Bali Seawall Project
Bali Seawall Project – The Uluwatu Sea Wall Project is officially completed, but Bali’s leaders have just confirmed the next steps in its development.
The controversial Uluwatu Sea Wall Project saw huge sections of the famous limestone cliffs cut away to access a crack in the rock beneath the famous Pura Luhur Uluwatu Temple.
As the first and main phase of the development have been completed, the Badung Regency Government has confirmed plans for the traditional blessing ceremonies required by the Balinese Hindu tradition and the next phases of development.
The Head of Water at the Badung Regency Office for Public Works and Public Housing, Anak Agung Rama Putra, spoke to reporters about what will happen next at the Uluwatu Sea Wall Project.
He shared “Pecatu Traditional Village… have coordinated with us. The cleansing [ceremony] will be carried out after the further work is completed, planned for 2026.”
Putra was clear to emphasized that the sea wall road under the Uluwatu cliff is only intended for maintenance purposes and religious activities such as the Mapakelem. This is a joint agreement between the Badung Regency Government, Pecatu Traditional Village, and Puri Jro Kuta.
He said “We have prepared the gate and the system will be closed and opened only when needed. The access key will be held by the custodian and us at PUPR. If there is any use for inappropriate activities, such as fishing, please ask the village and palace to remind them.”
It has been confirmed that while the cliff crack has been stabilized and the access road completed, a series of follow-up developments will be carried out in the next 2 years.
These include the construction of revetments to the Batu Metandal Temple area further down the cliff line, the stabilization cliff cracks on the east side of the Uluwatu cliff, and the planting of trees that provide habitat for the wild monkeys that live around the Uluwatu Temple.
The Badung Regency Government has prepared a follow-up budget for these developments that will be sourced from the 2025 and 2026 annual budgets.
Putra concluded “This work is large-scale and requires time and careful calculation. So the implementation of the new clearing can only be done after all stages of construction are complete. For the ceremony later, we will also coordinate with the Badung Cultural Service.”
The Uluwatu Sea Wall Project has been one of the the most controversial developments in Bali in recent years.
Local communities were hugely concerned that the project had been given the go-ahead without a complete AMDAL, also known as an environmental impact assessment.
There was public outcries after footage went viral online of construction teams dumping debris from the cliff directly into the ocean, rather than disposing of it properly.
Uluwatu is one of Bali’s most in demand vacation destinations right now and tourists visiting the area this week must be aware that Uluwatu Temple will have restricted access for tourists.
The temple, which sits directly above the new sea wall, is one of the most spiritually important temples on the island and this week is welcoming worshippers for the annual Piodolan Ceremony.
A Piodolan ceremony is held at every temple in Bali every 210 days and marks the temple’s anniversary. The Piodolan ceremony at Uluwatu Temple will be held from 13th-16th May and tourists will have restricted access to the temple grounds, though the complex remains open for visitors and nightly kecak performances at the Uluwatu Temple Amipheathre will also be going ahead as per usual.
Tourists in the Uluwatu area who want to deepen their understanding of Balinese culture must visit the GWK Cultural Park for a fully immersive adventure through Balinese art, culture, and heritage.
Bali Uluwatu Temple
Tourists Visiting Bali Must Be Aware Of Changes To Uluwatu Temple This Week.
Tourists planning on visiting Bali’s Pura Luhur Uluwatu this week must be aware that a series of important Balinese Hindu ceremonies are taking place at the temple.
Uluwatu Temple is one of the most popular tourism attractions in Bali, but above all else, it is one of the most culturally significant temples on the island.
Bali’s Pura Luhur Uluwatu is one of Bali’s most famous sea temples. Like Tanah Lot Temple in Tabanan Regency, one of the temple’s roles within Balinese Hinduism is to protect the island from the forces of the ocean.
From 11th to 12th May 2025, the roads leading to Uluwatu Temple will be closed from Ulun Swi Temple in Jimbaran.
Thousands of local community members joined the sacred Masupati and Ngiring Sasuhunan Ida Bhatara Dewa Ayu Jimbaran Ceremony, which is conducted between the two temples. Over the weekend, the procession of pilgrims nearly reached 6km in length, which is why the Uluwatu Highway was closed to vehicles for two days.
Now the Masupati and Ngiring Sasuhunan Ida Bhatara Dewa Ayu Jimbaran Ceremony have been completed, Uluwatu Temple and the community are preparing for another series of ceremonies that will be held between 13th May and 16th May.
While there will be no road closures, tourists planning visits to the temple must be aware that more traffic congestion could lead to the temple and on the roads in the Pecatu area. The temple will remain open for tourist visits, and the nightly Kecak performances held at the Uluwatu Temple Amphitheater will continue throughout the week as usual.
However, tourists visiting the temple must respect that the needs of Balinese Hindu worshippers take precedence on all days, but especially during ceremonies and on holy days. Access to many areas of the temple complex will be restricted between 13th – 16th May. This will also mean that tourists will observe more security officers, staff, and local pecalang in the temple complex.
