Lake Tamblingan, Bali: Canoe Rides, Forest Temples and How to Visit

Lake Tamblingan (Danau Tamblingan) is the smallest and quietest of the three lakes in Bali's Bedugul caldera, set at about 1,200 m in Munduk, Banjar district, in Buleleng regency. Foreign visitors pay about IDR 30,000 (around Rs 160) to enter, a 30-minute ride in a rowed wooden canoe costs IDR 150,000 to 200,000 for two, and the drive from Ubud takes 2 to 2.5 hours. No motorboats run here, and there are no gardens or souvenir rows. You get forest, water and small stone temples standing at the edge of the lake.

The lake formed inside an ancient volcanic caldera, and it is one of three lakes in that caldera. The other two are Lake Beratan and Lake Buyan. It lies at the foot of Mount Lesung, and thick rainforest grows right down to the shore, which keeps the air cool even at midday. There is almost no building on the shore, and the government protects the lake and the four villages around it from modern development.

Jump to quick facts, entry fee, three lakes, canoe ride, temples, trek, how to reach, best time or Lake Tamblingan tips.

• Carry IDR 30,000 per person in cash for entry. There is no ATM at the lake.

• Arrive by 8 am for mist on the water and before cloud settles on the rim around midday.

• Budget IDR 150,000 to 200,000 for a 30-minute canoe for two, and agree the price before you board.

• Navigate to Pura Ulun Danu Tamblingan on the south shore, where the ticket post, parking and canoe landing are.

• Plan 1 to 3 hours here, or a full day if you add the forest trek towards Lake Buyan.

Lake Tamblingan at a glance

Lake Tamblingan entrance fee, parking and costs

The Lake Tamblingan entrance fee is about IDR 30,000 per foreign adult, paid in cash at a small ticket post above the south shore. The money goes to the four customary villages that manage the lake, and parking is normally included. The rupee and Australian dollar figures below use about Rs 5.3 and AUD 0.09 per IDR 1,000, so they move with the exchange rate.

Why do other guides disagree? Some still print IDR 10,000 for everyone or IDR 20,000, and a few older listings say entry is free. The most recent 2026 reports from visitors at the gate put the foreign rate at IDR 30,000. Bring small notes, because the post rarely has change for IDR 100,000, and keep extra cash for the canoe, a coffee in Munduk and any donation at the temples.

Bali's three lakes compared: Beratan, Buyan and Tamblingan

Bali's three lakes, as most visitors mean it, are Beratan, Buyan and Tamblingan, and all three fill parts of one ancient caldera in the Bedugul highlands. (Lake Batur, the largest lake on the island, sits in a separate caldera at Kintamani.) They look alike on a map but feel very different on the ground. Beratan is the busy one with the famous temple. Buyan is the big, open lake with campsites. Tamblingan, the smallest, is the one still wrapped in forest.

The Twin Lakes are Buyan and Tamblingan seen together from the Wanagiri ridge road, where they sit side by side, split by a narrow strip of forest. Viewing platforms along that road charge a small fee for the photo. If you only have time for one lake, pick Beratan for the landmark and Tamblingan for the atmosphere. Our guide to the lakes in Bali covers Batur and the rest of the island's lakes, and the Ulun Danu Beratan temple guide has its hours and tickets.

Canoe ride on Lake Tamblingan

The canoe is the reason most people make the drive. The boats are narrow wooden pedahu, also called jukung, and local men from the lake villages row them from a landing just below the ticket post. You sit low, a hand's width above the water, and the only sound is the paddle. Motorboats are not used on this lake, which is what keeps it so quiet compared with Beratan.

A standard ride lasts about 30 minutes and loops along the south shore near Pura Ulun Danu Tamblingan. If you want to reach the gates of Pura Gubug standing in the water, ask for it when you agree the route, because it can take a longer trip. It costs IDR 150,000 to 200,000 for the boat, which usually takes two passengers. Longer trips of 1 to 2 hours go further along the forest shore and can drop you at a temple to walk back. Opening asks can be well above that, so name your route and price before you sit down.

