‘Bali is spoilt.” It’s a complaint I’ve heard regularly in the four years I’ve been based on the island. One made, I can tell, by travellers who’ve visited only the well-worn tourist areas. The truth is: Bali is – still – beyond beautiful. You just need to know where to look.
In the popular areas of Kuta, Seminyak, Canggu, Jimbaran, Nusa Dua, Sanur and Ubud, development has been rampant; most of the rice paddies have been choked into non-existence and traffic congestion is a huge problem. Many of the beaches are lined with hotels, beach bars, umbrellas and deckchairs. It’s easy to see why people think Bali has been spoilt.
But as soon as you step off the well-worn path, the traffic eases up, nature returns and the tropical allure of traditional Balinese life – the very thing that first attracted tourists to the island – flourishes.
Bali isn’t an island with an abundance of soft-sand white beaches – and most of them have been claimed by hotels or colonised by bars and restaurants. Due to its geology – it sits on the active Ring of Fire – most of the island’s beaches are a beautiful silver or deep grey sand.
This list highlights beaches that aren’t much-visited: wild beaches, beaches that have exceptional views, beaches that offer really good snorkelling, or solitude, or a sense of adventure. And, of course, some that are great for just chilling, too.
Pemuteran
For lazy beach days and hours of snorkelling, Pemuteran is an excellent option. The sleepy seaside town is a centre for diving on Bali’s north-west coast so most visitors spend their days exploring the ocean, rather than on the peaceful coral and white sand beach. The sea here is lovely for swimming and for £3 you can hire goggles and fins and explore the bay’s artificial Bio-Rock reef. Some hotels have taken over stretches of the beach but, for a small fee, you can usually rent a sunlounger under beachside trees.
Getting there
Pemuteran is on the north-west coast of Bali, on the main coastal road. It’s a 4½ hour drive from the airport.
When to go
The coral grows close to the beach so for easier access to the water for swimming, high tide is better.
Secret Point
Nusa Ceningan is a tiny island wedged between Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida, just off Bali’s south-east coast. It’s an island fringed mostly by cliffs – but on the south-west coast of the island there is a small, pretty, white sand beach with a good left-hand surf break. If you’re not surfing, the beach is a lovely place to chill come low tide, when there is more sand and the water recedes to reveal seaweed farming terraces and rock pools that form good little spa baths.
Getting there
On Nusa Ceningan, follow the signs for Secret Point Huts. You’ll need to park at this small hotel to get down to the beach.
When to go
The beach is very small, so it’s best to go down at low tide, when there’s more sand to relax on.
Tulamben
The clear, calm water around Bali’s far eastern tip makes it a fantastic area for diving, snorkelling and freediving. Amed is the usual go-to town for accommodation, but just to its north Tulamben offers a far quieter getaway, and exceptional diving. The beach here is rocky so it’s not suitable if you’re looking for soft sand on which to catch up on your reading, but if you’re in Bali for an active holiday, there are plenty of dive spots around here, and great snorkelling, too.
Getting there
There is a road from Candidasa that bypasses the north-eastern tip of Bali and will take you straight to Amed. However, if you have an hour more, take the scenic coastal road. The views are totally worth it.
When to go
Visibility in the water is best during Bali’s dry season: May to September.
Blue Lagoon
Just over the hill from Padang Bai (fast-boat terminal for the Gili Islands) there is a little secret beach surrounded by palm trees, cut off from the rest of the island by volcanic rock headlands. The white sand is perfect for whiling away hours in the sun, and the beach is edged with trees providing some shade. Coral reaches almost all the way to the beach, so rent snorkelling equipment from one of the beachside warungs and explore the underwater world.
Getting there
Head east along Padang Bai’s beach road. When the road splits go left up the hill; where it splits again, turn right into a parking area. The two paths from here lead to the beach.
When to go
The bay is almost always calm; swimming is better at high tide, when it’s easier to avoid the coral.
Nyang Nyang
Bali’s Bukit peninsula has no shortage of spectacular beaches and Nyang Nyang, just east of Uluwatu, is a beautiful place where it’s possible to avoid the crowds. What keeps most beachgoers – and touts – away is likely the half-hour walk and 500-odd steps needed to descend to get there, but the effort is worth it: at the base of the escarpment you’ll be surrounded by empty white sands, cliffside vegetation, amazing rock pools and that deserted island feeling. Take your own food and lots of water, as there is nothing for sale on this beach.
