Are Temple Donations in Bali Mandatory? How Much Is Fair?

No, donations (dana punia) at Bali temples are not compulsory. The only thing you must pay is the official ticket at temples run as tourist sites, and that ticket always comes with a receipt or proof of payment. Donation boxes, "contributions" for sarongs, and guide offers outside the ticket office are your choice. Checked 19 October 2026.

How do you tell an official ticket from a donation?

Official tickets are sold at a counter, the price is posted on a board or printed on the ticket, and you get proof of payment. Donations usually take the form of a box or a guest book with an amount column. A guest book whose first page is already full of big numbers, say Rp100,000 or Rp200,000, is an old trick to make you feel you should write something similar. You can write any amount, including nothing at all.

What do the big temples officially charge?

Figures often differ between sources, so treat these as ranges and trust the price board at the counter.

• Pura Besakih: a foreign visitor rate of Rp60,000 was announced in 2023 and described then as including a sarong and a local guide, plus Rp30,000 for the electric shuttle per ride (detikBali, 2023). We found no new rate announcement for 2025-2026, while some travel guides quote higher figures.
• Pura Lempuyang: Rp100,000 for foreigners according to detikBali (February 2023), Rp55,000 according to a March 2024 report citing Karangasem Regional Regulation No. 8 of 2023. The shuttle from the parking terminal to the gate is reported at about Rp50,000 return. Photographers at the Gates of Heaven work for voluntary tips.
• Pura Luhur Uluwatu: Indonesia.travel lists Rp60,000 for foreign adults; other sources say Rp50,000 to Rp100,000. The Kecak dance ticket is separate, around Rp150,000.
• Pura Tirta Empul: Rp50,000 for adults according to Indonesia.travel, Rp75,000 according to another source. Melukat (the purification bath) has no extra charge, but the special bathing sarong is usually rented separately.

At some attractions staff may also check proof of Bali's Rp150,000 foreign tourist levy, paid once per visit to the island. How to pay it is covered in Bali tourist levy Rp150,000: how to pay.

Sarong rental: pay or not?

At ticketed temples the sarong and sash are often included. Ask at the counter before paying a separate rental to vendors in the car park. At village temples with no counter, caretakers sometimes lend a sarong in exchange for whatever donation you choose. Bringing your own sarong and sash removes the whole question. The full rules are in Bali temple dress code.

A "mandatory" guide: official or not?

This has been the most confusing part since 2025. Bali Governor's Circular No. 7 of 2025 does say foreign tourists "must be accompanied by a licensed tour guide" when visiting tourist attractions. The key word is licensed. Someone who approaches you in the car park, claims to be an "official guide", and names a price without showing a licence card is not what the circular means.

Besakih has a long history here. In 2011 The Jakarta Post reported the governor criticising the many unregistered guides around Besakih, and visitor reviews have complained for years about being pressured into hiring a guide or told certain areas were "closed for a ceremony". In 2023, a local guide was described as included in the ticket. We found no reports of enforcement against unlicensed guides at Besakih in 2025-2026, but that does not mean the practice is gone.

• Ask to see the guide's ID or licence before agreeing.
• Ask at the official counter whether a guide is already included in the ticket.
• Agree on price and duration at the start, not the end.
• If you are pressured, note the name and place and report it to the ticket office or the tourist police.

How to say no politely

A smile and "No, thank you" (Tidak, terima kasih) is enough. If someone keeps pushing, say you have already paid at the counter and will ask the staff there. Do not argue inside the temple grounds; settle it outside the gate, quietly.

How much is a fair donation?

There is no official figure, and the ranges below are our own benchmark, not a rule. Rp10,000-20,000 per person is plenty for the donation box at a small or village temple. Rp20,000-50,000 makes sense if a caretaker lends you a sarong or walks you around briefly. A licensed guide is paid the price agreed at the start, not "whatever you like" at the end. Put money in the official box, not into the hand of someone whose role is unclear.

Carry Rp10,000 and Rp20,000 notes before you set out. With exact money, you decide the amount, not the change that somehow "isn't there".