Guide · The holy spring

Tirta Empul, the spring temple and its purification

At Tirta Empul a spring rises inside the temple and flows out through rows of stone spouts: how the melukat purification works, what to wear and bring, and when to go.

Check availabilityfrom $21 · free cancellation

Editorial team, balitempletour.comUpdated October 24, 2026Reading time 6 min32 sources

On this topic: the tour Tirta Empul: Temple Tour with Optional Spiritual Cleansing 4.9 (1,389 reviews) 3 to 6 hours from$21per person Check availabilityFree cancellation until 24 hrs ahead of the start

The quick version

01What it is: A spring temple founded in 962 AD, near Tampaksiring.¹
02The ritual: Melukat, washing under the spouts, open to anyone who comes with respect.²
03Entry: IDR 50,000 for adults on one Ministry page, IDR 75,000 on another.³ ⁴
04Best hours: Around 8 to 10 a.m., before the crowds.⁵
05Bring: A change of clothes; you will get soaked.⁶

A spring at the source of a river

Tirta Empul lies near Tampaksiring, about 30 minutes from Ubud, and it is built around a spring.⁴ The Ministry of Tourism dates it to 962 AD, in the reign of King Candrabhaya Warmadewa.¹ The spring is the source of the Pakerisan River, which runs south past some of the oldest sacred sites on the island.⁷

Its story is told in a legend. The spring was made by the god Indra to revive his troops after the evil king Mayadenawa poisoned them, the Ministry relates.⁸ Locals believe the water still has the power to heal and to cleanse body and soul, which is why the pools are busy with Balinese families as well as visitors.⁹

On the hill above the temple stands a villa built for President Sukarno's visit in 1954, a sign of how much the place has meant to the country.¹⁰ For a traveller it is above all a working holy water temple in Bali, and the one where you can take part rather than only watch. Expect a practical place, too: changing rooms, lockers and stalls selling offerings line the outer court, and the pools are often full of school groups and families as well as travellers.

The ritual in order

From the outer court to the spring

Outer court

Dress

Put on a kamen and shawl, rented for around Rp10,000.¹¹
Before the pool

Offering

Place a small offering and pray in your own way.¹²
First spout

Enter from the left

Start at the first shower on the left.¹³
Along the row

Wash and move on

Face, head and body under each spout, then the next.¹³
Skip

Spouts for the dead

Two showers serve death ceremonies; ask the attendant.¹⁴
Afterwards

Inner court

Non-Hindus may enter if dressed properly.¹²

Three courts and the bathing pools

Like most Balinese temples, the complex has three parts. The outer court, Jaba Pura, is where you prepare and put on your kamen; the middle court, Jaba Tengah, holds the bathing pools; and the inner court, Jeroan, is the quiet place of worship.¹² The Ministry says non-Hindus may enter the inner court too, as long as they are dressed properly and respectful.¹²

A total of 30 showers carry water from the spring into the pools, and each has its own name and purpose.¹⁵ Two of the spouts are reserved for ceremonies for the dead, and the attendants show visitors which ones to use.¹⁴ Watch the people ahead of you before you step in, because the order matters.

Behind the pools, the spring itself bubbles up into a clear basin where you can see the sand moving on the bottom. It is worth standing there for a minute before or after the bath. It is the quietest place in a busy temple, and it makes the meaning of the whole complex obvious: everything here starts with this water. Koi drift in the pond in front of the bathing pools, and the carved gates around them are some of the finest in the region, so leave time to look before you get wet.

What guests say

Ratings of the Tirta Empul listings

of 5

Average ratings as each GetYourGuide listing shows them; the temple tour's score rests on far more reviews than the others.

What it costs

Tirta Empul fees as official pages give them

Item	Adult	Child
Entrance, Tirta Empul page	IDR 50,000	IDR 25,000
Entrance, temple guide	Rp 75,000	Rp 50,000
Kamen and shawl rental	Rp10,000 to 15,000	Rp10,000 to 15,000
Melukat ritual	No special fee	No special fee

Two pages of the Ministry of Tourism give two entrance figures; carry cash for the higher one.³ ⁴ ¹¹

Three ways to the spring

Temple tour, ritual only or a full day

This page's pick

Temple tour

Optional purification

Hours: 3 to 6
Reviews: 1,389
Price: from $21

See the tour

Bali: Holy Spring Temple Tour with Purification Ritual

Shortest

Purification tour

From Ubud Palace

Hours: 3 hrs
At the temple: 2 hours
Price: from $16

See the tour

Ubud: Rice Terrace & Tirta Empul Temple Tour with Waterfall

Fullest day

With waterfalls

Tegallalang, waterfalls

Hours: 6 to 7
At the temple: 1 hour
Price: from $26

See the tour

Decision helper

How should you visit the spring?

Pick by the hours you can spare

I want to take part in melukat I only want to watch I have half a day in Ubud I want a full day out I want to see a holy day

Go, and bring dry clothes

The ritual is open to anyone and has no special fee.² ³

Morning, from the side

Around 8 to 10 a.m. is quieter, the Ministry says.⁵

The purification tour

3 hours from Ubud Palace, 2 of them at the temple.

The waterfall day

Tegallalang, Tirta Empul and waterfalls in 6 to 7 hours.

Full moon or Kuningan

More solemn on Purnama and Kuningan, but much busier at the pools.¹⁶

Locals believe that the sacred water flowing at the Tirta Empul Temple has the power to heal and cleanse their bodies and souls.