Getting there
From the main road to Uluwatu turn onto Jalan Batu Nunggalan and go left where the road forks. From the end of this road follow the path to the cliff top and walk down the steps.
When to go
High tide is best if you want to swim, as at low tide rocks are exposed.
Lovina
Lovina is well-known for its dolphin tours: half an hour before sunrise, more than 100 boats carry tourists out to sea where, as the sun comes up, pods of dolphins frolic in the bow waves. Many tourists stay one night for the dolphin trip and then leave – missing out on Lovina’s chilled beach-holiday vibes. The beach at Lovina is black volcanic sand and the sea very calm; lovely for wallowing. Take your camera and wander east from the main beach, and you’ll come across brightly painted fishing boats resting on the sand. As the sun goes down, the silhouettes of Java’s volcanoes are cast on to the horizon.
Getting there
Lovina is on the north coast of Bali, close to Singaraja. Take the coastal road to get there, or one of the scenic roads that pass through the centre of the island.
When to go
Make sure you’re on the beach before sunset to catch Java’s volcano silhouettes.
Pantai Kelating
Half an hour north-west of the famous Tanah Lot temple, Pantai Kelating is a quiet, black sand beach that, come late afternoon when the day is cooler, is a wonderful beach on which to take long walks. When the tide is low, wander around the base of the headland to the west of the beach and discover secret bays, or climb on to the headland to take in the view from alongside the small shrine, Pura Tegal Linggah. Thirsty? Where the road meets the beach there’s a small warung, a simple restaurant, that sells fresh coconuts.
Getting there
From Jalan Bypass Tanah Lot, follow the signs to a resort called Soori (it’s well-marked), or type “Pura Segara, Kelating” into Google Maps.
When to go
Early morning and late afternoons are best; at low tide you’ll be able to explore further.
Pantai Soka
Pantai Soka is a wonderfully wild beach. From the main road to Gilimanuk you can catch a glimpse of the beach as you cross over a narrow river: at the river mouth there is a small limestone island smothered with vegetation, and waves crashing around it. If you venture down to the beach you’ll be rewarded with a desolate bay that’s hugged by steep cliffs, and ragged volcanic rock pools. When there are ceremonies near the tiny island, which is often, the beach is brightened up by people wearing traditional ceremonial clothing, flower offerings and temple umbrellas.
Getting there
As the main road from Denpasar to Gilimanuk drops down to the coast and veers west you’ll see a large parking area and cafe, signed “Pantai Soka”. Most vehicles stop to use the shop; few people venture down to the beach. There is an entrance fee of 30p.
When to go
Pantai Soka is prettiest during the dry season (during the rains the sea is often muddy brown).
Rambut Siwi
While Rambut Siwi temple, one of Bali’s seven sea temples, is magnificent, the beach below it is simply out of this world. The black volcanic sand seems to stretch for ever from the cave in the cliff below the temple out to sea and for deserted miles along the coast. Close to sunset the view from the temple across the beach, which is fringed with rice paddies, is phenomenal. Currents are strong so swimming isn’t recommended, but the beach is perfect for contemplative beach strolls, and moody photographs.
Getting there
Take the main road from Denpasar towards Gilimanuk. Ramput Siwi is a 10-minute drive from Medewi (a rocky beach loved by surfers for the long left-hand reef break).
When to go
The cooler early mornings and late afternoons are the most pleasant time of day here.
Teluk Brumbun
This beach is so wild it’s frequented by monitor lizards; black monkeys hang out in the trees on the fringe of the sand and Menjangan deer wade through the shallows. The coral-fringed beach is at the Teluk Brumbun ranger station within the boundary of West Bali national park and totally worth visiting, particularly if you can convince the rangers to let you camp there (you’ll need your own equipment). Be sure to snorkel at Menjangan Island (just offshore from Teluk Brumbun); the reefs off the small island are said to offer the best snorkelling around Bali – it even, some say, rivals the Great Barrier Reef.
Getting there
Take a scenic five-hour drive through the centre of Bali, over the volcanoes, and drop down to the north coast. At the far western point you’ll see parking for Labuhan Lalang, where most boats depart for Menjangan Island. Charter a boat from the national parks office.
When to go
Aim to get to Labuhan Lalang at 8am, when the national park office opens, and be prepared to haggle your fare.
