Tirta Empul Temple: Purification Ritual, Fees and Rules

Short answer: Tirta Empul is Bali’s best-known water temple, about 30 minutes north-east of Ubud near Tampaksiring, open daily from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. Since January 2025 the entrance ticket costs IDR 75,000 per adult and IDR 50,000 for children aged 5–12, as reported by visitor guides in 2026. You can join the melukat purification ritual in the spring pools if you wear the right sarong and follow the temple rules – go at opening time, because by 10 am the queue in the water gets long.

Tirta Empul is the temple from countless TikTok and Instagram videos: people in green sarongs standing waist-deep under stone spouts, hands folded, water pouring over their heads. This guide explains what the ritual means, what it really costs, how to do it respectfully step by step, what to wear and how to fit it into a day around Ubud. For the full island overview, start with our Bali guide.

Tirta Empul at a glance

What	Details (as reported 2026)
Location	Manukaya village near Tampaksiring, Gianyar regency
Distance from Ubud	About 14 km, around 30 minutes by car
Opening hours	Daily, 8:00 am – 6:00 pm (WITA)
Entrance ticket	IDR 75,000 adults, IDR 50,000 children 5–12, under 5 free
Sarong and sash	Required for everyone; available at the entrance
Bathing sarong for melukat	Separate sarong, rented on site for a small fee
Lockers	Near the changing area
Time needed	1 hour to look around, 1.5–2 hours with the ritual
Busiest	10 am – 2 pm, weekends, Balinese holidays and full-moon days

Fees are set by the temple and change. Bring cash in small notes and check prices on site.

What is Tirta Empul?

Tirta Empul means “holy water spring”. The spring rises inside the temple grounds and feeds rectangular bathing pools lined with carved stone spouts. The temple is dedicated to Vishnu, the Hindu god of water and preservation, and it also has shrines for other deities and for Mount Batur. Balinese Hindus have come here for purification for many centuries; the temple is traditionally dated to the 10th century.

Above the temple, on the hill, stands the Tampaksiring Presidential Palace, built in 1957 for Indonesia’s first president, Sukarno. You cannot visit it on a normal temple trip, but you will see it from the courtyard.

For Balinese families, Tirta Empul is not an attraction but an active place of worship. You will see people praying, bringing offerings (canang sari) and bathing with great seriousness. Visitors are welcome – as long as they behave like guests.

Melukat: the purification ritual, step by step

Melukat is a Balinese Hindu cleansing ritual for body and mind. Non-Hindu visitors may take part if they follow the rules. This is how it usually works:

1. Buy your ticket and put on the sarong and sash for the temple grounds.
2. Rent the bathing sarong for the pool and change in the changing area. Lock away phone, wallet and dry clothes.
3. Make an offering and pray at the small shrine before the pool – many guides help with a canang sari offering.
4. Enter the pool from the left side (facing the spouts) and queue for the first spout.
5. Under each spout: fold your hands, bow your head, let the water run over your head three times, and quietly say what you want to let go of or wish for.
6. Move on spout by spout from left to right, rejoining the queue each time.
7. Skip the two spouts that are reserved for funeral and death rites – staff and guides will point them out. If unsure, watch the Balinese in front of you or ask.
8. Leave the pool calmly, change and, if you like, sit for a moment in the inner courtyard.

Tip: a local guide makes the ritual more meaningful – they explain the prayers and the offerings and help you skip the right spouts.

What to wear and temple rules

• Cover shoulders and knees. A sarong and sash are required for everyone in the temple grounds.
• In the pool: only the bathing sarong – no bikini, no swim shorts on their own.
• Menstruating women traditionally may not enter the temple’s sacred areas or take part in melukat. Please respect this.
• Photos: no flash, no posing in front of people who are praying, and ask before photographing anyone. Drones need permission.
• Inner areas: some courtyards are reserved for Balinese ceremonies. If a rope or sign says no entry, it means it.
• Bring: a towel, a dry change of clothes, a bag for wet things, cash and sun protection.

