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Pura Ulun Danu Beratan under low cloud at Bedugul, Bali.
Land Tour

Ulun Danu Beratan & Handara Gate

The lake temple and the gate, up where Bali is cold

Duration
10 hours door to door
Group
Private car, up to 5 guests
Altitude
1,200 m · bring a layer
Best time
Early, before the cloud

The trip

What You're Signing Up For

Bedugul sits twelve hundred metres up in the crater of an old volcano, and the temperature drops about eight degrees on the drive. Ulun Danu Beratan is the temple you have seen on the fifty thousand rupiah note: a meru tower on a spit of land that looks like it is floating whenever the lake is high.

The Handara gate is twenty minutes further north and takes four minutes to photograph. We tell people that honestly, because half the trips sold up here pretend it is a destination. It is a gate at the entrance to a golf course, it is genuinely beautiful, and it is one stop on a day that has three better ones.

Highlights

Why People Pick This One

  • The lake temple early, before the coaches and the queue for the photo
  • Handara gate with the mountains behind it, and no pretence it takes long
  • The twin lakes of Buyan and Tamblingan from the ridge above them
  • Eight degrees cooler than the coast, and green in a completely different way
  • Entrances included for everyone in the car, so nothing to pay at the gate

Full description

The Whole Thing

This is the coolest, greenest part of Bali and it feels nothing like the coast. Cloud forest, strawberry farms, lakes in old craters, and a temple built in 1633 to the goddess of the waters that irrigate half the island.

Itinerary

The Trip, Stop By Stop

Timings are typical, not fixed. Your guide reshapes the day around your pace and the conditions.

  1. Hotel pickup

    Canggu, Seminyak, Kuta, Jimbaran, Sanur, Ubud

    Your driver confirms the time by message the evening before. An early start is worth it here.

    Included

  2. Climb to Bedugul

    Ninety minutes up through Tabanan, watching the temperature drop as the road climbs.

  3. Ulun Danu Beratan

    The lake temple with its meru towers on the water. Best light and fewest people before nine.

  4. Handara Gate

    Four minutes, one photograph, mountains behind. We are honest about what this stop is.

  5. Twin lakes viewpoint

    Buyan and Tamblingan side by side from the ridge road, usually with cloud spilling over.

  6. Strawberry farm and market

    Bedugul grows what the rest of Bali cannot. Cheap, cold, and worth twenty minutes.

  7. Home your way

    Straight back, or via Jatiluwih, or down past Tanah Lot for sunset. No extra charge for the car.

    Included
Trip stop Pickup area Pickup is from your own accommodation inside these areas. Route is indicative, not the exact road taken.

The price covers

What's Included, And What Isn't

Included

  • Hotel pickup and drop-off across South Bali, Ubud and Canggu
  • Private air-conditioned car with English-speaking driver
  • Fuel, parking, tolls and the driver's day
  • The twin lakes viewpoint and the Bedugul market stop
  • A detour to Jatiluwih or Tanah Lot on the way home if you want one

Not included

  • Lunch, which is a few dollars at the warungs around the lake
  • Boat hire on Lake Beratan, if you fancy twenty minutes on the water
  • Personal spending, tips and anything you buy on the day
  • Entrance tickets, parking charges and anything else paid on site

Before you book

Who This Trip Isn’t For

We would rather talk you out of the wrong trip than take your money for it. If any of these apply, message us and we’ll suggest something that fits better.

Anyone who hates cold

Twelve hundred metres and often wet. If you came to Bali for heat, this is the wrong day.

Anyone chasing clear mountain views

Cloud closes in most afternoons year-round. Mornings are your only real chance.

Anyone expecting the gate to be an event

Handara is a gate. Four minutes. We would rather say so now than at the roadside.

Come prepared

What To Bring

A jacket or fleece

It sits around 18-22°C up here and drops further when it rains. Nobody packs for this and everybody wishes they had.

A sarong or long trousers

Ulun Danu is an active temple. Shoulders and knees covered; sarongs are lent at the entrance if you need one.

An umbrella or light rain jacket

Bedugul makes its own weather. Short heavy showers are normal even in dry season.

Cash in small notes

For strawberries, corn at the market, coffee and the boat if you want one. No cards up here.

On the trip

What It Looks Like

Tap a photo to enlarge

Before you book

Questions About This Trip

Anything not covered here? Message us. We'd rather answer first than have you book the wrong trip.

How cold does it actually get?

Roughly 18-22°C in the day and cooler in rain, against about 30°C on the coast. A fleece is enough; nobody needs a coat.

Is the temple really floating?

No. It sits on a spit of land that goes under when the lake is high, which is when it looks like it is floating. In dry season you can often walk closer to it.

Is Handara worth the detour?

For the photograph, yes, and it is only twenty minutes further. As a destination in its own right, no, and we will not pretend otherwise.

Can we add Jatiluwih?

Yes, and there is no extra charge for the car. Jatiluwih has its own entrance fee, which you would pay at the gate.

Can we do Tanah Lot sunset the same day?

Yes. It is on the way home and it works well, but it makes for a twelve-hour day. Tell your driver in the morning.

Pairs well with

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Ready When You Are

Tell us your dates and how many of you there are. We'll confirm availability, pickup time and the total, usually within the hour.