# Gunung Kawi, Bali

> Gunung Kawi, the 'Valley of the Kings', is a set of ten 11th-century shrines carved into cliff niches on both banks of the Pakerisan River, 18 km from Ubud. About 300 steps lead down past rice terraces to reach them. Foreigners pay around IDR 50,000 with a sarong, and it's open roughly 8:00–18:00. Allow 1–1.5 hours.

Web page: https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/gunung-kawi

- City: [Bali](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali), Indonesia
- YesGo score: 25/100 (Yes, if nearby)
- Time on site: 1 h 15 min
- Entry: ≈ IDR 50,000
- With kids: Fine with kids
- Entrance fee: ≈ IDR 50,000 foreign adult; sarong included
- Opening hours: Daily, roughly 8:00–18:00
- Steps: About 300 down to the river — and the same back up
- Footwear: Wear sturdy shoes: the steps are steep and wet near the water
- Location: Tampaksiring; ≈ 18 km from Ubud, ≈ 2 km from Tirta Empul
- Coordinates: -8.42336, 115.31233
- Facts checked: 10.11.2026

## Key facts

- **11th century** — when the temple and memorial complex was created (source: English Wikipedia)
- **10** — candi shrines carved into the rock (source: English Wikipedia)
- **≈ 7 m** — the height of the niches that hold the shrines (source: English Wikipedia)
- **Anak Wungsu** — the Udayana-dynasty king the monuments are thought to honour (source: English Wikipedia)
- **5 + 5** — shrines on the east and west banks of the river (source: English Wikipedia)
- **'The king made a temple here'** — an inscription on one of the east-bank shrines (source: English Wikipedia)
- **≈ 300** — steps down to the river (source: 2026 travel guides)
- **≈ 2 km** — to Tirta Empul (source: OSRM route)

## Gunung Kawi entrance fee and hours

According to Indonesia's official tourism portal, foreigners pay **IDR 50,000** and domestic visitors IDR 30,000. One guide quotes IDR 75,000, so it's worth confirming. A sarong is included; parking is extra. Pay in cash. It's open roughly **8:00–18:00**.

## What is Gunung Kawi?

**Gunung Kawi** is an **11th-century** temple and memorial complex in Tampaksiring, known as the **Valley of the Kings**. On both banks of the **Pakerisan River**, niches about **7 m** high have been cut into the sheer rock, each holding a **candi** — a shrine carved in relief like a stone tower. There are **ten** in all.

Despite the 'royal tombs' label, nobody was buried here; the monuments are memorials, linked to **King Anak Wungsu** of the Udayana dynasty and his queens. Five shrines on the east bank are, by one theory, for the king, his mother Mahendradatta and his brothers; those on the west bank for lesser queens. One bears an inscription: 'The king made a temple here.'

## How many steps — and what you'll see

From the ticket booth a **long stairway** — about 300 steps — drops past village stalls and **rice terraces** clinging to the gorge. Near the bottom you pass through an arch cut into the rock and come out by the river. On the east bank is the main view: **five shrines** in their niches, fronted by a water channel and flowers.

Across a bridge, the west bank has the remaining shrines and a working temple courtyard. It's quiet, the river is loud and the stone is furred with moss — ancient-feeling but well kept. Then it's the same steps back up, so pace yourself.

> **Dress code and etiquette** A sarong and sash are handed out at the entrance. As at all Balinese temples, women who are menstruating and anyone with an open wound shouldn't enter the shrines. Don't climb on the shrine plinths or wade the water channel for a photo — this is an active temple.

## Things to see at Gunung Kawi

- **The five east-bank shrines** — the classic view.
- **The rock-cut archway** on the way down.
- **Rice terraces** on the gorge slopes.
- **The Pakerisan River** and the bridge between the banks.
- **The west bank**, with more shrines and a working temple.
- **The inscription** on one of the east-bank shrines.

## How to get to Gunung Kawi

1. **From Ubud** — about 18 km north, 15 minutes on paper, usually half an hour.
2. **From Sanur** — about 38 km; **from Kuta or Seminyak** — about 48 km, 1.5–2 hours in normal traffic.
3. **From Ngurah Rai Airport (DPS)** — about 51 km.
4. No public transport: taxi, Grab, Gojek, scooter or a hired driver.
5. Tirta Empul is 2 km away and the Tegallalang rice terraces 7 km.

## When to go and how long to stay

Allow **1–1.5 hours** including the stairs. Mornings are best, before the heat: climbing back up in full sun is hard work. After rain the steps and riverside stones are slippery.

Gunung Kawi and **Tirta Empul** are neighbours and almost always visited together. Add **Tegallalang** for an easy half day north of Ubud.

## Is Gunung Kawi worth it?

Yes: it's one of Bali's oldest and most atmospheric sites — shrines in the cliff, a rushing river, moss and rice terraces — and it's less crowded than Tirta Empul next door.

