Karangasem Regency Is Capturing Bali’s Tourists’ Wanderlust This August

Share The Article

The peak of the high season is pumping in Bali right now. With tens of thousands of holidaymakers arriving every day, everyone is looking for a culture-rich and crowd-free place to spend their hard-earned vacation time. 

As the central south of Bali gets increasingly busy with tourists keen to make the most of sun, sea, and sand on vacation, while also ticking off the bucket list musts, there are other areas of Bali just crying out to be explored. 

As of July, Bali’s Karanagsem Regency welcomed more than 500,000 people. While the region has welcomed more than half a million visitors in the first seven months of the year, the area has so much to offer that crowds are rare and there are plenty of cultural wonders to go around. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ᴋᴀᴛʏᴀ ʙɢʟʙ (@katya_bglb)

The Head of the Karangsem Culture and Tourism Office, Putu Eddy Surya Artha, told reporters that between January 2025 and the end of July 2025, 551,000 tourists had visited the regency’s main tourist attractions. Karangasem’s top cultural attractions include Tirta Gangga Park, Lempuyang Temple, also known as the Gates of Heaven Temple, Asah Hill, and Besakih Temple. 

Artha told reporters, “Of the 551,643 tourists who visited, 408,540 were international and the remaining 143,103 were local or domestic. And this number of visits is quite good to date. It cannot be denied that visits have always been dominated by international tourists.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Victoria Varga (@victoria__varga)

He noted that the most popular attraction with international tourists is Tirta Gangga Park. Artha explained, “The number of tourist visits to Tirta Gangga Park reached 214,070, consisting of 189,252 foreign tourists and 24,818 domestic tourists.”

“Meanwhile, Bukit Asah is currently in second place with 88,065 visitors, surpassing Lempuyang Temple, which only received 87,695.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rafia Khan (@rafiasays)

It is uncommon to see so few visitors making the journey to the iconic Lempuyang Temple, which is best known to tourists as the Gates of Heaven Temple.

While Artha did not give any insights as to why this may be the case, with tourists becoming increasingly aware of the long queues required to visit the famous gates at Lempuyang Temple, many may be looking for quieter and more off-the-beaten-track temples to visit. It could also simply be that travel trends change over time. 

Once upon a time, bucket list musts for Bali included the likes of the Campuhan Ridge Walk in Ubud or surf lessons in Kuta. Nowadays, tourists are on the lookout for more secluded jungle or rice paddy walks, and it’s far trendier to learn to surf in Canggu or Uluwatu. 

For tourists looking to buck the trend, Karangasem Regency has a lot to offer. Tirta Gangga Park and Gardens is a stunning temple and tropical garden complex built by the 14th King of Karangasem, Anak Agung Agung Anglurah Ketut Karangasem, who founded the park in 1946.

The Tirta Gangga Park is incredibly photogenic and is far quieter than other water palaces in Bali, like Tirta Empul Temple. Speaking back in December 2024, when Tirta Gangga Park celebrated the launch of the new Asta Gangga Museum within the park grounds, the Head of Tourism for Tirta Gangga Park, Anak Agung (AA) Made Kosalia, shared more about what tourists can expect from a visit. 

Kosalia shared, “Visitors now have more objects to take pictures or selfies. In addition, they can also learn about the history of the establishment of Tirta Gangga Park.” 

And added “The Tirta Gangga Park tourist attraction has long been famous, but with the presence of the museum and the statue of the King of Karangasem, it will be an added value, and it is hoped that more visitors will come and have an impact on the surrounding objects.”