Kecak at Uluwatu, with the cliff walk

The day, in short

An unhurried evening at Pura Luhur Uluwatu: the cliff-top walk in good light, then the Kecak, told through a chorus of men and lamps against the sunset. We explain what you are watching, and where it came from.

• Cliff-top walk before the crowds settle
• Kecak at the amphitheatre, front-third seats
• The story and its odd origin, explained

What happens

1. 15:30

   Pick-up

   South along the Bukit. We aim to arrive before the tour buses do.

2. 16:45

   At the temple

   Pura Luhur Uluwatu stands on a cliff about 70 metres above the Indian Ocean. You wear a sarong and sash (provided at the entrance). The inner sanctum is for worshippers; visitors walk the outer courtyards and the cliff-top path.

3. 17:00

   The cliff walk

   Along the temple wall as the light goes gold. Keep sunglasses, hats and phones zipped away: the long-tailed macaques are quick, and they have learned to trade what they steal for food. Do not feed them.

4. 17:40

   Taking your seats

   We arrive at the amphitheatre at least half an hour early, which is the difference between a view and a back of a head.

5. 18:00

   The Kecak

   About an hour. A chorus of men, seated in concentric circles, chants 'cak' in interlocking rhythms and tells an episode of the Ramayana, with dancers moving through the middle and lamps against the sunset. There is no orchestra: the chorus is the music.

6. 19:15

   A quiet dinner

   A family warung away from the cliff-top restaurants.

7. 20:30

   Back at your hotel

Included and not

Bring and wear

Where we meet

Hotel pick-up from Seminyak, Canggu, Sanur and Nusa Dua.

Or meet us at the Pura Luhur Uluwatu car park at 16:45. Allow plenty of time: the road to Uluwatu is slow at the end of the afternoon.

Pick-up around 15:30 from the south and west coast

When it works best

Best in the dry season, when sunsets are clear. In the wet season the sky is often cloudy and the performance still goes ahead. The Kecak starts at 18:00; the schedule can change, and we reconfirm it on the day.

Cancellation. Sample policy: free changes or cancellation up to 24 hours before. If the performance is cancelled, we refund the ticket element and offer another evening.

Good to know

Each fact was checked on the web on the date shown. Where a fact comes from one source only, we say so.

Origin of the Kecak

Adapted in the 1930s by the painter and musician Walter Spies, working with the dancer Wayan Limbak, from the sanghyang trance ritual, and combined with episodes of the Ramayana for audiencesChecked 6 Oct 2026. Source: Wikipedia, Kecak; Indonesia.travel; Bali Institute

Showtime

18:00 daily, about an hourChecked 6 Oct 2026. Source: Wikipedia, Uluwatu Temple; Bali Holiday Secrets

The cliff

The temple stands on a cliff about 70 m above the seaChecked 6 Oct 2026. Source: Wikipedia, Uluwatu Temple

Tickets

Temple entry about IDR 60,000 and the show about IDR 150,000 (sources vary, and prices change)Checked 6 Oct 2026. Source: Tripadvisor, Traveloka and operator listings