YesGo's take: the stairway is long, which is tough with bad knees or small children. If old stones don't excite you and time is short, pick one of Tirta Empul or Gunung Kawi.

## Bali temples compared

Temples on Bali rated by YesGo.

- [Saraswati Temple](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/pura-taman-saraswati) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · free; dance ≈ IDR 100,000
- [Ubud Monkey Forest](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/ubud-monkey-forest) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · IDR 130,000
- [Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave)](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/goa-gajah) — YesGo score 35/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · ≈ IDR 50,000
- [Batuan Temple](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/batuan-temple) — YesGo score 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · donation or ≈ IDR 30,000–50,000
- [Tanah Lot Temple](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/tanah-lot) — YesGo score 26/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · IDR 75,000
- [Taman Ayun Temple](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/taman-ayun) — YesGo score 26/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · ≈ IDR 30,000–50,000
- [Gunung Kawi](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/gunung-kawi) — YesGo score 25/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · ≈ IDR 50,000
- [Tirta Empul Temple](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/tirta-empul) — YesGo score 24/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · ≈ IDR 50,000–75,000
- [Ulun Danu Batur Temple](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/ulun-danu-batur) — YesGo score 24/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · ≈ IDR 35,000
- [Goa Lawah Temple](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/goa-lawah) — YesGo score 24/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · ≈ IDR 30,000
- [Uluwatu Temple](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/uluwatu-temple) — YesGo score 23/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ IDR 50,000–60,000
- [Ulun Danu Beratan Temple](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/ulun-danu-bratan) — YesGo score 23/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · IDR 100,000
- [Besakih Temple](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/besakih) — YesGo score 22/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · IDR 150,000
- [Lempuyang Temple (Gates of Heaven)](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/lempuyang) — YesGo score 20/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · ≈ IDR 100,000 + shuttle
- [Geger Beach](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/geger-beach) — YesGo score 20/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · free or ≈ IDR 5,000–10,000

## Half a day north of Ubud

Purification at Tirta Empul in the morning, then the Gunung Kawi shrines and the Tegallalang rice terraces by lunchtime. Add it to your trip — YesGo will set the timings and transfers.

1. [Tirta Empul Temple](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/tirta-empul) — YesGo score 24/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · ≈ IDR 50,000–75,000
2. [Gunung Kawi](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/gunung-kawi) — YesGo score 25/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · ≈ IDR 50,000
3. [Tegallalang Rice Terraces](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/tegallalang) — YesGo score 27/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ IDR 15,000–50,000

## Don't mix them up

Gunung Kawi Sebatu is a different temple — a water temple in Sebatu village about 10 km away. This page covers the rock-cut shrines of Gunung Kawi in Tampaksiring.

## Tips

- Go in the morning: 300 steps back up in the heat is hard.
- Bring water for the climb out.
- Wear shoes with grip — it's slippery by the water.
- Cross the bridge: the west bank is quieter.
- Pair it with [Tirta Empul](https://yesgo.io/indonesia/bali/tirta-empul), 2 km away.

## Questions

### How much is the Gunung Kawi entrance fee?

IDR 50,000 for foreigners according to Indonesia's tourism portal, sarong included.

### How many steps are there at Gunung Kawi?

About 300 down to the river — and the same back up.

### What are Gunung Kawi's opening hours?

Roughly 8:00–18:00 daily.

### What is Gunung Kawi?

An 11th-century complex of ten shrines cut into the cliffs of the Pakerisan River, memorials to Udayana-dynasty royalty.

### How far is Gunung Kawi from Ubud?

About 18 km north — around half an hour by taxi, Grab, Gojek or scooter.

### Is Gunung Kawi the same as Gunung Kawi Sebatu?

No, Sebatu is a separate water temple about 10 km away.

### How long do you need at Gunung Kawi?

1–1.5 hours including the stairs.

### Is Gunung Kawi worth visiting?

Yes for its age and setting; the stairway is the main drawback.

## How we checked

Dating, number and size of the shrines, the dedication to King Anak Wungsu and the inscription are from English Wikipedia. The IDR 50,000 fee is from Indonesia's official tourism portal, but that isn't the temple's own site and one guide quotes IDR 75,000, so it's marked unconfirmed. Hours of 8:00–18:00 are the most common in guides (16:00 and 19:00 also appear). About 300 steps is from guides (300–400). Distances are OSRM routes without traffic from Ubud (18 km), Sanur (38 km), Kuta (48 km) and the airport (51 km), and to Tirta Empul (2 km) and Tegallalang (7 km).

## Sources

- English Wikipedia — Gunung Kawi: 11th century, 10 shrines, niche height, Anak Wungsu, east and west banks, inscription
- Indonesia.travel — foreign and domestic visitor fees
- kura2bus.com, baliholidaysecrets.com (2026) — hours, number of steps (unofficial)
- Wikidata Q2605109 — coordinates; OSRM routing — distances

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