Tirta Empul private tour: your own guide at the pools
A Tirta Empul private tour puts one guide with your party at the spouts, where the melukat purification ritual follows a set route: you enter the pool on the left and work to the right along the open spouts, and two spouts are skipped because they are reserved for funeral rites. With a guide of your own you move through that order at your pace instead of following a crowd, and you hand over your phone so the photos get taken while you stand in the water.
Timing matters here too. The temple is busiest from roughly 10:00 to 14:00. Two private options are below: a two-hour ritual at the temple and a longer day from Ubud. All prices are starting prices per person as of November 2026.
Our picks: private tours
Pick the two-hour ritual for the pools themselves, or the private day to add waterfalls and rice terraces.
Hand-picked tours, booked through GetYourGuide. Prices are indicative starting prices in US dollars (as of October 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
Private tour with waterfalls, water temple and rice terraces
- Pickup and drop-off
- Mineral water
- Driver-guide
- Parking
- Entrance tickets (with the option that includes them)
A driver-guide takes you from the water temple to waterfalls and rice terraces. Lunch and tips are extra.
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Private purification ritual and temple tour
- English-speaking local guide
- Temple entrance (All Packages option only)
- Guided walk through the temple
- Step-by-step help with the melukat
- Photo and video help with your own phone
A guide of your own at the pools for two hours. Hotel pickup and tips are extra, and the entrance is included in the All Packages option.
Check availability →Private Tirta Empul tours
Compare a private melukat at the temple with a private day from Ubud, with current prices and availability.
Private purification ritual: two hours at the temple
This option starts at Pura Tirta Empul in Tampaksiring. You meet an English-speaking local guide at the temple, and there is no hotel transfer, so plan for the 30 to 40 minute drive from central Ubud. Over two hours the guide walks you through the temple, helps with each step of the melukat and takes photos and video with your own phone.
It suits a couple, friends or a family with older children who want to do the ritual properly rather than wade in unprepared, and anyone who is not sure about the clothing and spout rules. The entrance ticket is part of the All Packages option only.
The price starts at 14 USD per person: 28 USD for two and 56 USD for a family of four. When the ticket is not part of your option, the Gianyar ticket portal lists 75,000 IDR for foreign adults and 50,000 IDR for children at the gate.
Private day from Ubud: water temple, waterfalls and rice terraces
The private day runs 6 to 10 hours, depending on how much you add. A driver-guide collects you and drops you back, and parking and mineral water are included. The route links Tirta Empul with waterfalls and the Tegallalang rice terraces. Entrance tickets are included in the option that offers them. Lunch is on you, and the driver can suggest a restaurant.
This is the one to pick for a family that needs the car between stops, friends splitting a day, or a couple who want the temple as one highlight rather than the whole outing. It starts at 20 USD per person: 40 USD for two and 80 USD for four.
Private or small group: when sharing is the better choice
The shared options win on convenience more than on price. A guided Holy Spring temple tour leaves from Ubud Palace with the transfer included, and it starts at the same 14 USD as the private ritual, so it fits a solo traveller without a car. A temple tour with an optional ticket and ritual starts at 19 USD. A waterfall, temple and rice terrace tour that is offered as private or in a group runs 8 to 9 hours from 22 USD, close to the 20 USD of the private day. See all Tirta Empul tours for the group options.
Private Tirta Empul tours: practical questions
How much does a private Tirta Empul tour cost?
The private ritual starts at 14 USD per person and the private day at 20 USD per person. Two people pay 28 USD or 40 USD, four people 56 USD or 80 USD. Temple admission is extra unless your option includes it.
Is hotel pickup included?
On the private day, yes: pickup and drop-off are included. The private ritual meets you at the temple, which is a 30 to 40 minute drive from central Ubud.
Do I need a guide at Tirta Empul?
A provincial circular from 2025 asks for licensed guidance at tourist attractions, and tickets are still sold at the entrance.
What should I bring for the ritual?
Bring dry clothes and a towel for afterwards. The melukat means standing in the pools in wet clothing, and your guide can photograph you with your own phone.