Although not a particularly large temple, Pura Kehen is one of the oldest and most beautiful in Bali. It sits atop a long, ornate staircase with intricate stone carvings and statues. Within the temple, you’ll come across several picturesque shrines, including an 11-tiered Meru Tower, and a 400-year-old banyan tree. Although not off the beaten path nor in a far remote location, the temple doesn’t seem to be part of the main tourist circuit yet, meaning that you might find yourself alone (or almost) when visiting. While we wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to visit this temple, it’s so close to other attractions, such as several popular waterfalls and Penglipuran Village, that adding Pura Kehen to your itinerary becomes a no-brainer. To help you plan your visit and get the most out of your time here, we put together this Temple Visiting Guide for Bali’s Pura Kehen.
Disclosure: This page (Bali’s Pura Kehen – A Temple Visiting Guide) may contain product affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, we may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. More details can be found on our disclosure and policies page.
You might also be interested in these pages (coming soon):
Best Things to See and Do in Bali
Best Things to See and Do in the Gili Islands
The Perfect Three-Week Bali Itinerary
Everything You Need to Know About Visiting Bali
Pura Kehen: Temple Location & Map
Pura Kehen is located in Bali’s Bangli regency (link to Google Maps), roughly midway between the towns of Ubud and Sidemen.
How to get to Pura Kehen
Drive times can be highly variable depending on the traffic conditions.
Distance from Ubud: 25 km // Average Drive Time: 1h-1h15
Distance from Kuta: 50 km // Average Drive Time: 1h30 – 1h50
Distance from Canggu: 50 km // Average Drive Time: 1h45 – 2h15
Distance from Sanur: 40 km // Average Drive Time: 1h15 – 1h30
Distance from Sidemen: 25 km // Average Drive Time 1h-1h15
In our opinion, the three best transport options to reach Pura Kehen are: renting a scooter (moped), joining a group tour that hits several nearby attractions within a day or a half-day, or hiring a car and driver (which really isn’t as expensive as it sounds).
You can also use Bali ride-hailing apps such as Gojek or Grab, and make use of local taxis, but these options will typically cost more, especially if you plan on visiting several sites and attractions on the same day. Also, Gojek or Grab are not authorized to pick up people in certain locations where local taxi unions limit their services, including Canggu, Sanur, and Ubud. For more information on getting around the island and the different available options, check out our How to Best Get Around Bali guide.
Regardless of your chosen transportation method, you are likely to enjoy the ride there. The road leading to the waterfall is very scenic. You will pass small villages and beautiful rice fields.
We highly recommend Airalo (eSIM card) for your connectivity needs when travelling abroad. Airalo is the world’s first and largest eSIM store with eSIM plans for 200+ countries and regions worldwide.
Getting to Pura Kehen by Scooter: Once you get to Bali, you’ll quickly realize that scooter rental operators are everywhere. Although most street-side vendors will regularly be the cheapest option, they come short in several other aspects compared with more reliable and established vendors. For instance, most won’t offer roadside assistance or insurance that covers theft, nor do they regularly sanitize the helmets or have their scooters undergo regular maintenance. For this reason, we highly recommend using Bikago for your scooter rentals. Renting from them might be slightly more expensive (but still can be rented for as low as 12-15 US$/€ per day) but you get great peace of mind as among many other perks, all scooters undergo extensive quality checks.
What you get with your Bikago rental:
-Helmets
-Full tank of petrol and unlimited mileage
-Free Delivery and Collection at your Hotel
-24/7 Roadside Assistance and First Aid Medical Kit
-Charging Mobile Phone Holder
By Car and Driver hire: Hiring a car and driver to explore Bali can be a practical and cost-efficient way to experience a full day of sightseeing. Although this option is more expensive than renting a scooter (typically 40-60 US$/€ per day), you don’t have to worry about navigating the Bali roads and traffic, Also, most cars are modern and air-conditioned, which is welcome in Bali’s humid heat, and the local drivers always know the best routes to take and can optimize your ideal itinerary. Here are some of the best options to choose from:
Pura Kehen – Temple Ticket Price and Operating Hours
Temple Entrance Fee
The Kehen Temple entrance fee is 50,000 IDR per person (2025), which roughly amounts to 3 US$/€. This fee helps maintain the temple and its surrounding grounds.
