Tirta Empul lies near the town of Tampaksiring in Gianyar Regency, north-east of Ubud. It was founded in 962 under the Warmadewa dynasty; its name means the holy spring that rises from the ground, and it feeds the Pakerisan river.

In its central courtyard two pools are fed by about 30 stone spouts, where Balinese come to bathe in the purification ritual of melukat. You can simply watch from the edge of the pools. On the hill above stands a presidential palace built in 1954 for a visit by President Sukarno.