Ubud, Tegallalang & Jungle Swing
Start from$55 / car
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Land Tour
Uluwatu & Kecak Fire Dance
Clifftop temple at golden hour, then a hundred voices around a fire
- Duration
- 6 hours (14:00 pickup)
- Group
- Private car, up to 5 passengers
- Difficulty
- Easy · flat walking, some steps
- Tickets
- Kecak included for everyone
The trip
What You're Signing Up For
Pura Luhur Uluwatu sits on a limestone cliff seventy metres above the Indian Ocean, and at the right time of day the light does something to the sandstone that photographs never quite catch. It is also home to a troop of monkeys with a well-documented interest in sunglasses.
The Kecak begins as the sun goes down in the amphitheatre beside the temple. No instruments at all: a hundred men sitting in concentric rings, chanting a rhythm that carries the Ramayana, with fire and a Hanuman who reliably steals the show. It sounds like a tourist set piece and then it starts, and it isn't.
Highlights
Why People Pick This One
- A clifftop temple at golden hour, 70 m above the surf
- Kecak tickets included for everyone in the car
- We arrive early enough to get seats with a view of the sea
- A beach stop at Padang Padang or Suluban first
- Only a six-hour afternoon, so it fits around the rest of your day
- Optional seafood dinner on the sand at Jimbaran afterwards
Full description
The Whole Thing
A short afternoon rather than a whole day: a clifftop temple at golden hour, then the Kecak performed at sunset in an amphitheatre cut into the cliff above the sea.
It leaves the rest of your day free, which is why it works well on an arrival or departure day.
Uluwatu temple sits seventy metres above the surf on the south-west tip of the Bukit. The walk along the cliff path is the point as much as the temple itself, and the light in the hour before sunset is the reason we go then rather than earlier.
The macaques at Uluwatu are notorious and genuinely quick. They take sunglasses, phones and hats, and they have learned that people will trade food to get them back. Your guide will tell you what to put away before you walk in.
The Kecak is unlike other Balinese dance because there is no gamelan at all. Around a hundred men sit in concentric rings and produce the entire rhythm with their voices, telling an episode from the Ramayana, and it finishes with fire. Tickets are included for everyone in your car and we arrive early enough to get seats where you can see the sea behind the performers.
Afterwards, seafood on the sand at Jimbaran is optional and costs extra. Say yes on the day if you feel like it.
Itinerary
The Trip, Stop By Stop
Timings are typical, not fixed. Your guide reshapes the day around your pace and the conditions.
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6 pickup area options
Canggu, Seminyak, Kuta, Jimbaran, Sanur, Ubud
We collect you from your own accommodation anywhere inside these areas, at no extra cost, so the pickup address is wherever you happen to be staying, not a fixed meeting point. Your driver confirms the exact time by message the evening before.
IncludedYour accommodation -
Padang Padang or Suluban beach
A swim and a drink at one of the Bukit beaches before the temple. Optional, and skipped if you'd rather have longer at Uluwatu.
15:00 -
Arrive Uluwatu temple
Sarong on, valuables zipped away, and a walk along the clifftop path. Your guide handles the monkeys, who are entirely uninterested in being handled.
16:30 -
Seats for the Kecak
We collect tickets and get you into the amphitheatre early, which matters: the good seats are the upper rows on the ocean side and they go fast.
17:30 -
Kecak fire dance
One hour, no interval. The sun sets behind the stage during the first twenty minutes, which is not an accident.
18:00 -
Seafood on the sand, optional
Jimbaran Bay is twenty minutes away and grills fish on the beach at sunset. Popular enough that we book ahead if you want it.
19:15 -
Drop-off back at your accommodation
To the same address we collected you from. Somewhere else in the same areas is fine too, just tell us in advance.
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
- Private air-conditioned car with English-speaking driver-guide for 6 hours
- Fuel, parking and all driver expenses
- Drinking water throughout the trip
Not included
- Dinner at Jimbaran and personal spending
- Beach club entry or sun loungers if you stop on the Bukit
- Tips for your driver, appreciated but never expected
- Entrance tickets, parking charges and anything else paid on site
- Meals and drinks during the day
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 cannot manage steps
The amphitheatre is steep stone tiers with no handrails, and seating is unreserved.
Anyone carrying loose valuables
The macaques are fast and organised. Sunglasses and phones need to be zipped away, not held.
Anyone wanting a guaranteed sunset
It is performed regardless of weather. In cloud you still get the dance, just not the postcard behind it.
Anyone needing a quiet, seated experience
It is loud, crowded and packed to capacity most evenings.
Come prepared
What To Bring
Sunglasses you can put away
Genuinely. The Uluwatu monkeys take glasses, hats and phones, and they know the exchange rate for fruit. Zip everything into a bag on the clifftop path.
Something to cover your knees
A sarong is included, but many people prefer their own longer clothing for the temple.
A light layer
The amphitheatre is open to the sea and it cools quickly once the sun is down.
Cash for dinner
The Jimbaran warungs price seafood by weight and most are cash only.
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.
Do we need to book the Kecak in advance?
Yes, and we do it for you. It sells out most evenings in high season, and turning up at 18:00 hoping for seats usually ends in standing at the back.
Are the monkeys actually a problem?
They are opportunists rather than aggressive. Keep sunglasses, hats, phones and loose jewellery in a closed bag on the clifftop path and you'll have no trouble. If something does get taken, staff trade it back for fruit, which is a routine transaction there.
Is the dance suitable for children?
Very. It is loud, rhythmic and there is fire, which most children find far more interesting than a temple. It runs an hour with no interval, so consider whether that's within your child's sitting range.
What if it rains?
The amphitheatre is open air. Light rain and the show goes on; heavy rain and it can be cancelled by the venue, in which case we refund the ticket portion and reshuffle the rest of the afternoon.
Can we start earlier and add more stops?
Yes. Popular additions are the Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue, a surf lesson at Padang Padang, or a longer stretch at a Bukit beach club. Extra hours are $6 each.
Pairs well with
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View ItineraryReady 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.
