Uluwatu: Cliffside Temple Walk and Sunset Kecak Fire Dance

I pick you up from your hotel in Sanur at 15:00 in an air-conditioned car. We take the Bali Mandara toll road across the water toward the southern Bukit peninsula. The drive usually takes about an hour and fifteen minutes, depending on afternoon traffic through Jimbaran.

We arrive at Pura Luhur Uluwatu around 16:30. Before entering the sacred temple grounds, we tie on traditional sarongs and sashes at the gate. We walk the stone path along the cliff edge, perched seventy metres above the breaking waves of the Indian Ocean. The local grey macaques live along the forest rim here, so I will remind you to put sunglasses, hats, and small items safely inside your bag before we stroll.

Around 17:30, we take our seats in the open-air stone amphitheatre next to the temple. As the sun sinks below the ocean horizon, fifty Balinese men enter chanting the rhythmic 'cak-cak-cak' chorus. You watch the drama of the Ramayana unfold through dance, ending with Prince Rama's battle and the leaping flames of the fire circle in the centre of the stage.

When the performance finishes at 19:00, we make our way back through the temple courtyard to the car. I drive you straight back to your hotel in Sanur, arriving around 20:30, or I can drop you at a local restaurant along the way if you want dinner.