Is Goa Gajah in Bali - Worth Visiting?

Goa Gajah is worth visiting if you like quirky cultural attractions and are interested in the site’s fascinating history as both a Hindu and Buddhist place of worship. The highlight is undoubtedly the main cave which is entirely manmade, with intricate carvings of creatures around the outside. You can enter the cave through the giant gaping mouth of a creature, said to represent either Bhoma or Rangda from Balinese mythology. This is a famous photo spot, but it wasn’t busy during our visit, with just a handful of other tourists at the complex. The cave itself is small and it doesn’t take long to visit. But there’s much more to see across the complex including bathing pools, statues, temple ruins, and a beautiful scenic area down in the ravine. We recommend around 30 minutes in total for your visit. Guides are waiting inside to offer you a guided tour with stories from the site. This is completely optional so don’t feel obliged to say yes. You can negotiate the price down to around 100,000 IDR per group. Both the entrance fee and guides are cash-only with no ATM on site, so make sure you have enough. We wouldn’t recommend going too far out of your way to visit the Elephant Cave, but if you’re already in Ubud, it makes a cool addition to your itinerary. While in the area, consider checking out the free museum at Setia Darma House of Mask and Puppets (it’s a bit of a hidden gem). We also liked Dagoja Coffee & Eatery which is near the entrance to the temple – the food here is good and better value than buying something inside the temple complex.