A tour of the Goa Gajah Temple

In front of the temple there is a parking lot where we can park, have a ride or come on our own scooter. Then we head to the temple, where there are various souvenir shops on the sides.

The trail continues towards the valley, which was flooded in the past by an earthquake and for many decades this place was not known at all.

After a few meters of descent, we walk to the main courtyard, where we see the first ruins of a Buddhist stupa that was once here.

Next we will see a pool with statues, which is actually also a temple. People wash here with water, as is the custom in Indian Hinduism, for example.

The elephant cave is dedicated to the goddess Ganesha, who is mainly the goddess of knowledge. The cave has an interesting carved entrance. Inside the cave is a space where there are holy statues.

There are several sacred temples for Balinese gods and spirits in the courtyard.

In some temples we will certainly notice various utensils for ceremonies, flowers and offerings to gods and spirits. We can smell sticks everywhere in the air.

The whole temple complex is spread out in the valley and there are many holy houses in the overgrown vegetation. If we want, we can hire a guide who will explain everything to us in English. But pay attention to the price, it is necessary to negotiate significantly, because the prices are exaggerated.

As we walk further from the courtyard into the jungle, we walk to a lush waterfall and see monumental trees.

On the trail we will definitely meet a stall with fruit or a drink. They also recommend trying coconut, which is refreshing and will strengthen you in a stuffy stimulus.

Next we come to smaller temples right in the jungle. It is definitely worth seeing everything, because you never know what you will come across.

In one such smaller temple, there was a „holy“ lady who burned sticks and immediately introduced the tourists. Of course, it is necessary to count on some contribution, after all, it is their livelihood.

In the next part of the trail we come to souvenir shops, as in this photo. Wooden statuettes are common in Bali, but it is necessary to choose well, because not all of them are well done. It's good to say in advance how much your budget is and gradually get to that budget by negotiating.