Best time to visit

Time	What to expect	Our rating
8:00–9:30 am	Short queues in the water, calmer atmosphere, softer light	Best
10:00 am – 2:00 pm	Tour groups, long queues at the spouts, crowded changing rooms	Avoid if you can
3:00–5:00 pm	Fewer groups, but afternoon rain is common in the wet season	Good

Full-moon (Purnama) and new-moon days and Balinese holidays such as Galungan bring many local worshippers. It is a special atmosphere to watch, but plan more time and give priority to people praying. Rain season and weather by month: see best time to visit Bali.

Costs: an example morning for two

Item	Approx. cost (IDR, as reported 2026)
2 adult tickets	150,000
2 bathing sarongs (rental)	small fee, ask on site
Locker and offering	small amounts, cash
Private driver from Ubud, half day	varies; agree on the price in advance
Coconut or coffee after the ritual	about 20,000–50,000 each

The ticket is the only fixed price. Driver prices depend on hours and stops – our Bali transport guide compares drivers, ride-hailing apps, scooters and rental cars.

How to get there and what to combine

• From Ubud: about 30 minutes by car or scooter. A half-day driver works well.
• From Canggu or Seminyak: plan 1.5–2 hours each way. Better: stay a night in Ubud.
• Combine with: the Tegallalang rice terraces (about 20 minutes away – go there first at 7 am, then Tirta Empul), or Gunung Kawi Sebatu and Gunung Kawi Tampaksiring nearby.
• After a sunrise trek: Tirta Empul is on the way back from the Mount Batur sunrise trek; a cool dip feels great, but only if you still have energy.

In our 7-day Bali itinerary, Tirta Empul fits on an Ubud day. Where to sleep: where to stay in Bali and stays on Booking.com.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Arriving at 11 am and spending 40 minutes in a queue in the water.
• Entering the pool in swimwear only, or using the spouts for the dead.
• Filming people who are praying from close up.
• Forgetting dry clothes – you will be wet from head to toe.
• Bringing valuables into the pool area instead of using a locker.

Entry to Bali – official sites only

Entry rules change. Use only official government websites and avoid paid “agents” that copy their design:

• e-VOA (visa on arrival online): molina.imigrasi.go.id – Indonesian Immigration.
• All Indonesia arrival card (immigration, customs and health declaration): allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id.
• Bali tourist levy (IDR 150,000 per person): lovebali.baliprov.go.id – Bali provincial government.
• Check your own foreign ministry’s travel advice, e.g. BMEIA (Austria) or Auswärtiges Amt (Germany).

Status 11/2026. Check the official sites shortly before you travel.

FAQ: Tirta Empul Temple

How much is the entrance fee for Tirta Empul?

Since January 2025 the ticket costs IDR 75,000 for adults and IDR 50,000 for children aged 5–12, as reported in 2026. Children under 5 enter free. The bathing sarong for the ritual is rented separately.

What are the opening hours?

Tirta Empul is open daily from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. Arrive at opening time for the shortest queues in the water.

Can tourists do the purification ritual?

Yes. Non-Hindu visitors may join melukat if they wear the bathing sarong, follow the order of the spouts, skip the spouts reserved for the dead and behave respectfully.

Which spouts should I skip?

Two spouts are reserved for funeral and death rites and are not used for normal purification. Watch the people in front of you or ask a guide or staff member.

What should I wear?

Clothes covering shoulders and knees plus a sarong and sash in the temple grounds. In the pool, wear only the bathing sarong over your clothes or swimwear and bring a dry change of clothes.

Is Tirta Empul worth it?

Yes, if you go early and treat it as a place of worship, not a photo set. Even without the ritual, the spring, the koi ponds and the courtyards are worth an hour.

Note: partner links are affiliate links. If you book through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Prices and opening hours change – please check them on site. Sources: entrance fees and opening hours from 2025/2026 visitor guides; Indonesian Immigration and Bali provincial government (official entry sites). Status 11/2026.