Gunung Kawi Archaeological Site

Address: Gunung Kawi archaeological site, Tampaksiring, Bali, Indonesia

Hours: Daily 7:00am-5:00pm

Admission: IDR 50,000-75,000 (approx. adult entrance fee; varies for foreign visitors and includes site access)

Gunung Kawi is an archaeological complex of rock-cut shrines in central Bali near the village of Tampaksiring. The monuments are generally dated to the 11th century and are important examples of Balinese stone carving and funerary architecture.

The site consists of a series of cliff-carved candi and shrine niches set into a river valley, reachable by descending paths and terraces through the surrounding rice fields. Visitors come to see the rock-cut monuments, river gorge setting and traditional landscape around the complex.

Scholars date the rock-cut shrines to the island’s medieval period and link them to Bali’s royal dynasties of that era; the complex has been studied as part of Bali’s early temple and funerary traditions. The monuments have been conserved and remain active as cultural and historical sites.

Gunung Kawi lies near Tampaksiring in central Bali, east of Ubud, set in the Pakerisan River valley amid terraces and rural landscape.

• Date and significance: Dating generally to the 11th century and associated with Bali’s medieval royal families, the site consists of carved cliff shrines rather than freestanding temples.

What to See#

• Rock-cut shrines: A cliff face carved with rock-cut candi and shrine niches dating to around the 11th century, forming the complex’s primary monuments.
• Pakerisan river valley: The river valley setting along the Pakerisan River, with terraces and pathways that link the cliff monuments and surrounding temple grounds.

Gunung Kawi is about 30 minutes by car from Ubud or 15 minutes from Tampaksiring. Regular tourist shuttles and local drivers serve the route; the site is accessed from a parking area then via a paved stairway down to the river gorge.

• Arrive at opening time to avoid tour groups and get soft morning light on the rock-cut shrines.
• Wear shoes with good grip - the stone steps and riverbank paths can be slippery.
• Hire a local guide to explain the royal inscriptions and the complex's relationship to the surrounding rice terraces and river systems.