Canggu is an area with several beaches, including Berawa, Nelayan and of course Batu Bolong, which are all increasingly popular with visitors. The most famous beach of the area is Echo Beach, a small stretch of black sand made popular by surfers. This spot has an amazing variety of waves in a small area, which are suitable for intermediate-level surfers but are also popular with visiting and local pros.

The pleasant surrounding area and closeness to everything has meant that a strong expat community has grown here, which can be seen in the life on the beach. At its southern end, an interesting temple can be found as well as a small strip of restaurants and surf shops. Here, there is a thriving beach scene, with plenty of families hanging out, surfers getting some rest, kids running around and riding skateboards, and dogs are playing. Delicious food, high-quality coffee, and cold drinks are served up all day, and at night, barbecues come out for sunset, and an expansive patio overlooking the ocean gets busy with a cheerful and surfy crowd. There are also sometimes bands or DJs performing at night.

The beach itself is black sand and rock and has more of a wild beauty than other Bali beaches. Visitors can walk out onto a rock rising out of the ocean, where offerings are made and fisherman fish. The sea here is not suitable for swimming, as it is wild, with strong currents, and children should not be left alone near the water. Some beach chairs are available along the beach, but most of it is empty. Development here is thriving, with more businesses being built every day, so conditions are changing fast.

Canggu is easy to find and get to, all drivers will know it, and parking is relatively easy. Keep in mind, however, that taxis are not allowed to pick up tourists here, so if you are dropped off, expect to use the local group of drivers that work this area to get home.

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Sanur beach is one of Bali’s original tourist beaches, but that doesn’t mean it’s the busiest. If you are looking for a beach that offers peace, quiet relaxation, and a strong local community, Sanur is the place for you.  At the north end of Sanur beach, you will find the Bali Beach Hotel, which was once the island’s most famous and luxurious hotel, and is still its tallest structure. From there, the beach runs south, with most of it lined by a small cement path that is closed off to cars and motorcycles, set far back on the beach. On this path are small shops, restaurants, and hotels, some of which have beachfront patios. These are quiet places, with none of the loud music and crowds of other tourist areas.  A strong village community runs Sanur, and most of the businesses along the beach are family-owned and have been there for decades. Locals in Sanur are very friendly and like talking to tourists, but also will leave you alone if you are not in the mood for a conversation. The beach in Sanur is superb, with clean white sand and very few vendors.  The ocean here is clear and gentle, and any waves break on a reef roughly 500 meters out to sea, making this an ideal place for swimming and playing in the sand with kids. Sanur is good for surfing, but only on rare days where the waves are huge everywhere else on the island, and the waves are a long way out from the beach. Swimmers here should keep in mind that where the sandy ocean bottom ends, there is sharp living coral covered with sea urchins, and at low tides, swimming may not be possible. This coral reef is also home to many brightly coloured fish, and snorkelling can be great in Sanur, with many locals also spearfishing and skin diving farther out into the ocean. The peaceful waters of Sanur make it a great place for boats to dock, so expect to see many colourful local jukung canoes and fisherman. This is also one of the departure points for boat trips to other islands. Read more...

Bingin beach is a short stretch of white sand on Bali’s Bukit peninsula. The ocean here is beautiful, and the soaring limestone cliffs behind the beach make for some stunning scenery, but Bingin has mostly gained its fame for one reason: surf. Here, along the cliff, hundreds of hotels and villas have sprung up, offering accommodation at all levels. Several long flights of steps run down the cliffs to the beach, which is lined with simple restaurants overlooking the sand and ocean. Bingin is home to a top-quality left-hand wave that breaks heavily over a shallow reef, but is also very close to other world renowned surf spots, such as Uluwatu, Padang Padang, Impossibles, Balangan, and Dreamland. This has made it a popular place for traveling surfers to stay and hang out. The beach is a great place to relax, even for those who have no interest in surfing, and there is always some low key action going on, with plenty of travelers looking to swap stories over some cold drinks. It is also not a bad place for families, but the steep cliffs, many stairs, and shallow reef make it a better option for those with older children. Swimming here is fairly safe, but is better at high tide, when there is more water above the reef, and swimmers would do better not to go in too deep. Bingin is also a great place to have dinner and some drinks, watching surfers catch the last waves of the day as the sun sets over the Indian Ocean. It’s close to main roads but can be hard to find, as it can only be reached through a maze of small alleys leading to different access points. It’s a good idea to visit Binging with the help of a driver or taxi. Read more...

