Pura Tanah Lot - Bali’s Most Beautiful Sea Temple.

Om Swastiastu! My name is Denis and I hope that I will be your driver when you're planning to visit Bali´s Top Attractions such our beautiful Pura Tanah Lot Temple.

My recommendation here in Bali is the beautiful offshore Pura Tanah Lot Temple in Tabanan. Tanah Lot is only a 45-minute drive (approximately 20km) north-west from central Denpasar. Sitting upon a rocky outcrop overlooking the ocean, Pura Tanah Lot is possibly the most popular sea temple in Bali due to its unique beauty. The Tanah Lot temple is one of seven ocean temples in Bali and one of the most venerated in Balinese culture.

The history of Pura Tanah Lot dates back to the 16th century, when the high priest Dang Hyang Nirartha visited the region. While on his journeys, Nirartha stayed the night on Tanah Lot, then known as Gili Beo or bird-shaped rock. Nirartha felt enlightened after his stay and built a temple there to venerate Dewa Baruna, the god of the sea. Over the centuries the waves eroded the temple site until the 1980s when a major restoration project was carried out.

Today Tanah Lot has been fully restored and is one of the most popular Bali beach temples for tourists and worshippers alike. You can easily cross the rocky causeway to the base of Tanah Lot during low tide. Although the temple itself is off-limits to non-worshipers you can still look around and visit the magnificent Tirta Pabersihan fountain with its guardian sea snakes that dwell within its pools.

There are many lookouts along the shoreline where you can enjoy great views of the temple. One of the best is directly to the right of the entrance, through the garden and up the nearby hill. There are many excellent restaurants in the area offering a mix of Western and Asian cuisine: some recommended choices are Dewi Sinta, Warung Disini, Ocean Restaurant and Warung Guek.

While visiting Tanah Lot make sure you also visit the nearby sea temple of Pura Batu Bolong. Built upon a jutting cliff face, Pura Batu temple is considered the twin of Pura Tanah Lot. If you arrive on the holy day of Kuningan you will be able to witness the festive pilgrimages to the temple. If you visit just four days later you can watch the ceremony of Tanah Lot’s anniversary which takes place over three days.