1. Buy your entry ticket at the post above the south shore and walk down to the water, about 5 minutes.

2. Find the rowers waiting by the canoes at the landing near Pura Ulun Danu Tamblingan.

3. Say how long you want and which temples you want to pass, then agree the price for the whole boat.

4. Ask for life jackets, and put phones and cameras in a dry bag or a zipped pocket.

5. Sit low and centred, keep still when you take photos, and let the rower steer.

6. Pay at the end, in cash, and add a small tip if the rower stopped for photos or explained the temples.

Go early. Before 9 am the water is usually flat and mist hangs over it, and the light behind the temple gates is soft. By noon the wind picks up and cloud often closes over the rim.

Temples around Lake Tamblingan

More than a dozen temples stand around Lake Tamblingan, many of them small, roofless and very old. The Catur Desa count 17 ancient temples in the Alas Mertajati forest that surrounds the lake. Visitors look at them from outside. The inner courtyards are for worship, and the Catur Desa purify the lake with a ceremony every two years. These are the four most travellers see.

Pura Ulun Danu Tamblingan

This is the main lake temple, on the south shore beside the canoe landing, a 5-minute walk from the ticket post. Its split gate and shrines stand right at the water's edge, and in the wet season the lake rises around them. It honours the goddess of the lake, like its namesake at Beratan, but it is far smaller and has no gardens or ticketed complex. Most visitors spend 15 to 20 minutes here.

Pura Dalem Tamblingan

The oldest temple tied to the lake is the one first named in a copper inscription from around AD 900, found in nearby Gobleg village. It stands in the forest above the shore and is reached only on foot along a muddy path. A dalem temple is linked with death and the passing of things, so keep your voice down and stay outside the walls.

Pura Gubug

Pura Gubug is the temple most photos show, with stone gates and shrines standing in shallow water. Most visitors reach it by canoe from the landing. A shore path also leads there, but it turns muddy or waterlogged after rain, so ask the rowers whether it is passable before you set off on foot. When the water is high, from about January to March, it looks as if it is floating. In the dry months it sits on a strip of grass.

Pura Pekemitan Kangin

This temple sits on the ridge above the strip of land between Tamblingan and Buyan. It is where the forest trek between the two lakes passes, and you need a guide to find it.

Check your map pin before you drive. Several temples near the lake carry similar names, and map apps sometimes send drivers to a pin on the far side of the lake that has no visitor access or parking. Set your destination as Pura Ulun Danu Tamblingan, on the south shore, 10 to 15 minutes from Munduk. For more temples in the highlands, see our guide to temples in Bedugul.

Forest treks from Lake Tamblingan to Lake Buyan

The classic forest walk takes about 2 to 3 hours and passes small roofless temples, with the lake showing through the trees. Long-tailed macaques, black squirrels and orchids are the usual sightings. In the wet season the paths are slippery and leeches are common, so long socks help.

The forest belongs to the community, not a park. The Catur Desa protect 1,298 hectares of customary forest, Alas Mertajati, at 1,200 to 1,400 m, and members of Brasti (Baga Raksa Alas Mertajati), the forest guardian group, lead treks that explain its temples, plants and springs. You can find their trek on the official Catur Desa Adat Dalem Tamblingan website. Guides in Munduk also run the lake and ridge walks, usually for IDR 300,000 to 600,000 per small group. For more walks across the island, see our guide to trekking in Bali.

History, legend and the Catur Desa

The name joins two words. Tamba means medicine and elingang means spiritual ability. The story behind it is told in an old palm-leaf manuscript, the Lontar Kutara Kanda Dewa Purana Bangsul. A plague once swept through the village here. One man who caught it cured himself with the lake's water and prayed to the gods, and the spiritual power of the lake then healed the whole village. Medicine and spirit together gave Lake Tamblingan its name.

The written history is just as old. A copper inscription from around AD 900, found in Gobleg, names a settlement called Tamblingan on the south shore of the lake. At some point its people left and founded four villages nearby, Munduk, Gobleg, Gesing and Umejero. Together they are the Catur Desa, the four villages, and they still look after the lake under an ancestral code called Piagem Gama Tirta that treats water as the source of life. The government protects the lake and its villages as a spiritual tourism area, which is why there are no hotels on the shore.