Just up the road from Double Six Beach, Dhyana Pura feels a world away. Although it is in the heart of Seminyak, this beach is a lot quieter and more peaceful than others. There are fewer vendors here, although beach chairs are readily available for rent. The beach is flat and golden, and is ideal for a walk or for making sandcastles. As with elsewhere in the area, the ocean is relatively safe but occasionally plagued by strong currents, and there are fewer people watching over you here. Swimmers who stay close to shore should be fine. It is occasionally possible to surf here, although the waves are not of a high quality. Set back from Dhyana Pura beach are several luxurious hotels and restaurants, and a bit farther south, a path leading along the beach that motorcycles can access. This path is lined by funky beach bars that offer cushions on the sand, great food, and cold drinks. They also often have music performances, DJs, and even movie showings later at night. Dhyana Pura is easy to find and access, and there is more parking here than elsewhere in the area.   Read more...

For many years, Dreamland beach was one of Bali’s hippest and most peaceful beaches. The peaceful white sands of Dreamland then became home to a number of funky beachside warungs, and a young and fashionable crowd made this their weekend destination of choice. Surfers came to relax and full-moon parties were held at night. It was indeed a dreamy spot. Today, things have changed. The planned golf course has been built, alongside a water park, several hotels, and a huge nightclub overlooking the small beach. The old warungs have been destroyed, replaced by a concrete structure with restaurants inside. The most common visitors to the beach are now package tourists, who come in buses to take photos and buy souvenirs from the many vendors on the beach. Dreamland is still beautiful and is not a bad place for swimming, although it’s more polluted than other beaches in the area and the waves close to shore can slam into rocks in places. It also has fairly good waves for less experienced surfers, which are a short way out into the ocean. Tourists who are interested in visiting Dreamland should keep in mind that it is now far from peaceful, and should expect the hustle and bustle of Kuta here, rather than the secluded beauty of other nearby areas.   Read more...

Jimbaran Beach

Jimbaran, a bay in the area just south of Kuta, is famous for seafood. It is a center for Bali’s fisherman, and home to the island’s biggest fish market. If you eat top-quality local seafood in southern Bali, it was probably originally bought at Jimbaran. Because of this, the area has also become home to a very long stretch of beachfront restaurants, ranging from very basic to more elegant, which offer seafood of all types at the cheapest prices around. Read more...

Kuta Beach Bali

Bali is famous for its beaches, and none is more famous than Kuta Beach. Traditionally an unimportant place for the Balinese, it was first popularized by visiting surfers, and then by backpackers travelling through Southeast Asia. Restaurants and hotels began to spring up to accommodate visitors, and the area grew from there, becoming the most popular and crowded in Bali.

Kuta Beach Atmosphere

Today, a busy street runs along the beach, lined with apartments, malls, hotels, convenience stores, restaurants, and bars blasting music. The beach is full of chairs and loungers for rent and vendors are everywhere. Many local and visiting families with children play in the water, which is safe but can have strong currents at times, and is dirtier than in other places. Kuta Beach’s, small and gentle waves and soft sand bottom make this a popular place for people learning to surf, and there can be hundreds of surfers out on any given day, even if there are no waves. Add in joggers, yoga enthusiasts, and groups playing football, volleyball, and beach tennis, and you have a beach that is always alive and full of action.

Kuta Beach Goot to Know

If you are looking for a place to relax in peace and quiet, this is not it, but if you want to experience the heart of Bali’s busy beach culture, or see one of its most historic tourist locations, Kuta Beach is worth at least one visit. Be advised that the traffic here is some of the heaviest on the island and parking is often non-existent, especially for cars, so try to get dropped off by a driver or taxi, or park far away from the beach and take a long walk through the busy alleys of Kuta to get here. To beat the crowds (maybe) come early in the morning, when everyone is still sleeping, but for the full-on Kuta Beach experience, come at sunset, when mobs of tourists and locals watch the sun go down with a drink, snap photos of each other, enjoying this unique atmosphere. Read more...