Penataran Agung Lempuyang Temple

This place is beautiful, but you need to be ready to pay for the bus transfer 50k and the clothing at the temple 70k also there is a 3 hour queue to take that famous insta picture. But on the good side it's very well organized, there is a ticket system to queue as well.

Gates of Heaven at Lempuyang Temple – A Mixed Experience We scootered 2 hours from Canggu as first time Bali visitors to visit the famous Gates of Heaven at Lempuyang Temple. The ride itself was scenic and enjoyable, especially as we got closer to the mountains. The temple is undeniably beautiful—rich in history and culture, with sweeping views that make the journey worthwhile on their own. What most people don’t tell you, though, is the reality of the photo situation. After paying for entry at the bottom, you’re assigned a number for the iconic “floating reflection” photo. What followed was a surprising 1–2 hour wait just to have your number called. Many visitors spend this time either relaxing or exploring the surroundings, but it’s definitely something to plan for if you're on a schedule. Once you're near the top, you'll likely be offered the chance to dress in traditional Balinese attire for an additional fee. The original price quoted to us was 750,000 IDR, but we negotiated it down to 500,000 IDR—though pricing may vary depending on your negotiating skills or timing. In the end, we decided not to wait for our photo turn and instead took in the atmosphere, architecture, and stunning views. Even without the Instagram-famous shot, it was still a memorable experience. If you're going primarily for the photo, just be prepared for the wait and some extra costs.

This temple 🛕review is going to be a hit 🎯and miss 😖, here’s my honest review 📝. To get 🚶‍♀️to Penataran Agung Lempuyang Temple 🛕, you firstly have to park at a common Carpark 🅿️. (See my pics 📸) At this common carpark, you will need to pay 💵 Rp$50,000 to take a bus 🚌up to the hill ⛰️top where the temple 🛕 is actually located. This is a very steep climb 🧗on a meandering road 🏘️, well over 2km, you cannot 🙈⛔️ possibly consider walking 🚶‍♀️🚶up with all the buses 🚌🚍🚎 running at full speed. You will be reminded at this point that women 👩🏻‍🦳👩🏼‍🦰👱🏼‍♀️within their menstrual cycle 🩸will not allowed 🚫 into the temple 🛕. (*With this in mind 🤨, if you are having your period, you can skip this visit completely. Do not contaminate consecrated ground 😔.) Once you get to the top 🔝, you will have to pay 💵 another Rp$70,000 to walk up to the temple. And that’s where they will tell you, in-order to take the famous picture 📸 of the Gates ⛩️ of Heaven, the wait time ⏳ is 2-3hrs.  The walk will take another 10mins from ticket counter to get to the top. Once you are at the top, you can collect a queue ticket 🎟️ and wait for your turn to be called 🗣️ on the loud 📣 speakers and have your photos taken at the gates ⛩️. In-between that, most people walk around, take more pictures and video 📹, or rent the traditional costume 🥻👘👗for another Rp$750,000. Thoughts 🧐 are … the view up there is truly breathtaking 😎. You will get a view like no other heading for miles and miles, it’s pretty amazing. 🌟✨⭐️ The Gates to Heaven will make a perfect IG photo opportunity and that is really beautiful too especially, if it is a clear ☀️ day and the mountain 🗻behind comes out clearly. However, the long wait is something to consider 🧐 and also that short climb from carpark 🅿️ to the temple main door is very steep 🎢 and I think it will present difficulties to the wheelchair 👩‍🦽‍➡️folks and also those with walking 🚷 difficulties.

Awesome place very good views of volcano Nice place to eat and share a photo We didnt wait inline Too many people but if u stand in the right stop u dont have to wait Or photo shop Such a pretty place. Clean toilets Have to pay and also need to have a bus bring u up. Which u pay for too Very steep hill Many mountain views

Tourist Trap – Gates of Heaven at Lempuyang Temple Getting here from Ubud takes about 2–3 hours. Once you arrive at the temple, you’re not allowed to drive up with your own car. Instead, you’re forced to take a shuttle bus, which costs 50k IDR per person. However, the shuttle doesn’t take you all the way up to the temple either—you’ll then be directed to motorbike taxis for another 20k IDR per person. You can walk instead, since the distance isn’t too far, but they’ll tell you it is just to convince you to pay. Entrance costs 70k IDR per person. Be prepared to pay for absolutely everything here, usually at prices about 70% higher than normal. For example, a simple bottle of water is 10k IDR. Even the toilets aren’t free, and in some cafés you might be told there are no toilets available at all. With your entrance ticket, you’ll receive a queue number to take photos at the famous “Gates of Heaven.” Waiting time for your turn can be anywhere from 2 to 4 hours. The view is indeed beautiful, but almost nobody actually takes the time to enjoy it—most people are here just to get photos for social media. If you’re genuinely looking to visit a historic temple, this is not the right place for you. The local people here are unfortunately not welcoming; in fact, some can come across as quite rude, seeing visitors only as a source of money. It feels like a poorly managed tourist trap rather than a spiritual site. Honestly, I would not recommend supporting it.

Penataran Agung Lempuyang Temple is a stunning and culturally rich site, and it truly breaks my heart to give only 3 stars. The staff are incredibly friendly and helpful, and the grounds offer countless photo opportunities, including the world‑famous “Heaven’s Gate” view with the mountains perfectly framed behind you. The experience is very well organized with a fair system for guests, calling numbers for photo turns and providing a photographer who uses your phone and a mirror to create that iconic reflection effect. The reason for the lower rating is the wait. Unless you arrive by around 5 a.m., you can expect to wait anywhere from 2 to 6 hours for your turn at the main photo spot. For many visitors this makes the visit exhausting and limits the time you have to enjoy the temple itself. It is still worth seeing for the beauty and cultural experience, but the long wait keeps it from being the magical stop it could be.

You need a degree of physical fitness for this temple and with the added heat and humidity, makes the very step road challenging. On the plus side, it was worth the climb as the gate was amazing and steps were stunning.

Its a beautiful temple, no doubt. But felt like a tourist trap. If you want to snap your artificially mirrored picture of you at gates, its a long wait. I recommend going early. If you are lucky you can see the mountain behind the gates. It can get foggy and misty in the early hours. However, the queue system is well organised and everyone can go home happy with their Instagramable picture at the gates.