The Gates of Heaven
Mount Agung framed in the gate.
Slleong — CC0 · Azeusss — CC0 · Slleong — CC0 · Julia Kado — CC BY-SA 4.0
One of Bali's oldest and, to its people, holiest temples, on the slopes of Mount Lempuyang in the east of the island. It became world-famous for a Balinese split stone gateway people call the Gates of Heaven, with the cone of Mount Agung framed exactly in its centre, now one of Bali's most shared images. What visitors should know: the famous lake-reflection photo is made by a local photographer holding a mirror under the phone lens; there is no water there. The queue to photograph the gateway can run two hours or more at peak times, and clouds often hide Mount Agung after the morning. The main temple at the summit is reached by climbing some seventeen hundred steps. Foreign visitors pay about one hundred and fifty thousand rupiah, including the shuttle from the car park to the entrance, and a sarong is required. Bali's tourist levy, one hundred and fifty thousand rupiah per foreign visitor, is separate. To beat the queue and the clouds, leave the south before dawn; it is about two and a half hours away. Pair it with the nearby Tirta Gangga water palace on an east-Bali trip.
Mount Agung framed in the gate.
Among Bali's oldest.
Up to the main temple at the top.
Mount Lempuyang, Karangasem, eastern Bali
If you want the famous shot and arrive early, yes. If you arrive late, with a long queue and clouds over the mountain, the view beside the gate is still lovely, and nearby Tirta Gangga is a fine alternative.