Tanah Lot Temple

Pura Tanah Lot stands on a rocky outcrop just off Bali’s south-west coast, about an hour’s drive from Seminyak. At high tide the waves cut it off from the shore; at low tide you can walk across to the base of the rock, where priests bless visitors with water from a freshwater spring.

The temple is one of a chain of sea temples said to have been founded by the sixteenth-century priest Dang Hyang Nirartha, and its inner shrine is open only to worshippers. Visitors watch from the cliffs and gardens on the mainland, which also hold a smaller temple on a natural rock arch, Pura Batu Bolong.

Sunset is the classic time to come, so it is busy; arrive an hour early to find a good spot along the cliffs, and wear something that covers your knees. It pairs well with the royal temple of Taman Ayun at Mengwi on the same afternoon.