Overview
The temple itself is small and closed to non-worshippers; what draws people is the setting, with the cliff path running along the edge in both directions above surf that arrives from the Indian Ocean unobstructed. The kecak is the chant-based dance developed in the 1930s from a trance ritual, performed here against the sunset by a chorus of dozens rather than a gamelan. The resident macaques are practised thieves who take glasses and hats and return them for fruit, and the staff will negotiate for you.
Highlights
Buy the kecak ticket separately and arrive an hour early; the amphitheatre fills and the back rows lose the sea. Take nothing on your head or face past the gate. The surf breaks below — Uluwatu, Padang Padang, Bingin — are among the best-known in Indonesia and visible from the cliff path.