This was our first outing outside of our resort on our recent trip to Bali. I booked the excursion through Forever Vacations, assuming that having a guide will provide an extra layer and added value of interest and knowledge when visiting the temple. For this particular tour, I would not recommend booking through Forever Vacations, at upwards of $80 per person, because while your driver does take you around and provides water and arranges getting the tickets to the dance, no actual guiding or information is provided, so you are probably better off just stocking up on a LOT of water, and just hiring a driver for the evening. I assumed that at such a high price, there would be more added value such as information provided while driving around, or information and actual guiding during the stroll around the temple area, but this was not the case. In Bali, you can hire a private driver for less than $50 for an afternoon/evening, so I would definitely use this option instead.

Uluwatu Temple is one of the largest and most important temples in Bali. When I was there in 2009 it was a calm and peaceful place with a lot of monkeys running around. It is on the top of a cliff, so the views out to the ocean and cliffside are stunning. Check out my overview of my prior trips to Bali here.

This time, Uluwatu was chock full of people, there to admire its beauty, and to watch the super intricate and mega interesting Kecak dance while watching the sunset over the stage. This attraction didn’t even exist in 2009, and I expect it’s the main reason why the area is so crowded now. Unfortunately, the temple was also under construction this time as well, so apart from the ocean views, there was no actual temple at the cliffside.

The main reason to come here now is for the Kecak dance and sunset. I planned a lot of activities around Balinese sunsets because they are the best in the world, and I really wanted to show Noah and Brian as many of them as possible! Watching the sunset over the ocean and surrounding cliffs while watching a traditional dance was a really special moment that you definitely shouldn’t skip while in Bali.

The dance is located in a large outdoor theater created specifically for that purpose. It is extremely crowded and extremely hot, so be ready for that when you visit.

The dance is a recreation of one of the Hindu religion’s most important epics. There are no musical instruments, only a group of 40 men chanting and singing throughout the spectacle. It was really impressive how they could sing the songs and chant so vigorously for almost an hour!

The costumes, makeup, masks and headdresses are incredibly detailed and gorgeous. Balinese dances are known for the super detailed and impressive costumes, and this dance was no exception.

It was truly a wonderful show, and I would highly recommend an excursion to Uluwatu to experience this performance!