To end this stay in Bali and at the same time in Indonesia, we could not miss the famous Tanah Lot (which literally means “land [in the] sea”). This iconic temple is located on a small piece of rock in the middle of the raging waves (at least at high tide) a few meters from the shore. Built in the 16th century on the orders of a priest who had taken the habit of coming to meditate on this rock… its main purpose would be to pay homage to the spirits/guardians of the sea.

To be more exact, the legend says that the priest in question named Nirartha would have settled on this rock one night, during which fishermen came to bring him gifts. He in return would tell them to build a sanctuary because he felt the sacred character of the place. There are also 7 other temples built along the Balinese coasts to venerate the gods of the sea of ​​which this same Nirartha would be the instigator.

It is one of the most important temples in Bali and therefore today one of the most visited places in Bali, very popular with photographers, amateurs or not.

For the record, in 1980 part of the rock supporting the temple actually collapsed due to erosion. The temple was then renovated with the help of the Japanese government which gave them a loan of 300 billion rupiah to help them maintain this important cultural heritage, part of the rock is therefore in fact artificial and cleverly hidden.