Gateway to Heaven - a guide to visiting Pura Lempuyang
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PURA LEMPUYANG
Pura Lempuyang is a
must see. Often photographed, one of its temple gates is dubbed as the “Gateway
to Heaven” Located in the east of Bali, it is one of the nine directional
temples and one of the most sacred in Bali. This temple functions to protect
the island and its people from evil spirits. There are a total of 7 temples
located on the mountainside. It has breathtaking views but would require quite
a bit of hiking through an uphill road and through a lush forest
There are about 1700
steps to take but I think it was more than that. You can opt to visit just one
or a couple of the temples. It took us about half the day to visit temples 1 to
4.
From the parking
lot, there is an information office before heading up. Here you can hire a
guide, rent a sarong, and make a small donation for the maintenance of the
temple. You’ll need to wear a sarong to enter the temple complex. You can save
money by bringing your own. I would
suggest getting a guide so you could easily navigate through the jungle
although there is a marked path leading from the various temples.
From the information
office, you’ll need to climb a couple of stairs to get to the first temple. It
will take you just a couple of minutes to reach Pura Penataran Agung which is
the first temple. It has an amazing view of Mt. Agung from its iconic doors.
This is larger than temple 2,3.4 and has beautiful stairs. If you don't want to
walk the uphill slope or 2 hour hike to reach the other temples, this temple is
already worth the drive out to here.
I would suggest hiring a motorcycle or have your vehicle drop you off near the 2nd temple to skip walking on the uphill on the paved road. We had opted not when our guide suggested because it was just a half kilometer walk. We quickly regretted that decision when we realized how much of a slope we had to climb. The uphill road was more tiring for us than the forest part. There are a few small stalls when you reach the arc in the roadright before the second temple.
The second temple is
after the arc from the uphill paved road from the first temple. It’s a small
temple what most would even consider as just an altar for its size. To reach
the other temples, you’ll need to walk downhill on some steps to reach the
forest. After about 30 minutes of walking on the marked path and stairs along
the way you’ll reach the 3rd temple and fourth temple. Close to each
other, you’ll need to climb more stairs to reach the temple and enjoy
breathtaking views.
We opted to just see
only the four temples due to limited time.
Note that there are monkeys in the forest and don’t forget to bring
water on the hike.
Getting here: I would suggest renting or hiring a car
with a driver. It is about a 2hr drive from Denpasar or Ubud.
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