Bali's Pura Tirta Empul - A Temple Visiting Guide

Pura Tirta Empul is one of Bali‘s most popular temple complexes, a sanctuary revered for its sacred springs and spiritual significance. One of the main draws to this temple is the opportunity to take part in a purification ritual (Melukat purification ceremony), where you will enter the bating pools to receive holy water from several water sprouts in a specific sequence. The temple is also quite large and has several courtyards, meaning there’s lots to explore here even if you are not interested in the purification ceremony. Tirta Empul is also one of three temples in the town of Tampaksiring, including the fantastic Gunung Kawi Tampaksiring, making it easy to see several temples within a single day-trip from Ubud or Sidemen. 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 Tirta Empul.

Disclosure: This page (Bali’s Pura Tirta Empul – 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 Tirta Empul: Temple Location & Map

Pura Gunung Kawi Sebatu is located in Bali’s Gianyar regency (link to Google Maps), northeast of Ubud and near the Tegalalang Rice Terrasse. There is a large parking lot next to the temple.

How to get to Pura Tirta Empul

Drive times can be highly variable depending on the traffic conditions.

Distance from Ubud: 15 km // Average Drive Time: 30-40 min

Distance from Kuta: 50 km // Average Drive Time: 1h35 – 1h50

Distance from Canggu: 45 km // Average Drive Time: 1h45 – 2h

Distance from Sanur: 40 km // Average Drive Time: 1h30 – 1h45

Distance from Sidemen: 40 km // Average Drive Time 1h15-1h30

In our opinion, the three best transport options to reach Pura Tirta Empul 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 guide on How to Best Get Around Bali.

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 Tirta Empul 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:

By Group Tour: Group tours can be a great option to lower costs and reduce the hassle of having to plan an efficient itinerary. Their main downside is they might not exactly be tailored to your specific interests and preferences. But if you are mostly interested in hitting the main sights and attractions, there are these great tour options that can pick you up in multiple towns and visit places including Pura Tirta Empul:

Pura Tirta Empul – Temple Ticket Price and Operating Hours

Temple Entrance Fee

The Tirta Empul Temple entrance fee is 75,000 IDR per person (2025), which roughly amounts to 4.50 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 (there are a few ATMs in the town of Tampaksiring).

Purification Ritual

If you want to take part in a purification ritual at Tirta Empul (Melakat cleaning ceremony), you’ll need to rent a special sarong to enter the bathing pools (10,000 IDR) and rent a locker to store your belongings (15,000 IDR).

Temple Opening Hours

Pura Tirta Empul is open daily from 8 am to 6 pm.

Temple Facilities

Very basic toilets and change rooms 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.

About Pura Tirta Empul and its History

Tirta Empul Temple was founded around a large water spring in 962 A.D. during the Warmadewa dynasty. Tirta Empul is dedicated to Vishnu, the Hindu God of water. In the Balinese language, Tirta Empul loosely translated means water gushing from the earth, and for this reason, Tirta Empul is regarded as a holy spring.

Pura Tirta Empul – What to Expect

The temple is divided into three main courtyards: Jaba Sisa (outer courtyard), Jaba Tengah (central courtyard) and Jeroan (inner courtyard). As you enter the temple, you will walk through the large stone Balinese gate (known as a candi bentar) and arrive in the outer courtyard (Jaba sisa). You will also come across several intricate and beautiful stone carvings.

To reach the central courtyard you will have to walk through a second candi bentar. This is where you will find two large purification pools equipped with 30 waterspouts.

Those wanting to undergo the purification ritual (Melukat purification ceremony) will wait in lines in the pools for their turn to dip their heads under the waterspouts. Bathers start in the pool on the left under the first water spout, and will then progressively move to the next watersprout to the right. This process is continued until they have cleansed themselves under each waterspout.

Behind the purification pools lies the inner courtyard, which tends to be less visited by tourists (and is therefore a good place to go if you feel it is getting too crowded). The front portion of the courtyard is dominated by the large water spring that feeds the purification pools. Behind the springs are various Hindu shrines.

One of our favorite spots is a separate small enclosed courtyard, which is walled off from the rest of the complex (except for one open door), which gives it a calm and relaxing atmosphere. The enclosed courtyard is adjacent to the outer courtyard and is dominated by a large koi pond and several beautifully carved stone statues and fountains. We spent a lot of time enjoying this area we found ourselves alone for most of our time there.

Why You Should Visit Pura Tirta Empul

– Purification Ceremony: If you want to participate in a purification ritual during your Bali, this is one of the best places to do it.

– Multiple distinct courtyards to visit: Each one has a different atmosphere and architectural layout, meaning that there is plenty to see when visiting.

Why You Might Not Want To Visit

– Expensive: Although not that expensive in absolute terms for most foreigners, this temple is more expensive than most other temple complexes we visited in Bali.

– Crowds: Tirta Empul gets packed quickly, as it is a popular destination and it’s part of the main tour bus circuit.

How Long Do You Need at Pura Tirta Empul

Pura Tirta Empul is a medium-sized temple complex – you can probably walk around the entire complex in 10-15 minutes. You should plan to spend about 30-40 minutes here to get a chance to appreciate all the sites, but you should plan for at least another 30 minutes if you plan to take part in the water purification ritual.

Best Time to Visit Pura Tirta Empul

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.

Consider off-peak months like May-June or September-October for a more personal experience with fewer crowds.

Best Time of Day

Pura Tirta Empul can get quite busy, it’s one of Bali’s most popular temples, in part because it is one of the few where visitors can easily undertake a water purification ceremony. Regardless of whether you want to participate in the purification ceremony or not, we highly recommend arriving as early as possible to maximize your time here before the crowds arrive.

If arriving early is impossible for you, an alternative is to arrive in the late afternoon, as the crowds tend to thin down during the last hour or two before closing.

Other Nearby Temples

Tirta Empul is located near a cluster of several other temples. Just a few town blocks away are two other temples: Pura Mengening and Gunung Kawi Tampaksiring, the latter of which was one of favorite temples to visit in all of Bali. In the next town over to the west is Pura Gunung Kawi Sebatu, a scenic temple complex that is also filled with ponds and bathing pools

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 Tirta Empul

Other than the three temples mentioned above, the nearest attraction is the Tegallalang Rice Terrace (Ceking Rice Terrace), less than a 10-minute drive south of Pura Tirta Empul.

A 25-minute drive east is Penglipuran Village, a famous tourist destination and traditional village that offers a unique and well-preserved blend of culture, history and nature. Slightly east of Penglipuran, you’ll find other attractions such as Pura Kehen and 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 Tirta Empul

In our opinion, the best place to stay is in Ubud, whose location makes it a great base from which to explore several nearby temples including Pura Tirta Empul. 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

Ubud Village Hotel

Adiwana Resort Jembawan

Kajane Mua Villas

Alaya Resort Ubud

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.