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IndonesiaDescription and is it worth a visit
Goa Lawah Bat Temple is one of the most unusual temples in Bali, interesting, as is obvious from the title, because bats live in it. And although it is not included in the top famous temples among tourists, it is among the six holiest places of worship in Bali, the so-called "six shrines of the world." If you have the opportunity and extra time, and will be passing by, we recommend that you visit it, especially if you have already visited the main Balinese temples Uluwatu, Tanakh Lot, Pura Besakikh and others. But it may not be worth going specifically to Goa Lavah.
The temple got its name from bats, because "Pura Goa Lawah" translates as "bat cave". Although sometimes its name is spelled as Goa Lavah, it is correctly pronounced and spelled Goa Lava. It was founded in the XI century by Mpu Kuturan, a revered religious teacher from the island of Java, who arrived in Bali in the XI century and brought Hinduism here.
Actually, the bats themselves do not live in the temple, but in the cave at the entrance to which the temple is built. There are really a lot of them here: literally hundreds of them hang from the ceiling of the cave and make unpleasant sounds. The entire floor of the cave is covered with a layer of guano, the smell is also not very pleasant. But tourists are not allowed to go deep into the cave, because this place is sacred, and even dangerous. You can only look at them from the outside, listen to the squeak and inhale the "aromas". On the mountain, inside which there is a cave, there is another small temple Pura Puncak Sari, which can be reached by stairs in a few minutes.
There are many legends and stories connected with the bat cave. It is very long, but not fully explored. Locals believe that it is through, and leads to the temple of Pura Besakih at the foot of the volcano Agung almost 30 kilometers from here. At least, there are all sorts of legends about this, for example, about a pet rooster who got lost in a cave and came out on the other side. There is another indirect evidence of the cave's connection with the volcano: volcanic smoke was coming out of it during its eruption. Now it is officially forbidden to explore the cave, allegedly because it is dangerous and people disappear there.
There are a lot of vendors in the parking lot at the entrance to the temple, selling souvenirs and sarongs. Everything is expensive, but you can bargain. Traders are very intrusive, so if you are not going to buy something, it is better not to even be interested in the price. Be sure to wear a sarong at the entrance. Be careful, there are a lot of monkeys here.
🕐 Working hours
The temple is accessible around the clock. If you arrive here at sunset, you will have a chance to see bats flying out of the cave.
💵Entrance fee / ticket price
The entrance for tourists is 30,000 rupees (1.68 USD), parking – 2000 (0.11 USD).
🚶 How to get there
Goa Lawah Bat Temple is located in the east of Bali, 45 kilometers from Kuta, the airport and other tourist areas (Goa Lava Bat Temple on the map). This is quite a long distance by local standards: it takes almost an hour to drive by car, and on a motorbike you will spend almost 2 in one direction. It is much closer to go here from Ubud or Padang Bai. In any case, wherever you go, we advise you to include other places in your visit along the way. You can upload points of interest from our Bali map to yandex.navigator and use them to navigate and create a route.
If you do not rent a transport, then you can get here with a private guide or a ready-made excursion. It is easy to find private guides with their own car in Bali at a hotel or any travel agency. Yes, they will find you themselves and will offer trips along standard routes or as you want. The price is negotiable, for a day trip you can negotiate for $ 50 for the whole car, not for each person.
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