Modest additional costs are required for parking: 5,000 IDR for scooters and 10,000 IDR for cars.
Having the exact change or small bills to pay for all costs is preferable as many temple sites don’t accept credit cards and they may not have enough change for large bills. To our knowledge, there are no ATMs in the vicinity of the temple (though there are several in the nearby town of Bangli).
Temple Opening Hours
Pura Kehen is typically open daily from 8 am to 5 pm.
Temple Facilities
Very basic toilets are available on-site.
Temple Dress Code
As with all Balinese temples, it’s important to dress modestly and to ensure your shoulders and knees are covered. The entrance fee includes a sarong (a traditional wrap-around cloth) and sash (belt) rental if you don’t have your own.
Do not fall for the locals/touts wanting to sell you sarongs before you buy your entrance ticket.
About Pura Kehen and its History
Historians believe the current incarnation of the temple dates from the early 13th century, though inscriptions indicate that previous temple constructions were built in the same location in the late 9th century and the early 11th century. The 9th-century temple was called Hyang Api (“god of fire”), whereas the 11th-century temple was named Hyang Kehen. Today’s version, Pura Kehen, means “temple of the flame”.
For centuries, Pura Kehen has been the main temple of the former Bangli kingdom, which ruled the area now known as the Bangli province in north/east Bali. Historians also believe that Pura Kehen was designed as a mini replica of Pura Besakih, Bali’s most important temple.
Pura Kehen – What to Expect
Pura Kehen sits at the base of a tree-covered hill and is aligned on the north-south axis, with the north part being the highest part of the temple. The temple is divided into three courtyards: the outer sanctum, the middle sanctum, and the inner main sanctum.
To reach the main gate that leads to the first courtyard you’ll have to climb a flight of stairs (about 50 steps). Along the staircase, the landscape is terraced and decorated with stone statues representing characters from the Indian epic Ramayana.
The first courtyard (outer sanctum) has a huge banyan tree, which is believed to be over 400 years old and is equipped with a tree house pagoda where priests can go pray.
The inner courtyard’s main attraction is an impressive 11-tiered Meru Tower, but you’ll also find several other smaller shrines in the main sanctum.
Why You Should Visit Pura Kehen
– Unique Temple and Layout: The long beautifully decorated staircase and the huge banyan tree in the outer courtyard were both unique and fascinating aspects of Pura Kehen.
– Solitude: As for 2025, few tourists seem to know about this temple, making it a great place to visit without the crowds.
– Easy itinerary add-on: You are likely to pass by Pura Kehen on your way to several waterfalls and other nearby attractions (see further below).
Why You Might Not Want To Visit
– Small Temple: By comparison, it’s one of the smallest temples we visited in Bali, so you might not want to make Pura Kehen the main reason for coming out to this region.
How Long Do You Need at Pura Kehen
Pura Kehen is probably the smallest temple complex we visited – you can probably walk around the entire complex in less than 5 minutes. You probably won’t need more than 15 minutes to cover the entire grounds at a slow pace, but you might want to stick around longer to enjoy the scenery if you get the place to yourself.
Best Time to Visit Pura Kehen
Best Time of the Year
Although we visited during the dry season, there’s no bad time of year to visit the temple. There’s a higher risk of rain during the wet season (November-April), but that shouldn’t discourage you as there are likely to be fewer other tourists around.
Best Time of Day
Pura Kehen rarely gets overwhelmed with visitors, so unlike most other temples where we recommend arriving early in the day, we don’t think there’s a bad time to visit this temple. Whatever fits best in your itinerary timewise will work.