The ceremony taking place at Pura Luhur Uluwatu is a Piodalan Ceremony. It is held every 210 days, in accordance with the Balinese Pawukon calendar, which is also known as the Saka lunar calendar. The Piodalan ceremony is the temple’s anniversary and is sometimes literally translated as the temple’s birthday.
The ceremony is carried out to honour the temple’s deities, express gratitude for the sacred grounds and all they bring, and help the community deepen its connection with the spiritual realms.
Though it is not uncommon for tourists to be invited to obsereve or even take part in Odolan and Piodolan ceremonies at smaller temples located within local communities, especially if the tourists are staying close-by the temple grounds or in the village during their stay.
On this occasion however, tourists will not be invited to observe or participate in the Piodolan ceremony at Uluwatu Temple this week.
Tourists, everywhere in Bali but especially those visiting Uluwatu Temple this week, are encoutwed to be extra culturally sensitive.
Tourists visiting any temple in Bali must honour temple rules by wearing a sarong and sash, not taking photos where it is not permitted to do so and behaving in a calm and quiet manner.
For tourists visiting Bali for the first time, one of the most magical ways to connect to the island’s cultural heritage is to attend a kecak performance.
The fiery cultural show tells the story of the Hindu epic, the Ramayana, the tale of triumph of good over evil. At Uluwatu Temple the show is performed every evening at 6pm.
Entry tickets to Uluwatu Temple can be purchased on arrival and cost IDR 50,000 per international adult and IDR 30,000 per international child. Kecak performance tickets are purchased separately and cost IDR 150,000 for adults and IDR 75,000 for children.
Bali Road Laws
Bali Tourists Exploring By Motorcycle Warned To Respect All Road Laws
Bali Police are on a mission to make the island’s roads safer. From cracking down on drivers not wearing helmets, illegal street racing, illegal parking, and drivers moving through the island on illegally modified vehicles or without the correct paperwork, violations are rife amongst both local road users and foreigners.
Badung Police Chief, AKBP M Arif Batubara, has confirmed that he and his teams have been responding to illegal parking in the Mengwi area.
The Mengwi is the official name for the district, which starts at Pererenan Beach, spans inland to Sangeh Monkey Forest, and includes communities like Seseh and Gunung Pande.
It is an area popular with expats, digital nomads, and tourists and illegal parking along the Mengwi Terminal Road has been posing a risk to road users.
The Head of Public Relations of Badung Police, Ipda I Putu Sukarma, spoke to reporters after police conducted spot checks on illegally parked vehicles and shared with reporters “The police chief asked the Traffic Police to ticket violators. This law enforcement is carried out so that there is a deterrent effect. Our members have actually often conducted outreach there.”
Sukarma affirmed that Bali Police are aware of the impact of traffic congestion in this area, and are committed to finding solutions to the problem. He shared “Traffic jams have been happening everywhere. The Badung Police Traffic Unit often engineered traffic flow. One of the areas that regularly experiences traffic jams is along the Mengwi Terminal Road.”
Bali Police are cracking down on illegally parked vehicles in the Mengwi and Canggu areas, as well as drivers who are not wearing helmets, have noisy illegally modified exhausts, and are suspected of not having Motor Vehicle Registration Numbers.
Bali Police have been conducting a series of spot check operations over the last week with more expected to be carried out in the coming month. Road users, especially tourists, and foreigners in Bali, must be aware that police are conducting increased surveillance and patrols and to only drive if they are fully legally permitted to do so. This includes having the correct driving license, vehicle insurance, and vehicle paperwork, wearing a helmet, and observing Indonesian traffic laws.
For tourists who are renting motorcycles on a short-term basis in order to explore the island on vacation, it is even more important to be diligent in checking the condition of the vehicle, requesting the vehicle’s paperwork, and ensuring that your own license is correct before driving away.
Ultimately the responsibility lands with the driver of the vehicle.
Overnight on Friday, 9th May Badung Police conduct a targeted operation on Jalan Tiying Tutul, Pererenan Village, and Simpang Jalan Nelayan, Canggu Village. Hundreds of drivers were pulled over for vehicle and paperwork inspection and police also discovered more than they set out to find.
Officers also confirmed the arrest of two motorcyclists; an Indian who was caught carrying cocaine and an Indonesian citizen who was caught carrying party drugs.
In Pererenan Village, which incidentally has been named the Coolest Neighbourhood in the World in 2024, 80 road users were caught making major violations of Indonesian traffic law. Of the 80, 21 were foreigners. 8 were caught without helmets, 3 were caught with illegally modified exhausts known as brong, one without a driver’s license, and eight without vehicle registration certificates.
Police officers also seized 69 vehicles from Jalan Tiying Tutul that were deemed to be illegal.
Over in Canggu Village on Jalan Simpang Jalan Nelayan, officers took action against 53 riders, including 22 foreign nationals. In total 45 people were caught without helmets, five people with brong exhausts and two people without driving licenses.
Tourists visiting Bali and who intending on driving on the island must also check that their international health insurance provider and/or travel insurance provider covers medical care in the event of a traffic collision as in many cases policies have strict stipulations, and in many more cover for driving is not included at all.
Main Article: Bali Seawall Project
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