Bali Spiritual & Temple Retreat

Highlights & Route

Bali is the one place outside the subcontinent where Hindu temple life continues on a whole-island scale, in its own form. Offerings of flowers and rice are laid at every doorway each morning, villages have three temples apiece, and the great shrines on the volcano slopes and the sea cliffs are still the centre of festival calendars that run on a 210-day cycle. This six-day programme is for Indian travellers who want to see that living tradition closely rather than the beach resorts: four nights in Ubud, the island’s cultural and spiritual heart, and a final night in the south near the airport.

The temple days are arranged by region. First the Ubud surroundings: Tirta Empul at Tampaksiring, a 10th-century spring temple where you can take part in the melukat purification, moving along a row of carved spouts in a sarong, and Goa Gajah, the Elephant Cave hermitage with its carved demon mouth and bathing pool. Then east to Besakih, the mother temple of Bali on the slopes of Mount Agung, a complex of more than twenty temples climbing the hillside; and to Lempuyang, whose split gates frame the volcano, with the water palace of Tirta Gangga and, time permitting, the bat-cave temple of Goa Lawah on the way back. The last day goes north to Ulun Danu Beratan, the lake temple at Bedugul whose pagoda roofs stand in the water at about 1,200 m, and ends at Tanah Lot, the sea temple on its rock, at sunset.

Mornings in Ubud begin with a guided meditation or yoga session, and evenings are free for a traditional dance performance or a walk through the rice terraces. Indian passport holders enter Indonesia on a visa on arrival, which can be bought in advance online, and the package covers temple tickets and the melukat ceremony while leaving lunches and dinners open so that you can choose vegetarian restaurants, of which Ubud has many.

Route

Denpasar airport → Ubud (4 nights) → Tirta Empul → Goa Gajah → Besakih → Lempuyang → Tirta Gangga → Goa Lawah → Ulun Danu Beratan → Tanah Lot → South Bali (1 night) → airport

Good to know before you book

Indian passport holders need a visa on arrival (30 days, extendable once) costing IDR 500,000 (about USD 30) per person, including children; it can be bought on landing or in advance as an e-VoA at evisa.imigrasi.go.id. Passports need six months’ validity from arrival.
Bali charges a separate tourist levy of IDR 150,000 per person, paid online through the Love Bali portal or on arrival; both the visa and the levy are excluded from the package.
Flights to Bali are not included; direct services run from Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, and many connections go via Singapore or Kuala Lumpur.
Temples require a sarong and sash (provided or rented at most sites), covered shoulders, and in Balinese custom women who are menstruating do not enter temple grounds. Shoes are generally kept on in outer courtyards.
The dry season from April to October is the best time; December to February is wet, with afternoon rain.
Lempuyang’s famous gate photograph involves a queue that can be one to two hours long in high season; an early start helps.

Yatra Highlights

Melukat purification ritual at the holy springs of Tirta Empul
Besakih mother temple on Mount Agung and the gates of Lempuyang
Lake temple of Ulun Danu Beratan and sunset at the sea temple of Tanah Lot

Day 1 :

Arrive Bali, transfer to Ubud

After immigration (visa on arrival and the Bali tourist levy, if not paid online), our driver meets you at Ngurah Rai International Airport, your arrival point (airport, railway station or hotel) at the agreed time, and drives about an hour and a half north through Denpasar and the craft villages of Celuk and Mas to Ubud. Check in and rest. In the evening, if you wish, attend a Legong or Kecak dance performance at the Ubud palace or one of the village stages; the guide can arrange tickets.

Overnight: Ubud

Day 2 :

Tirta Empul and Goa Gajah

Begin with a sunrise meditation or yoga session at the hotel or a nearby shala. Then drive about 40 minutes to Tirta Empul at Tampaksiring, founded in the 10th century around a spring believed to have been created by Indra. Change into a sarong and join the melukat purification, moving along the row of carved spouts in the pool and bowing under each in turn, before visiting the inner courtyard with its shrines to the Trimurti. On the way back stop at Goa Gajah, the Elephant Cave, a hermitage dating to around the 9th century with a carved demon face around its entrance, a lingam and a Ganesha inside, and bathing pools with stone nymphs. Afternoon free in Ubud: the Saraswati temple with its lotus pond, the art market or the Campuhan ridge walk.

Overnight: Ubud

Day 3 :

Besakih, the mother temple

Drive east about two hours, climbing through rice terraces and villages to Besakih, at about 1,000 m on the southern slope of Mount Agung, Bali's highest volcano and its most sacred mountain. The complex holds more than twenty temples spread over terraces; the central Pura Penataran Agung, with its stairway and split gate, is dedicated to Shiva, flanked by temples for Brahma and Vishnu, and the clan temples of the island's families surround them. Local guides accompany visitors and a shuttle runs from the car park. Lunch in a village on the slopes, then return to Ubud through the Sidemen valley if time allows, one of the loveliest rural landscapes on the island.

Overnight: Ubud

Day 4 :

Lempuyang, Tirta Gangga and Goa Lawah

A very early departure, about two hours east to Lempuyang in Karangasem. The lowest temple of the group, Pura Penataran Agung Lempuyang, has the split gate that frames Mount Agung on a clear morning; visitors wait their turn for the photograph, and the devout can continue up the stairway to the higher temples (the full climb to the summit temple is several hours and not part of the programme). Then Tirta Gangga, the water palace built by the last king of Karangasem in 1946, with pools, fountains, stepping stones and carp. On the way back along the coast, stop at Goa Lawah, the bat-cave temple where thousands of bats roost above the shrines, one of the island's directional temples. Return to Ubud by evening.

