Bali can touristy and busy and hectic with endless shops, bars and massage parlours. But if you step away from the main tourist centres you will find a different Bali. A Bali steeped in tradition, history and beautiful ancient sites.
One of these sites is Yeh Pulu.
Yeh Pulu is a 25m long carved cliff face surrounded by rice fields and is an easy 300m walk from the car-park. Never heard of it? Well, Yeh Pulu is only 5 minutes drive from the more famous Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave) so add it to your itinerary!
Best of all, this attraction is small which means it isn’t high on the tourist radar so you should have the place mostly to yourself.
Updated 18.04.2021. Any post on this site may contain affiliate links which could result in Many Journeys Blog receiving a small commission at no extra cost to you.
What to expect at Yeh Pulu
The Yeh Pulu site is believed to be from the late 14th Century and the 25 meter long carvings mostly depict village life.
The landscape surrounding Yeh Pulu is lush and green with rice fields and gardens. Combine this with the lack of tourists and it makes for a really enjoyable location to visit. The carving isn’t going to rock-your-world, but it is cheap, easy to find and a lovely walk.
Possibly the best bit – you may also be greeted by an eccentric older women who will flick water in your face as a blessing! This may sound weird and intrusive, but she is really cute and just wants a donation made for the site. We didn’t find her pushy and only left around 5,000 Rp (AUD $0.50) since we weren’t sure if it was a legitimate donation tin or not.
Cost
Adult 15,000 Rp (~AUD$1.50)
Child 7,500 Rp (~AUD $0.75)
Plus a donation to the infectiously happy older women who flicks water in you face (see above).
Getting There
Yeh Pulu was not on the standard tours offered at the hotel, but was easily arranged since it is close to other attractions.
Cost for a half day trip from Ubud with driver was 350,000 Rp (~AUD$35) and visited:
Where to stay
Yeh Pulu is a 15 minute drive from Ubud, making Ubud the easiest accommodation option. We fell in love with Nyuh Kuning Village in Ubud which is close to the Sacred Monkey Forest and a short walk into the main Ubud centre.
We stayed at Chili Ubud Cottages and enjoyed a spacious villa with gorgeous gardens and swimming pool. The staff were prefect too!
Tips for Visiting with Children
Yeh Pulu was great for taking a child since the path was flat, and the walk wasn’t too long. In sections the path follows a small freshwater spring which was a great location for lizard and butterfly spotting.
As a general tip, the heat and humidity of Bali were too much for our 7.5 year old so we did multiple half day trips instead of full-day trips.
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Amber
I definitely feel like we need to go back to Bali and do a better job of exploring! Thanks for sharing.
ManyJourneysBlog
I really want to go back and explore further from the tourist area, it is a magical place!
Kristina
Indonesia looks so fascinating – definitely want to visit with my kids one day!
ManyJourneysBlog
We really loved Bali and can’t wait to explore more of Indonesia! Hope you get there soon!
Cosette
Looks like a fascinating destination. Would love to see the carvings.
ManyJourneysBlog
There are lots of beautiful carvings and temples near Ubud to explore 🙂