Other Nearby Temples
There are no other major temples in the immediate vicinity of Pura Kehen, but a mere 30-minute drive west will take you to an area that is home to not just one but rather 4 fantastic temples, several of which were some of favorites to visit in Bali: Pura Gunung Kawi Sebatu, Pura Tirta Empul, Pura Mengening, and Gunung Kawi Tampaksiring.
To discover more of Bali’s temples, be sure to check out our guide on Bali’s Best Temples to Visit.
Other Sights and Attractions near Pura Kehen
The closest attraction is Penglipuran Village, a famous tourist destination and traditional village that offers a unique and well-preserved blend of culture, history and nature. Penglipuran is just a short drive north of Pura Kehen.
A short distance east of the temple are three fantastic waterfalls: Tukad Cepung, Yeh Bulan, and Goa Raja.
For a more complete list of attractions that you can visit from Ubud, check out our guide on the Best Day Trips from Ubud.
Where to Stay Near Pura Kehen
In our opinion, the best place to stay in the area is in Sidemen, whose location makes it a great base from which to explore East Bali’s waterfalls and temples. These are two of the best mid-range hotel accommodations that are set in a beautiful location amongst the rice fields.:
If you are looking to splurge, Wapa di Ume Sidemen is simply fantastic and is located on the same street as the other two accommodation options above:
Another great base in Bali is Ubud. It’s a bit further from Pura Kehen, but it’s well-located to visit several other fantastic attractions throughout Bali. All of the following are some of the best mid-range hotel accommodations located within walking distance from the city center:
Komaneka at Rasa Sayang Ubud Hotel
Planning a Trip to Bali?
You might be interested in these pages: (coming soon)
Best Things to See and Do in Bali
Best Things to See and Do in the Gili Islands
The Perfect Three-Week Bali Itinerary
Everything You Need to Know About Visiting Bali
We also highly recommend these guidebooks:
Bali: The Solo Girl’s Travel Guide
Lonely Planet Bali, Lombok & Nusa Tenggara
Photography Gear
If you like our photography, you might be interested in some of the gear we use to shoot our travel and hiking destinations.
Camera Body – Nikon Z 6ii Fx-series Mirrorless Body
Main Lens – NIKON 24-120mm F/4G ED VR AF-S
Zoom Lens – Sigma 745-306 150-600mm f/5-6.3
Polarizing filters – Urth Circular Polarizing (CPL)
Camera Tripod – K&F Concept 64-inch Camera Tripod
Mini-tripod – Lammcou Flexible Camera Tripod
Camera/hiking backpack – Vanguard Alta Rise 48 Backpack
Universal Travel Adapter – VYLEE Universal International Power Travel Plug
Other Travel Essentials
Travel Insurance
SafetyWing is a travel insurance company that offers comprehensive coverage for travellers. Includes Medical Insurance and Travel Insurance. Primarily geared towards long-term travellers, digital nomads, and expats.
e-Sim cards
Airalo is the world’s first and largest eSIM store with eSIM plans for 200+ countries and regions worldwide. With Airalo eSIMs, travellers can get connected the moment they land at their destination and avoid nasty data roaming charges
eSIMS are a sustainable alternative to single-use SIM cards – they are 100% digital, require less energy to produce and be re-used rather than disposed of.
Car Rentals
Discover Cars is our go-to website for car rentals. We almost always find our preferred rate there.
Transfer from Airport
Welcome Pickups is our favourite private transfer service, which you can pre-book at a fixed price. Currently available in 220 cities all over the world (mostly in Europe, but with several major cities in Asia, the Middle East and the US).
Kiwitaxi is another private transfer service – we haven’t tried it yet, but it’s currently available in a few more countries (102 as of 2024).
Hotels and Accommodations (coming soon)
Photography Prints
If you found this blog useful, you can help support our blog by purchasing low-cost digital prints. Printed physical prints are also available for purchase.
—–
Well, that wraps it up! We hope you enjoyed our guide on Bali’s Pura Kehen and that it will prove useful for planning your trip.
—–
You might also be interested in these related pages:
