The charming East Bali Beaches

The East Bali Beaches are different from the beaches you're used to seeing in travel brochures and books. Here they lie in the shadow of the mighty and holly Gunung Agung Mountain.

This mountain erupted in 1963 killing thousands of Balinese and forced many to migrate to other Indonesian islands. Lava and rocks rolled from the slopes onto their land and into the ocean. Their crops were destroyed and the land was unsuitable for years. That's why it's sparsely populated now.

The east Bali beaches are therefore black volcanic and rocky except for Padang Bai.

It took years for the land to become fertile again but the area around Amed, Padang Bai and Candidasa are now home to one of the most beautiful rice fields in the east of Bali.

The East Bali beaches are from north to south:

• Tulamben
  
• Amed
• Jasri
• Pasir Putih
• Candidasa
• Padangbai
• Bias Tugal

East Bali Beaches -- Tulamben beach

There isn’t a lot to do on Tulamben beach. There is no sand, just black rocks, which can burn your feet easily in the hot tropical sun.

The biggest attraction at this beach is the USAT Liberty ship wreck 30 m out from the parking lot. This US cargo ship was hit off the southwest coast of Lombok by a Japanese torpedo during World War II.

 

Tulamben beach, popular for scuba diving in Bali

 

Two naval ships then towed it to Bali in order to get its cargo safe and beached it on Tulamben.

The eruption of Gunung Agung in 1963 made the wreck topple beneath the surface of the water.

There is now a lot of sea life around the wreck with soft corals, polyps and different species of coral fish. The wreck stretches itself out for 100 m and runs parallel to the beach. Its top lies just 3 m below the surface of the water and its deepest point on 30 m.

Visibility is around 12-15m and it gets quiet busy with divers after lunch time so if you want to have the beach to yourself go early…

 

For a small fee they carry the oxygen bottle for you...

 

By the way if you’re thinking of staying here a couple of days there are a couple of decent guesthouses on the beach and all of them have restaurants and great ocean views.

Return to top

 

East Bali Beaches -- Amed beach

Amed beach consists of various bays with picturesque East Bali beaches where you can see colorful jukung fishermen boats, salt-miners and coral fishers. It’s a quiet, laid-back area and there’s hardly any action.

That’s also the main reason why travellers who visit Bali seeking a quiet place end up in this remote spot...

 

One of the bays in Amed with view of the mighty Agung mountain

 

The guest houses at Amed are set in beautiful gardens and most of the rooms have ocean view. I have to say that and the whole atmosphere is a lot better than at Tulamben.

It’s no wonder that lots of divers and snorkellers prefer to stay at this charming little village just 30 minutes down the road between the rice fields and mountains.

Amed beach is easy accessible and it doesn’t have the big black rocks you see on the other beaches in this area, it is still a bit rocky though. So no soft-powdered sand here but anyway it still is a good place to go for a walk and chit-chat with the local fishermen.

Return to top

 

East Bali Beaches -- Jarsi

Jasri Beach is located East of Candidasa and if traffic is good you'll be there around 20 minutes. It isn't difficult to find since the signs are really easy to spot.

When coming from Candidasa just follow the main road until you eventually come at a junction. Turn right here and follow the small street surrounded by vegetation. At the end of this street you'll find youself at the beach.

The sand at Jarsi is volcanic black. Black beaches are not the most popular when promoting a tropical island, but this beach is really quiet and clean.

For the Balinese this beach is also one of the sacred beaches. You might be lucky when you head to this beach. Maybe there will be a ceremony going on.

When we were there we were treated with beautiful scenes of women carrying baskets on their heads walking towards the beach. At the beach there was a small crowd participating in several ceremonies.

No matter how many times you bump into a Balinse ceremony it is always an amazing sight to see colourful offerings and the beautifully dressed people.

Jasri Beach is a good surfing beach, despite that there are not many surfers here.  This is practically one of the most deserted East Bali Beaches. So if you feel like having waves all to your selves, this beach is a great option.

The waves which come from the right can be tackled by beginners and experienced surfers. Be careful though when it becomes shallow as the surface is very rocky which can cause severe cuts and bruises.

For those who just want to wade into the water or take a swim then the best time to go is at low tide. 

Return to top

 

East Bali Beaches -- Pasir Putih

Pasir Putih means 'white sand' in Indonesian, so when we heard about this beach we definitely had to have a look at one of the whitest east Bali beaches.

Pasir Putih beach is located about a 20 minute drive west of Candidasa. It's not far, if you are able to see the improvised sign immediately. In any way, when you come from Candidasa and you eventually end at a junction pointing to Jasri then you, unfortunately, have passed it.

Head back...

It is definitely worth the trouble.

Sign leading to one of the few white East Bali Beaches...

From the main road it is still a bumpy drive to the beach. The road will take you past bare land down hill. And then...

Before you will realize it you will find yourself on a beautiful white stretch of beach.

When we were there is was pretty much deserted, except for the owners of the small restaurants (warung) along the beach. They will immediately jump at you, which is not surprising considering how quiet it was at the beach.

But we had made a date with one owner already, who's husband had showed us around the Candidasa Beach Cottages just a day before. She happily showed us her little restaurant where we had a refreshing Pocari Sweat. 

There is no electricity here so don't expect fresh fruit juices here but cold beers are always available in a cool box.

The owner told us that it had been always very quiet at this beach but that towards the end of the day more travellers come to check the beach out. Others come here by boat during their snorkeling trip.

They also told us that the bare land along the beach was leased by a Korean development group who has been planning for years to build a villa resort. No wonder, the beach is just gorgeous.

The locals were happy though that the lease was coming to an end, so they could probably start something for themselves. But once we were back home we read that the Koreans had decided to start building their resort with even a golf course...

Anyway, we had a fabulous time and we hope that whatever happens in the future the beach will still remain as prestine as it is today.

Return to top

 

East Bali Beaches -- Candidasa "beach"

When you travel to Candidasa you notice that’s a decent, quiet and clean place that stretches along the coast for 3km. Candi Dasa means ‘Ten temples’ and is called after the holy temple in the east of the village.

But wait a minute, what happened to the beach? There’s hardly anything left...

 

At low tide the beach reappears...

 

The Candidasa beach used to be part of the beautiful East Bali Beaches with swaying palm trees but due to the increase of tourism in the 1970’s the villagers started to use the reef for the construction of hotels.

They kept on building until the reef was gone and the sea took the beach away. Now you can only see small pieces of beach (if you can call it that way) when it’s low-tide.

Just like in Sanur, they are building concrete sea breaks now so the beach can rebuild again against these breaks. Because of this situation snorkelling, swimming and diving has been reduced to zero.

 

Creating a beach again...

 

There are however fishermen and local dive agencies who love to sail you to small islands in front of Candidasa such as Pulau Tepekong or to the Blue Lagoon at Padangbai.

I’ve snorkelled once at Pulau Tepekong and it shows that the reef has lost a lot of its beautiful sea life. Even around this tiny island the amount of coral fish was disappointing.

Return to top

 

East Bali Beaches -- Padangbai beach

The beach at Padangbai is very colorful, just like the beach in Amed but now the traditional jukung fishermen boats have painted eyes on the boats to show them the way at sea and to protect them from evil spirits. Not surprising the beach is also home to some good fish restaurants.

The beach only comes alive when the fishermen return from sea and when the ferry from Lombok or the boat from Nusa Penida arrives, the rest of the day it’s a sleepy beach with kids playing in the water between the boats.

 

Clear water for excellent snorkeling

 

Now and then you also see the local youth play volleyball and football on the beach and ask you whether you want to go snorkelling or if you need a room for the night.

There are cheap guesthouses along the beach and most travellers stay here one night before they take the ferry to Lombok Indonesia.

When you like to snorkel and relax on another beach in Padangbai walk to the end of the northern bay and follow the signs to the Blue Lagoon, also referred to as Pantai Kecil. At this little bay the water is shallow and you have clear visibility.

 

Blue Lagoon, a great place to chill and snorkel

 

There are three places in the bay where you can dive; Pura Jepun, Blue Lagoon and Tanjung Bungsil. The water is cold here so don’t forget to bring your wetsuit. There are also a couple of dive operators near the beach who love to bring you to these sites and to the other dive sites along the east-coast.

Return to top

East Bali Beaches -- Bias Tugal

Bias Tugal is a little beach located at walking distance from Padang Bai. From the Ferry Terminal at Padang bai head east up a small street where you will eventually see the signs pointing to this gorgeous beach.

At the time we went to check out the beach,  there was heavy construction going on. Everywhere there were bulldozers moving rocks and sand up hill. One of the constructors tolds us that they were building a villa resort right on hill overlooking the beach...

The project looks really massive and we expect that Bias Tugal beach might not be accessible to public in the future anynore. I won't be surprised if the villa resort wants to keep this white sanded beach all to themselves and their guests.

Anyway when we were there in August 2008 we could wander around the rubble towards the beach. The view from above already gives you a sneak preview on how beautiful this beach is.

Through the palm trees we were able to see the emerald blue water and the white sand. We immediately headed down to take a closer look.

WOW....it was really like a picture postcard sent from a deserted tropical island far far away!

The white sand felt nice and soft between our toes. On top of that there was nobody there. The whole beach was deserted and up till now we have no idea why because it was so beautiful.

Bias Tugal is set in a small bay. As mentioned before there is not much activity going on except for a couple of women selling sarongs and a tiny warung selling cold drinks.

We were there in the late afternoon and the sea didn't look that inviting since there was a heavy current that seemed to want to pull you further into sea.

If you plan to do some swimming inform with the people there if it is safe or not. They are the ones who know if you should jump into this stunning water or not.

Return to top