That water reaches far beyond the lake. The Catur Desa describe Lake Tamblingan as a water source for communities in two regencies, Buleleng and Tabanan, and the land around it grows rice, coffee, cloves, fruit and vegetables. That is why the lake is treated as sacred, and why swimming, littering and loud behaviour are frowned on.

How to get to Lake Tamblingan

There is no public transport worth using, so you need a car and driver or a scooter. From South Bali or Ubud the road climbs to Bedugul and passes Lake Beratan. Past Pancasari, turn left onto the Wanagiri ridge road towards Munduk. You will see Buyan and Tamblingan below you on the left, to the south of the ridge. Just before Munduk, a side road drops down to the south shore car park. The last 20 minutes are narrow and steep, with tight bends.

Most visitors hire a private car and driver for the day, which costs about IDR 700,000 to 900,000 from the south and lets you stop at Beratan, Handara Gate and the Twin Lakes on the way. A scooter is possible if you are an experienced rider, but fog, rain and steep hairpins above Bedugul catch out many first-timers, and it gets cold. To be at the lake by 8 am, leave Ubud by 5.30 am or Seminyak by 5 am, or sleep in Munduk.

Best time to visit Lake Tamblingan and opening hours

The best time to visit Lake Tamblingan is a dry-season morning between April and October, arriving by 8 am. The lake has no published opening hours. The ticket post and rowers keep daylight hours (older listings give 8 am to 5.30 pm), and an early start is worth it because the forest walks take time and you want to finish before dark.

Time of day matters as much as month. Mist lifts off the water from dawn until about 9 am, and the lake is calm. Cloud often rolls over the rim by late morning, and in the wet season rain usually arrives in the afternoon. Weekends and Indonesian public holidays bring local families and more canoes, so a weekday is quieter. On Nyepi, Bali's day of silence in March, the whole island shuts and nobody may travel. For the rest of the year island-wide, see our guide to the best time to visit Bali.

Lake Tamblingan tips: 12 things to know before you go

The Lake Tamblingan tips that matter most are simple. Arrive by 8 am, carry IDR 30,000 per person in small notes because there is no ATM, agree the canoe price before you sit down, and wear grippy shoes and a fleece. The lake sits at about 1,200 m and the forest paths stay muddy for much of the year. The 12 tips below run in the order you will need them, from the drive up to the walk back to the car.

What to wear and bring

Dress for a cold start and a warm finish. By 10 am on a clear day you will want to peel off the fleece, and by 2 pm in the wet season you may want the rain shell back on. This short list covers a shore visit, a canoe ride and a forest walk.

• Comfortable shoes with a strong grip, because you walk through forest on mud and roots. Trainers with a good sole are enough for the shore. Use walking shoes for the trek.

• A light fleece or jacket and a rain shell. Early mornings are cold.

• A sarong and sash for the temples, with shoulders covered.

• Insect repellent, long socks against leeches in the wet season, and a dry bag for the canoe.

• A refillable water bottle, a snack and sunscreen. The sun is strong on the open water once the mist burns off.

• A charged phone with offline Google Maps for the Munduk area saved before you leave Bedugul.

Money, facilities and getting there

Carry small rupiah notes for entry, the canoe and snacks. There is no ATM at the lake, and the nearest cash machines are in Munduk and Bedugul. Budget IDR 30,000 each for entry, IDR 150,000 to 200,000 for a canoe for two and a few thousand rupiah for the toilets, which comes to roughly IDR 220,000 to 270,000 (Rs 1,170 to Rs 1,430) for a couple before any guide. Some 2026 visitor reports mention a lower rate for Indonesian visitors, so residents should ask at the post.

Facilities are basic, which is part of the appeal. Expect a gravel car park, a ticket post, simple toilets and a couple of stalls selling coffee, instant noodles and bottled water. There are no cafes on the shore and nothing at all along the trails, so eat in Munduk before or after. The path from the post to the water takes about 5 minutes and has uneven steps, so it is hard going for wheelchair users and anyone unsteady on mud.

