Guide · The gate in the east

Lempuyang Temple and the gate that frames Agung

Lempuyang Temple is famous for one photograph, but the mountain holds seven temples: how the queue at the gate works, what the tickets cost, and when the volcano shows itself.

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Editorial team, balitempletour.comUpdated October 24, 2026Reading time 6 min37 sources

On this topic: the tour East Bali day: Lempuyang, Tirta Gangga and Besakih 4.8 (3,587 reviews) 9 to 10 hoursLempuyang, Tirta Gangga, BesakihPrivate or small-group options from$28per person Check availabilityFree cancellation until 24 hrs ahead of the start

Before you go

01The gate: At the lowest of seven temples, framing Mount Agung on clear days.¹
02Tickets: IDR 100,000 for foreign visitors, sarong and sash included.²
03Shuttle: Rp50,000 per person from the parking area to the entrance.³
04Hours: 07:00 to 17:00 local time; come early to beat the queue.⁴ ⁵
05On this site's tour: 2 hours at Lempuyang after a 2-hour drive.

A mountain of seven temples, not one gate

Lempuyang Temple is really a chain of temples on Mount Lempuyang in East Bali. The provincial tourism office counts seven on the slopes, and at the lowest of them stands the split gate that frames Mount Agung on a clear day.¹ Beyond the gate, three staircases lined with naga dragons climb to the first temple.⁶

The Ministry of Tourism dates Lempuyang to the 11th century, at the order of the priest Mpu Kuturan, and counts Pura Lempuyang Luhur among the Sad Kahyangan Jagad, the main sacred temples of Bali.⁷ ⁸ The complex follows the classic three zones of Balinese cosmology, Jaba Pisan, Jaba Tengah and Jeroan.⁹

Most visitors see only the first temple and its gate. That is a pity, because the walk above it is one of the great pilgrim paths of the island: more than 1,700 steps lead through forest past the higher temples.¹⁰ Even if you only climb part of the way, you will leave the crowd behind within minutes. The stone stairs are steep in places and can be slippery after rain, so take them slowly, use the side rails where there are any and let local worshippers with offerings pass on the narrow sections.

The tour's East Bali day

From pickup to the mother temple

Early morning

Pickup and drive

Pickup by option, then 2 hours by car.
At the gate

Purification

A short Tirta Suci holy-water rite before entering.
Next 2 hours

Lempuyang

The gate, the queue and the naga stairs.
Midday

Tirta Gangga

1 hour at the water palace, 30 minutes away.
Afternoon

Besakih

1 hour at the mother temple after 1 hour by car.
Evening

Drive back

1.5 hours by car to your drop-off.

How the queue for the gate photo works

The famous picture is taken from the stairs behind the gate, with Agung in the gap. The Ministry notes that the queue is often long, and that some photos are made with a mirror for the reflection effect; there is no charge for taking photos.¹¹ The tour notes for this site warn that the wait can be long, above all in peak season.

How long is long? One tour that gives Lempuyang 3.5 hours warns the wait can exceed one hour. Plan for it like a queue at a popular restaurant: bring water, something to read and a little patience, and let your guide keep an eye on your place.

The way to shorten it is timing. The Ministry advises arriving before 07:00 local time to avoid the longest queues.⁵ Mornings also give the clearest view of Agung through the gate, while fog may come down in the afternoon.¹² An early start from your hotel is the price of a better photo and a shorter wait. If you arrive later in the day, accept the queue as part of the visit and use the time to explore the courtyard behind you, where the carving on the gates is at its finest and the crowd thins out quickly.

Time at the temple

Hours at Lempuyang, by tour

hours at Lempuyang

Time at Lempuyang as each GetYourGuide listing gives it in its itinerary; queues for the gate photo fall inside these hours.

Costs at the temple

What you pay at Lempuyang

Item	Foreign visitor	Domestic visitor
Entrance with sarong and sash	IDR 100,000	IDR 50,000
Shuttle from parking	Rp50,000	Rp50,000
Photo at the gate	No charge	No charge

From the Ministry of Tourism's Lempuyang page; its temple guide gives a range of 55,000 to 100,000 for foreign visitors and 45,000 to 50,000 for the shuttle.² ³ ¹¹ ¹³

Three ways to the gate

More time, a private car or the full East Bali day

Bali: Besakih Temple & Lempuyang Temple Gates of Heaven Tour

This site's tour

East Bali day

With Tirta Gangga, Besakih

At Lempuyang: 2 hours
Reviews: 3,587
Price: from $28

See the tour

Bali: Lempuyang Temple, Waterfall, Water Palace Day Tour

Most time at the gate

Long Lempuyang day

With a waterfall, Tirta Gangga

At Lempuyang: 3.5 hours
Reviews: 1,194
Price: from $15

See the tour

East Bali Private Tour: Lempuyang, Tirta Gangga & Waterfall

Private car

Private East Bali

With Tirta Gangga, a waterfall

At Lempuyang: 2.5 hours
Reviews: 63
Price: from $34

See the tour

Decision helper

Which way of seeing Lempuyang suits you?