Overnight: Ubud

Day 5 :

Ulun Danu Beratan and Tanah Lot sunset

Check out and drive north-west about two hours into the hills to Bedugul, where Pura Ulun Danu Beratan stands on the shore of Lake Beratan at about 1,200 m, its multi-tiered meru roofs reflected in the water; the temple is dedicated to the lake goddess who feeds the island's rice fields. The air is cool here and the markets sell strawberries and hill vegetables. Descend through the Jatiluwih rice terraces, a UNESCO-listed landscape, to the coast and reach Tanah Lot by late afternoon. The sea temple sits on a rock cut off at high tide; walk the clifftop path and watch the sunset behind it. Continue to your hotel in South Bali (Jimbaran, Kuta or Nusa Dua area) for the final night.

Overnight: South Bali

Day 6 :

Departure

Breakfast and, depending on your flight time, a last swim or a visit to Uluwatu temple on its cliff (optional). Transfer to Ngurah Rai International Airport, your departure point (airport, railway station or hotel), at least three hours before departure.

Overnight: Not applicable (departure day)

Night	Place	Hotel (or similar)	Room type
1	Ubud	Hotel confirmed at booking	Standard room, sharing basis
2	Ubud	Hotel confirmed at booking	Standard room, sharing basis
3	Ubud	Hotel confirmed at booking	Standard room, sharing basis
4	Ubud	Hotel confirmed at booking	Standard room, sharing basis
5	South Bali (Jimbaran / Kuta / Nusa Dua)	Hotel confirmed at booking	Standard room, sharing basis

Frequently Asked Questions

Expand all

Do Indians need a visa for Bali?

Yes. Indian passport holders are eligible for Indonesia’s visa on arrival, valid for 30 days and extendable once for another 30. The fee is IDR 500,000 (about USD 30) per person, including children, and it can be bought at the airport or in advance online as an e-VoA at evisa.imigrasi.go.id. Your passport must be valid for six months from arrival. Separately, Bali levies a tourist fee of IDR 150,000 per person, payable online through the Love Bali portal or on arrival. Both are excluded from the package and we re-confirm the amounts at booking.

Can Indian Hindus take part in Balinese temple rituals?

Yes, with respect for local custom. The melukat at Tirta Empul is open to all who wear a sarong and follow the sequence, and a Balinese priest’s blessing can be arranged. Inside the temples you may pray at the shrines; Balinese Hinduism follows its own forms, so follow the guide’s lead on where to sit and how to offer flowers.

Is vegetarian food available?

Easily. Ubud is known for vegetarian and vegan restaurants, and Indian restaurants exist in Ubud and the south. Tempeh, tofu, gado-gado and nasi campur without meat are everywhere. Only breakfast is included, so you choose your own lunches and dinners; the guide will suggest places.

When is the best time to go?

April to October is the dry season with clear mornings for the volcano views at Lempuyang and Besakih. July-August and the Christmas-New Year weeks are the busiest. December to February brings afternoon rain, though mornings are often fine. Galungan and Kuningan, the main Balinese festivals, fall at different dates each year and are a beautiful time to visit.

How long is the queue for the Lempuyang gate photo?

In peak season one to two hours, since each group poses in turn. We leave Ubud before dawn to arrive early. Those not interested in the photograph can go straight into the temple.

Are there dress rules at the temples?

Yes. A sarong and sash are compulsory and are provided or rented at the gate; shoulders should be covered. Balinese custom asks women who are menstruating, and anyone with an open wound or in recent bereavement, not to enter temple grounds. Shoes are usually worn in outer courtyards and removed in inner shrines.

Can we add beach days or Nusa Penida?

Yes. Extra nights in South Bali, a day visit to Nusa Penida or Uluwatu’s cliff temple with the Kecak dance at sunset are the usual additions. Ask us for a revised itinerary and price.

Does this Bali temple retreat include yoga or meditation?

Yes. Two guided meditation or yoga sessions in Ubud are included. The first is at sunrise on Day 2, at the hotel or a nearby shala, before you leave for the melukat purification at Tirta Empul. The sessions are gentle and suit beginners, so you need no experience. Sunrise suits them because the day’s temple visits start early. If anyone in your group has a back or knee problem, let the instructor know and they can simply join the meditation part.

Yatra	Duration	Starts from	Price
Bali Spiritual & Temple Retreat (this page)	6 days / 5 nights	Denpasar (Bali)	On request
Amazing Bhutan	8 days / 7 nights	Paro	From ₹62,000
Amazing Bhutan Tour	7 days / 6 nights	Bagdogra	On request
Authentic Bhutan	6 days / 5 nights	Bagdogra	On request
Bali Spiritual Journey	4 days / 3 nights	Denpasar (Bali)	On request
Cambodia Angkor Mandir Yatra	6 days / 5 nights	Siem Reap	From ₹50,000
Divine Sri Lanka: Ramayana Circuit with Leisure	8 days / 7 nights	Colombo	From ₹60,000
Explore Nature’s Serenity in Vietnam	7 days / 6 nights	Hanoi	From ₹50,000

Bali Spiritual & Temple Retreat

Highlights & Route

Route

Good to know before you book

Yatra Highlights

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Inclusions & Exclusions

Included

Not included

Hotels

Documents & Fitness

Documents to carry

Fitness and health

Cancellation Policy

Frequently Asked Questions

Book this yatra

Compare similar yatras

You can send your enquiry via the form below.