Visiting Bali will not be complete without seeing the famous giant statue of Vishnu in Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park. Learn more about this tourist object here and what you can enjoy there.
About the Cultural Park
Garuda Wisnu Kencana or simply called as GWK is an amazing cultural park sited at Ungasan, Badung, Bali. The park is located above on 263 meters above sea level on 60 hectares of area. Here, people will be able to see a giant statue created by Nyoman Nuarta and which is devoted to Lord Vishnu and, one of the three main gods in Hindu’s belief. The construction of the great statue has been started more than a decade and will be completed on August 2018. Totally, the statue will be as high as 120 meters and makes is one of the largest statues in the world. The design of the sculpture will be in the form of God Vishnu riding Garuda, a mythical bird that becomes his mount.
How to Get There? – Transportations and Accommodations
There will be plenty of transportations available to opt if you want to visit GBK since the site located near Ngurah Rai International Airport. From the airport, you can take a taxi or bus. If you want to have a more private journey, there will be a lot of agencies provide rented cars. The tourist destination is also just 15 to 20 minutes from Kuta. Since the location of GWK is not far from the city center of Denpasar, there are a lot of hotels to select. Some of the nearest hotels near Garuda Wisnu Kencana are Golden Tulip Bay, Best Western Kamala Jimbaran, MaxOneHotels, CK Villas Bali, and Trumbo Nusa.
What to See at GWK?
GWK is not only about the statue of Lord Visnu. In the cultural park, there are some recreation sites that the tourists can enjoy. The opening hours of GWK is from 8am – 10pm. To enter the cultural park, the adult visitors should pay 80,000 IDR on Monday – Friday, while for children, the entrance fee is 70,000 IDR. Meanwhile, on the weekends, the entrance fee for adults is 90,000 IDR and for children is 80,000 IDR (those under 4 years old get free entrance). Here are some of the main attractions of GWK.
- Wisnu Plaza
This site is where the statue of Lord Vishnu and Mount Garuda is placed and becomes the focal point of this area. There are a lot of Balinese traditional dance performances with the giant statue as the background. Being located in a high place, the plaza presents wonderful panorama that will capture everyone’s heart. There are fountains and well waters that surround the plaza and make it more attractive.
- Street Theater
The theater becomes the starting and point of GWK. The Street Theater consists of restaurants offer both local and international cuisines. In the theater, the visitor will also be able to find shops where they can purchase souvenirs and handicrafts made by local people.
- Lotus Pond
This is the largest outdoor area people can find in Bali. Over the years, the Lotus Pond in Garuda Wisnu Kencana has been created as a location for major events such as international gatherings, music concerts, and major parties both in national and international scales.
