Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) was one of the places my travelmate and I were genuinely excited to explore in Bali. We had never seen a statue that massive before — it's the size of a building, and it's truly a sight to behold. The structure is impressive and makes for great photo opportunities, especially if you find the right angles.
That said, the visit turned out to be more time-consuming than expected. From the entrance, you’ll need to take a shuttle and do a fair bit of walking to even reach the statue. The journey in alone took us around 30 to 45 minutes. We thought it would be a short stop on our itinerary, but just walking in and out ended up taking us about 1.5 hours. (We were lucky that it was either dry or just drizzling lightly — if it had rained any heavier, we wouldn’t have been able to walk to the statue building at all.)
What surprised us even more was the extra payment required once we reached the statue itself. We were told we could go up the statue to get a panoramic view, but when we arrived, there was another ticket counter — separate from the entrance fee we had already paid. That was disappointing, especially since no one informed us of this in advance.
The overall vibe reminded us of Singapore’s Sentosa — tourist-centric, with lots of small charges for different attractions. But unlike Sentosa, GWK felt a bit less organized, with minimal signage or guidance for visitors. The space is large and scenic, but be prepared to spend more time and money than you may expect.
Tips Before You Go:
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Budget at least 2 hours for the visit.
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Bring water and wear comfortable shoes — there's a lot of walking involved.
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Be aware that different parts of the park require separate payments.
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Plan your photos in advance — the best angles aren’t always obvious.
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