Penataran Agung Lempuyang Temple

After reading a fair bit of mixed reviews, we were a bit hesitant to go however went anyway. We stayed close by so the ride in wasnt too bad. To be honest just follow the instructions from security. We were told to turn into the big car park to park and catch the shuttle bus. We paid 50k for 2 (return trip) there. The road up was small and narrow, so shuttle bus makes sense, for safety as well as less traffic for better road conditions and people who live along the route. Once we got off the shuttle bus, we were guided to the ticket booth where we purchased the ticket (70k each) and got our number for the photo. Then you get to pick your own sarong and something to cover your shoulders (free of charge). Afterwards you can walk up to the temple or pay someone to ride you up on a motorcycle. We decided to walk as it was a really nice one. Get there, wait, walk around, watch people pose and then once our number was called, we took the photos! Nice experience and you do not need to pay for things that you do not want to. Total cost: 25k x 2 for shuttle bus + 70k x 2 for tickets = 190k.

A place I have always wanted to visit since the first time I come to Bali and so glad I did. It's a beautiful spot. Only took us about 2:30 hours drive from Legian to here and we only had to waited about 40 mins for our photos. Overall a great experience.

It is worth to visit, from Ubud a long way. We did combine it with Penglipuran Village and Gembleng Waterfall. It's a small Temple in the hills. In the way back you can see rice fields. We did visit the temple at the end of the day. Almost no people over there. Sunrise is not the best time to visit. Very crowdy and 3 hours queues are not unusual. On a cloudy day is still worth to visit the temple. W By the time we did the photoshoot, it was all cloudy Visit costs 70k rupiah The shuttle is 50k rupiah from the parking The first shuttle leaves at 5.30am and the last departs Lempuyang temple at 6.20pm (at time of writing). You have to wear a sarong and cover your shoulders There’s no reflective pool They make photos for you with your camera You can do together (couple) and after that seperate). They make a lot of photos for you. There’s no charge for this, but a donation will be very welcome. At a quiet time of the day, like we did, we were allowed to take around 8 different poses each.

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.

Gate of heaven. The unavoidable photo of your Bali trip. Is that worth it. Yes if you planned perfectly. We started our journey from hotel at 3 am and reached lempuyang at 5'50 and luckily we got token no 11. Belive me within 10 mins token became more than 100. So timing is very important. They charged 50k per person for up and down shuttle bus . And 75000/- (I don't remember correctly) for the entry ticket to temple. Our photo section got finished before 6:45 . They have staffs who click the wonderful photos. We just have to give our phone. There will be 4 poses one can do . Then if you are a couple or gang you will get another 4 poses together. If you want you can give tips to the photographers. The photos are unbelievably good. It's a must do in bali. But if you get late then you will end up in waiting for hours. There are other scenic photo spots also inside the compound. Loved it 😍

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.

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.

Once you have paid for the entrance fees, staff will pass you a Q number for you to wait for your turn to get your photos taken at the Gate of Heaven. While waiting, on your own explore, take some photos and can discuss the poses that you would like to present. Once your number is called, staff will use your phone together with their "magic mirror" ( a piece of square glass) to get the reflection effect. If not sure of poses, staff will tell you. If you're like me who doesnt fancy to take photos of yourself, be prepared to cringe when you do the poses in front of many others(waiting for their Q).