Decide what the day is really for

The photo, with the shortest wait Three sights in one long day Plenty of time at the gate The pilgrimage, not the photo The clearest view of Agung

Arrive before 07:00

The Ministry's advice for avoiding the long queues at the gate.⁵

The East Bali day

Lempuyang, Tirta Gangga and Besakih in 9 to 10 hours.

The long Lempuyang day

3.5 hours at the temple, with a waterfall and Tirta Gangga.

Climb above the gate

The walk to the summit temple takes 2 to 4 hours there and back.¹⁴

Dry season mornings

The Ministry recommends April to October and early hours.¹⁵ ¹²

A total of seven temples dot the mountain’s slopes. At the lowest temple, a fantastic “gateway to heaven” greets visitors. Looking through the gate on a clear day reveals Mount Agung framed within its sides.

Bali Provincial Tourism Office (Dinas Pariwisata Provinsi Bali)Source 1

Tickets, sarong, shuttle and the rules

The Ministry lists the ticket at IDR 100,000 for foreign and IDR 50,000 for domestic visitors, with a sarong and sash included.² Its temple guide gives a range of IDR 55,000 to 100,000 for foreign nationals, so the exact figure may vary with the season.¹³ Visiting hours are 07:00 to 17:00, although Hindus may enter at any time.⁴

The last stretch from the parking area is done by shuttle. The Ministry's Lempuyang page offers it as an option at Rp50,000 per person, while its temple guide calls the shuttle mandatory at Rp45,000 to 50,000.³ ¹³ On the tour on this site, a short holy-water purification called Tirta Suci comes before you enter the temple.

Dress covers shoulders and knees, with the sarong and sash from the ticket counter. Women who are menstruating, pregnant or in mourning may not perform rituals here.¹⁶ The Ministry also asks visitors not to sit or stand on shrines and not to take photos during a ceremony unless authorized.¹⁷

Map

Where the temples stand on Bali

First the whole island with the temples on this site, then the slopes of East Bali around Lempuyang, then the river valley north of Ubud.

Map of Bali with Lempuyang, Tirta Gangga, Besakih, Tirta Empul, Goa Gajah, Ubud, Taman Ayun, Ulun Danu Beratan, Uluwatu and Kuta — The island

Map of East Bali with the Lempuyang gate, the summit temple of Lempuyang Luhur and the Tirta Gangga water palace — East Bali

Map of the valley north of Ubud with Tirta Empul, Gunung Kawi, Goa Gajah and Ubud Palace — Near Ubud

1
Lempuyang gate
The lowest of seven temples on Mount Lempuyang, where the split gate frames Mount Agung on a clear day.¹
In Google Maps ↗
2
Tirta Gangga
A water palace built in 1948 by the King of Karangasem; a 1-hour stop of the site tour.¹⁸
In Google Maps ↗
3
Besakih
The mother temple, on the slope of Agung at about 1,000 m, a complex of 23 temples.¹⁹ ²⁰
In Google Maps ↗
4
Tirta Empul
A spring temple founded in 962 AD, with 30 showers fed by the spring.²¹ ²²
In Google Maps ↗
5
Goa Gajah
A carved cave about 27 km from Denpasar, named in a text of 1365.²³ ²⁴
In Google Maps ↗
6
Ubud Palace
Meeting point of the site tour's group options in Ubud.
In Google Maps ↗
7
Taman Ayun
The royal water temple of Mengwi, part of the UNESCO subak landscape inscribed in 2012.²⁵ ²⁶
In Google Maps ↗
8
Ulun Danu Beratan
A lake temple in Candikuning, Tabanan, about 1.5 to 2 hours from Denpasar.²⁷ ²⁸
In Google Maps ↗
9
Uluwatu
A sea temple on a 70-meter cliff, with the kecak at 6:00 PM.²⁹ ³⁰
In Google Maps ↗
10
Kuta
Central Parking Kuta, the other group meeting point of the site tour.
In Google Maps ↗
11
Lempuyang Luhur
The highest of the seven temples, at about 1,175 m, 2 to 4 hours there and back on foot.³¹ ¹⁴
In Google Maps ↗
12
Gunung Kawi
Ancient shrines cut into a rock cliff above the Pakerisan River.³²
In Google Maps ↗

Open the map in Google Maps

Checklist

For a morning at Lempuyang

Bring

Cash for the ticket and shuttle
Long trousers or a sarong
Water and a snack for the wait

Plan

Leave early for the shortest queue
A layer for the cool mountain air
No photos during ceremonies

Cost calculator

Price a Lempuyang day for your group

Tick a gate day, then count your travellers.

East Bali dayWith Besakihfrom $28 Long Lempuyang day3.5 hours therefrom $15

People 2

Total from$55

pp from $28

Check availabilityfree cancellation

The total is each temple day's lowest GetYourGuide price times your party size, shown in your currency at today's ECB rate; the booking page confirms the real amount.

