sadden us to see children selling postcards, but that was our only issue.

Pura Besakih is worth going out of your way for, whether you're staying nearby in Sidemen or travelling across the island. If you are travelling a long way, consider combining it with other activities in Sidemen (30 minutes away) or Kintamani (40 minutes away) to make the most of your trip - more below.

Getting To Pura Besakih

Pura Besakih is located in east Bali at the base of Mount Agung, around 30 minutes north of Sidemen.

There's no public transport to the temple. If you don’t have your own vehicle, consider hiring a private driver or taking an online taxi such as Grab or Gojek.

When you arrive, you’ll see several multi-story parking lots. There are dedicated areas for cars and bikes, so make sure to follow the correct signs.

These huge parking lots are usually fairly empty unless you visit during an important ceremony when thousands of locals descend on the temple from all across the island.

Adjacent to the parking lot, you'll find the large, modern ticket office. Once you purchase your ticket here, you’ll receive a wristband and sarong, and get assigned a local guide who will take you up to the temple using the shuttle bus.

The small shuttle bus comes regularly and only takes a few minutes to reach the main temple entrance via a steep uphill road.

Don’t attempt to walk directly to the temple without purchasing a ticket. Your wristband will be re-scanned at the entrance. So if you don't have one, you'll need to walk all the way back down to the ticket office again.

How Much Does It Cost?

Both cash and card payments are accepted for the admission fee, although the parking charge is cash-only.

The admission fee includes entrance, a sarong, your guide, and a one-way shuttle up to the temple.

You can either walk back down, which takes around 10-15 minutes, or pay an extra 20,000 IDR ⓘ for the return shuttle.

Beyond the ticket price, there's no requirement to spend any other money if you don’t want to. However, we really liked our guide so we tipped him an extra 40,000 IDR ⓘ between us.

What To Wear?

This is a sacred place so you must dress respectfully - this generally means that shoulders and knees should be covered.

All visitors must wear a sarong to enter the temple. A sarong is provided at the temple and is included in the ticket price. You'll receive this at the same time as your wristband and must return it at the end.

When To Visit?

The daily opening times are 7am to 6pm.

The temple is open all year round, other than on Nypei, Bali's silent day.

The best time to visit is on a clear, sunny day. One of the highlights of Pura Besakih is seeing Mount Agung towering over the sacred temple. Unfortunately, the huge volcano can completely disappear when it's foggy or cloudy.

The weather in Bali can change quickly. It was grey and cloudy when we first arrived at Besakih so we couldn't see Agung. But by the time we finished our tour, the clouds had disappeared and we were treated to an amazing view of the temple and volcano!

Is It Crowded?

Being such a grand and iconic temple, Pura Besakih attracts a lot of tourists - both foreign and domestic. But it's so spread out and has excellent infrastructure so it never felt too busy during our afternoon visit.

If you happen to be visiting during the 10th lunar month (usually around March), things might be different. This is when Balinese people celebrate Bhatara Turun Kabeh, a festival where every family visits the temple. The festival begins on the full moon and continues for around 2-3 weeks.

During Bhatara Turun Kabeh, the temple will be extravagantly decorated with a real buzz. Expect music, dances, bell-ringing, chanting, and offerings. It’s also when the temple will be at its busiest so weigh up these things and decide if it's for you.

What Can You See and Do?

A local guide is included in the entrance price. While you don't have to go with a guide, we recommend you stick with them if it’s your first time visiting Pura Besakih as they'll only improve your experience and you've paid for it anyway.

As well as making sure we didn’t get lost, our guide had a wealth of knowledge about the temple and was able to share some interesting facts about the temple’s history and why it’s culturally significant. There are no information boards at the temple, so having a guide is the best way to learn more about it.

Pura Besakih isn’t just one temple, but a giant complex of temples. It would take ages to see the whole thing, so your visit will concentrate on the main area where you'll find the most important temples and shrines.

According to our guide, there are 18 public temples within the complex, all with unique purposes or dedicated to different gods such as Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu.

The most important public temple is Pura Penataran Agung. This one is easy to spot as there’s a long set of steps leading to gates at the top which marks the entrance. It's a popular photo spot so a photographer might offer you a mirror photo here, for a fee of course.

As with all of the temples, only Balinese Hindus are permitted to go inside Pura Penataran Agung, but we could still get a good view by peering through the gates. Inside is a row of pagodas, each on a separate level that represents one of the seven layers of the universe.

The final pagoda sits on the highest level and is the tallest in the complex, with 11 storeys. It represents the supreme god in Balinese Hinduism.

There are also many private temples across the complex, belonging to different regencies or castes from across Bali. The total number varies depending on who you ask, but our guide said at least 80.

Once your tour is complete, your guide will advise you the walking route back down to the parking area. The walk takes around 10-15 minutes, depending on your speed. Or you can catch the return shuttle for an extra 20,000 IDR each.

Tips for Visiting

Other Attractions Nearby

If you enjoy visiting temples and learning about Balinese culture, Pura Besakih is worth going out of your way for.

But if you’re travelling far across Bali to see the temple, you might want to combine it with other activities in Sidemen or Kintamani to make the most of your trip.

The temple is just 30 minutes from Sidemen, which is a renowned area for trekking in the lush rice paddies and experiencing authentic rural Balinese life.

You can also take jewellery-making classes or visit the scenic Gembleng Waterfall where unique splash pools overlook the jungle like a natural infinity pool.

Another great place to visit is Kintamani, just 40 minutes away from Pura Besakih by car or scooter.

Here, you can climb Mount Batur (Bali's second largest volcano), visit some amazing cafes that sit on the edge of the volcano crater, or go canoeing in the lake that's formed beneath it.

What about Amed? Although Besakih Temple looks close to Amed on the map, you need to drive around Mount Agung to reach it, so it's actually quite the trek and can take over 1 hour 30 mins.