Bali Provincial Tourism Office (Dinas Pariwisata Provinsi Bali)Source 9

Melukat, step by step

Melukat is a purification under the running water, and the Ministry stresses it is open to anyone, regardless of religion.² Before the pool you put on a kamen and a shawl, then place a small offering and pray in your own way; no Hindu mantra is required.¹² On the tour on this page, a short holy-water purification of about 30 seconds also comes before entering the temple.

Enter the pool from the left side and start at the first shower on the left, moving to the right in order.¹³ Under each spout you wash your face, head and body, then move on to the next. Skip the spouts the attendants point out as reserved for ceremonies for the dead.¹⁴

Afterwards, sit for a while in the courtyard and let your clothes dry. There is no fee for the ritual itself; you pay only the entrance ticket.³ The operator of this page's tour suggests packing spare clothes, a towel and a dry bag for valuables.

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.¹⁷
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.¹ ¹⁵
In Google Maps ↗
5
Goa Gajah
A carved cave about 27 km from Denpasar, named in a text of 1365.²¹ ²²
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 2012.²³ ²⁴
In Google Maps ↗
8
Ulun Danu Beratan
A lake temple in Candikuning, Tabanan, about 1.5 to 2 hours from Denpasar.²⁵ ²⁶
In Google Maps ↗
9
Uluwatu
A sea temple on a 70-meter cliff, with the kecak at 6:00 PM.²⁷ ²⁸
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.²⁹ ³⁰
In Google Maps ↗
12
Gunung Kawi
Ancient shrines cut into a rock cliff above the Pakerisan River.³¹
In Google Maps ↗

Open the map in Google Maps

Checklist

For the purification

Bring

A change of clothes and a towel
A waterproof bag for your phone
Cash for the ticket and rental

Remember

Follow the attendants' directions
Skip the spouts kept for the dead
Come early, before the tour buses

Cost calculator

Price a visit to the spring for your group

Select a spring visit and how many will bathe.

Temple tourPurification optionalfrom $21 Purification tourFrom Ubud Palacefrom $16 With waterfallsA full dayfrom $26

People 2

Total from$41

pp from $21

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

The holy water spring temple and its purification ritual

The player loads on your tap, not before.

Tickets, sarong and parking

Official figures differ. The Ministry's Tirta Empul page gives IDR 50,000 for adults and IDR 25,000 for children, while its temple guide lists IDR 75,000 for adults and IDR 50,000 for children aged 5 to 12.³ ⁴ Carry enough for the higher figure, and keep small notes for parking and rental.

If you do not bring your own kamen and shawl, you can rent them for around Rp10,000 to Rp15,000.¹¹ The shorter purification tour from Ubud provides a sarong, its notes say; on other tours, ask. The rental cloth is usually green and tied at the waist with a sash; do not wear a swimsuit alone into the pool, because the kamen is part of the ritual dress.

Under Balinese custom, people who are menstruating may not enter the temple, and the tour notes repeat it. Temple floors are wet and slippery, so wear sandals with grip, and keep valuables to a minimum. Photography is allowed in most areas, but put the camera away when people near you are praying.

The best hours and the busy holy days

The Ministry suggests the morning, around 8 to 10 a.m., when it is less crowded and the water feels fresh.⁵ By late morning tour buses arrive, and the queue at each spout grows.

Holy days change everything. On Purnama, the full moon, and on Kuningan, the temple is more solemn and much busier.¹⁶ One purification tour warns that full moon and new moon days bring more worshippers and longer waits. Kuningan closes the Galungan festival period, so check the dates if your trip falls near either.³²

For a first visit, a weekday morning outside the holy days gives you the calmest pools. If you would like to see the temple at its most devout, come on a full moon, keep to the side and watch the families before you join them. Either way, take your time: the ritual loses its meaning if it is rushed.

Tours from Ubud and how long they take

The tour on this page is a 3 to 6-hour visit with the purification as an option, meeting at Bali Pulina Coffee in Sebatu or at Ubud Palace. It has 1,389 reviews averaging 4.88 and starts from $21.

If you want only the ritual, a 3-hour tour from Ubud Palace drives 35 minutes, spends 2 hours at Tirta Empul and drives 25 minutes back, from $16. It has 147 reviews averaging 4.99.

For a fuller day, a 6 to 7-hour tour adds Tegallalang and the Tibumana and Kanto Lampo waterfalls to an hour at Tirta Empul, from $26. Whichever you choose, give the spring itself unhurried time, because that is what you came for.

Bathing as a guest, not a tourist

The pools are a place of prayer, and the people in them are praying. Keep your voice low, move along the row without pushing, and wait your turn at each spout rather than reaching past someone. If a family is performing a fuller ceremony, give them space and let them go ahead of you, even if it means waiting a little longer.

Photographs are where most visitors go wrong. A friend taking pictures from the edge is usually fine, but a camera held in someone else's face is not, and selfies under the spouts slow everyone down. Agree with your companions beforehand who takes the photos and when, so that the time in the water stays your own.

Afterwards, many visitors walk up to the spring basin and the inner court in their wet kamen before changing. Take a moment there. Whatever your beliefs, standing beside a spring that has been honoured since 962 AD is the real reason to come, and it is easy to miss in the bustle of the pools.¹

Your temple day