Video

What it is really like at the Lempuyang gate

The player loads on your tap, not before.

Getting to Lempuyang Temple from Ubud

Lempuyang lies in Karangasem, at the far eastern end of the island, about 2 to 3 hours from central Bali.³³ Going to Lempuyang Temple from Ubud means an early start: the tour on this site drives 2 hours to reach it. From the beach towns of the south, add more time for traffic, and expect the last part of the road to climb through villages where ceremonies and processions can slow you down at any hour.

Most people come on a guided day. The tour on this site gives Lempuyang 2 hours, then 1 hour at the Tirta Gangga water palace and 1 hour at Besakih before driving back. It runs 9 to 10 hours with 3,587 reviews averaging 4.79, and starts from $28.

Other days start even earlier. One East Bali tour collects guests at 5:00 AM and drives straight to the gate; it does not include entrance fees, which its operator estimates at about IDR 150,000 per person. Another, limited to 6 people, spends 3 hours at Lempuyang with Taman Ujung, Tirta Gangga and a beach.

Above the gate: the climb to the summit temple

The seven temples are, from the bottom: Penataran Agung with its gate, Telaga Mas, Telaga Sawangan, Lempuyang Madya, Puncak Bisbis, Pasar Agung and, at the summit, Lempuyang Luhur.³⁴ The Ministry puts the summit temple at about 1,175 m above sea level.³¹

The full walk from the first temple to the last takes 2 to 4 hours there and back, depending on stamina and weather.¹⁴ The Ministry suggests bringing water and light snacks, because the trek can take up to 2 to 3 hours at your own pace.³⁵ On a clear day you can see the sea from the top.³⁶

A day tour rarely leaves time for the whole climb, so this is a walk for travellers staying in East Bali. Go early, take the stairs slowly, and greet the people coming down from prayer. The forest is cool even when the coast is hot, and the higher temples feel a world away from the photo queue below.

When the gate is closed and Agung hides

Lempuyang is a temple first and a photo spot second. The tour on this site names a ceremony closure from 17 to 21 June, when another temple replaces it; ceremony dates move with the Balinese calendar, so ask about your date. The Ministry advises avoiding major ceremonies in general, because temples may be temporarily closed.³⁷

The other variable is the volcano. Whether Mount Agung shows itself is up to the sky, and the tour notes make no promise of it. The Ministry recommends the dry season, April to October, for the best views of the island.¹⁵ Even on a grey day, though, the gate, the stairs and the dragons make a strong picture.

If the queue is too long or the clouds too thick, walk on. The naga staircases, the inner court of Penataran Agung and the first stretch of the path to the upper temples are open to visitors and nearly empty. That is where the visit stops feeling like a queue and starts feeling like a temple.

Is the photo worth the trip?

It depends on what you came for. The photo is a queue at a small first temple; the mountain behind it is a pilgrimage of seven temples. Travellers who come only for the picture can find the wait out of proportion, while those who come for the place often find the gate the least of it.

The trip rarely disappoints when Lempuyang is one stop in a day. The tour on this site pairs it with Tirta Gangga, a water palace built in 1948 by the King of Karangasem, and with Besakih, the mother temple.¹⁸ That way, whatever the clouds do, the day still holds three very different places.

If the photo matters most, go early, accept the wait and let your guide handle the numbering. If the temple matters most, skip the queue and climb. Either way, wear long trousers or bring a sarong, carry cash and water, and be ready for the moment the clouds part and Agung fills the gap.

Your temple day

Lempuyang, Tirta Gangga and Besakih in one day.

Pick a date and an option, and cancel free up to 24 hours before.

Check datesfrom $28 · free cancellation 4.8 · 3,587 checked reviews

You ask,we answer.

How long is the wait for the photo at the gate?

It can be over an hour. One tour warns the wait can exceed one hour; arriving before 07:00 helps most.⁵

What does Lempuyang cost to enter?

IDR 100,000 for foreign visitors. The Ministry's figure includes a sarong and sash; the shuttle is Rp50,000 per person on top.² ³

Is the shuttle bus compulsory?

The Ministry's pages differ on this. Its temple guide calls it mandatory, at IDR 45,000 to 50,000; its Lempuyang page offers it as an option at Rp50,000.¹³ ³

What are the opening hours?

07:00 to 17:00 local time. Hindus may enter at any time for prayer; visitors follow these hours.⁴

Is Mount Agung always visible?

No, it depends on the weather. Mornings give the clearest view; fog may come down in the afternoon.¹²

When is Lempuyang closed?

For its ceremonies. The tour listing names 17 to 21 June; dates move with the Balinese calendar, and the tour visits another temple instead.

How long does the climb to the top take?

2 to 4 hours there and back. It passes all seven temples up to Lempuyang Luhur at about 1,175 m.¹⁴ ³¹

Sources