Uluwatu at Sunset — The Honest Guide (Crowds, Tickets, and Where to Actually Stand)

The Sunset Everyone Chases

The first time I went to Uluwatu Temple at sunset, I made every mistake possible. I arrived at 5:45 PM — exactly when 400 other people had the same idea. The ticket queue was 25 minutes deep. A monkey stole my friend's sunglasses off his face before we even reached the entrance. And when we finally got to the cliff viewpoint, we were standing shoulder-to-shoulder with a tour group from Shanghai, all of us craning our necks to see the same sliver of orange sky. The sunset was beautiful. The experience was not. Here is how to do it right.