Pura Sakenan on Serangan Island: The Old Sea Temple Tourists Skip

From Sanur, head south through the Suwung area, then take the causeway that cuts across the shallow sea. Within 15–25 minutes you are on Serangan Island, and on the island’s northwestern side stands Pura Sakenan — one of the oldest and most revered coastal temples in South Bali. Almost every tourist skips it, even though it sits far closer than Uluwatu.

An old temple born long before tourism

Local sources generally credit the founding of Pura Sakenan to Mpu Kuturan, the high priest who organised Bali’s temple system around the 11th century during the reign of King Sri Masula Masuli; some versions also link this coastal temple’s arrangement to the travels of Dang Hyang Nirartha. The name Sakenan is associated with a Sanskrit root meaning to unify the mind. Its walls are still built from coral rock and sandstone, complete with a candi bentar split gate, rows of pelinggih shrines, and large trees wrapped in checkered poleng cloth.

An ordinary day vs the Kuningan odalan

• Ordinary days: almost deserted. All you hear is the sea breeze and the caretakers’ palm-rib brooms, and you can walk the temple’s three courtyards in peace.
• Piodalan: falls every 210 days on Saniscara Kliwon Kuningan. Thousands of worshippers in white and yellow flood the road to the temple — one of the busiest mass rituals in South Bali.
• Then vs now: before the 1990s reclamation and causeway, devotees crossed by jukung outrigger or walked over at low tide. Today you can drive right up to the temple.

Visiting etiquette you must follow

• Wear a kamen (sarong) and a sash; bring your own or borrow one near the entrance.
• Do not enter if you are cuntaka — menstruating, or recently bereaved in the family.
• Never climb onto the pelinggih shrines, and never photograph from a position higher than worshippers or the pemangku priest.
• Do not walk in front of people who are praying, keep your voice down, and do not fly a drone over the temple grounds.

What else to see on Serangan

• The Turtle Conservation and Education Center (TCEC), a turtle sanctuary open to the public.
• Serangan beach with its rows of fishing jukung, liveliest in the morning.
• The Serangan surf spot, which actually works best in the wet season, roughly November–March.

Practical Info & Booking

• Location: View on Google Maps — Serangan Island, South Denpasar; about 15–25 minutes from Sanur, 30–45 minutes from Kuta, 20–30 minutes from Ngurah Rai Airport.
• Opening hours: the outer courtyards are generally accessible during daylight, roughly 08.00–17.00; during the Kuningan piodalan it is busy from dawn until night.
• Tickets/prices: no official ticket; bring a voluntary dana punia donation of around Rp10,000–25,000 plus a few thousand rupiah for parking.
• Booking: not needed, just walk in. During the odalan, come early because the parking area fills up fast.
• Instagram: search on Instagram

Pura Sakenan is easiest to explore if you stay in Sanur or Denpasar: it is only a 20-minute drive, so you can arrive early before the sun gets fierce. Plan your stay for less with an AccessiaPass hotel voucher.