Mobile data is patchy once you drop below the Wanagiri ridge, so save the route before Bedugul and navigate to Pura Ulun Danu Tamblingan rather than to the lake itself.

Temple etiquette, ceremonies and photos

Visitors look at the temples from outside. Shoes stay on in the outer areas, and the inner courtyards are closed to visitors anyway. Balinese custom asks visitors who are menstruating not to enter temple grounds, and that applies at the lake temples too. Keep your voice low near Pura Dalem Tamblingan, which is linked with death.

Big ceremony days change the lake. On Galungan and Kuningan, the next on 13 and 23 January 2027, worshippers in white fill the shore temples, and parts of the shore may be roped off during prayers. Come anyway if you are respectful and keep your distance, or pick another day for a quiet canoe ride. Island-wide, Nyepi in March shuts everything for 24 hours.

Do not litter. The villages that protect the forest take its upkeep seriously, so carry your rubbish out until you find a bin. Ask before flying a drone, and never fly over shrines or during a ceremony.

For photos, the best light is the first two hours after sunrise, which here falls between about 5.50 am in November and December and 6.35 am in July. Put a canoe in the foreground with the split gate of Pura Ulun Danu Tamblingan behind it. From about January to March the high water makes Pura Gubug look as if it is floating, while in the dry months its gates stand on grass. Keep still in the canoe when you shoot, and let the rower steer.

Combine Lake Tamblingan with nearby places

Lake Tamblingan sits on the classic North Bali highland route, so most people pair it with two or three stops on the same day. These are the easiest to combine, in rough driving order.

• Ulun Danu Beratan, 16 km away. Bali's most photographed lake temple, best before the tour coaches arrive. Our Pura Ulun Danu Bratan guide covers its history.

• Handara Gate, near Pancasari. A split gate at a golf resort that draws a photo queue.

• Wanagiri Twin Lakes viewpoint, 10 km away. Platforms on the ridge road look down on Buyan and Tamblingan together.

• Munduk waterfalls, 10 to 15 minutes away. The trail runs 20 to 30 minutes through coffee and clove gardens.

• Gitgit Waterfall, about 20 km away on the road down to Singaraja.

• Sekumpul Waterfall, about an hour away. Its trek has hundreds of steep steps each way, so give it its own morning.

• Lovina and Singaraja on the north coast, under an hour away, with Pura Maduwe Karang east of Singaraja.

• Jatiluwih rice terraces, about 1 hour south-west, if you return via Tabanan.

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For a longer list of what to see around the lake, see our guide to places to visit near Lake Tamblingan, and for the wider area, things to do in Bedugul and places to visit in Bedugul.

Where to stay and eat near Lake Tamblingan

There are no hotels on the lake itself, by design. Munduk, 10 to 15 minutes away, is the base. It has family homestays, mid-range lodges on the coffee slopes with views to the coast, and a few upmarket plantation resorts. A night in Munduk lets you be at the lake at dawn without the 5 am start from the south.

Food is simple. Warungs in Munduk and Gobleg serve nasi campur, mie goreng and local coffee, and a few lodges have restaurants with valley views. Vegetarians should ask for no terasi (shrimp paste) in sambal. For more choice, Bedugul is 30 to 40 minutes away, and our guide to restaurants in Bedugul lists the best of them.

Is Lake Tamblingan worth visiting?

Yes, if you want a quiet morning on the water and in the forest rather than a landmark photo. Lake Tamblingan has no gardens or shops and none of the Beratan crowds, and the canoe ride past half-submerged temples in the mist is one of the most peaceful hours you can spend in Bali. Skip it if you only have a beach holiday in mind, you dislike long mountain drives, or you are travelling with toddlers and want paved paths.

The easiest way to see it is as part of a North Bali highland day with a private driver, taking in Beratan, the Twin Lakes and a waterfall. Our Bali tour packages can add that day to your trip, and there are family packages and honeymoon packages built around Ubud and the highlands too.

Edited by TravelTriangle