Goa Gajah the Elephant Cave _ Bali

Goa Gajah is located in the village of Bedulu on the edge of a cliff, about 2km southeast of Ubud on the road to Bedulu, Bali.

Despite the roads that lead to Goa Gajah being crazy chaotic the temple area is quite beautiful surrounded by shady green trees. The place is an archaeological site of significant historical value that makes it a special place to visit. The complex dates back to the 11th century, built as a spiritual place for meditation.

The Goa Gajah has a relic-filled courtyard, rock-wall carvings, a central meditational cave, bathing pools, and fountains. Goa Gajah is carved into a rock face and you enter through the cavernous mouth of a demon. 

IMG_9762

Don’t expect to see any elephants around. The name ‘Elephant Cave’ probably comes from the Petenu River, which was once called Elephant River.

How to get there: the best way is to rent a scooter (~Rp.60,000 $4 day) the traffic between Ubud and Bedulo is quite heavy but is a short distance.

Entrance Fee: Rp15,000/ adult ($1) and Rp.2,000 ($0.13) to park your scooter.

Dress Code: Sarong is required to enter the temple, and can be borrowed from the temple’s entrance for free.

photography – all rights reserved – Ana Rocha

? find out more easy day trips from Ubud ?

Yeh Pulu temple _ Bali

Yeh Pulu is a small archaeological heritage site from the 14th century located in the middle of beautiful rice fields and freshwater springs. This archaeological site is located in the central Bali highland village of Bedulu.

The site is located close to Ubud so you can get there with your own wheels (~10 to 15 minutes) and it’s also possible to walk through the rice fields from Goa Gajah to Yeh Pulu (~45-55 minutes walk).

The temple is quite small but displays an impressive 25m-long array of carvings. The name Yeh Pulu means ‘water of the stone vessel’ in archaic Balinese.

How to get there: the best way is to rent a scooter (~Rp.60,000 $4 day) the traffic between Ubud and Bedulo is quite heavy but is a short distance.

Entrance Fee: Rp15,000/ adult ($1)

Dress Code: Sarong is required to enter the temple, and can be borrowed from the temple’s entrance for free.

photography – all rights reserved – Ana Rocha

? find out more easy day trips from Ubud ?