Join the crowd at Kuta beach or check out the other beaches nearby...
Kuta Beach and its nearby beaches are located in the narrow part of south Bali. The majority of the travelers spend the largest part of their holiday here...
Which is not surprising. The beaches are perfect for sunbathing, swimming and surfing. So every traveler will enjoy spending their holiday at this beach.
As you can imagine, this does make it the most crowded beach of Bali especially Kuta Beach.
You should be careful though and look out for the flags on the beach. If they are red, don't go in. The strong current can be very dangerous. Swim between the yellow-red flags only. Fortunately there are also lifeguards on watch here.
The west side of the southern strip is famous for its sunset. So it is an perfect way to end the day at the beach...
Have fun! Kuta beach and its surrounding beaches are listed here clockwise:
South Bali Beaches -- Sanur
Sanur beach is definitely one of those beaches that fit into the list of beautiful beaches on Bali.
It’s also the friendliest beach for travelers with disabilities because there’s a walk path that runs for miles on end along the beach. It’s ideal for renting a bike or some jogging even though it looks like there’s no end in sight...
If you’re an early riser you can see the sun come up behind the island of Nusa Penida, which is located just 30 minutes by speed boat from the Hang Tuah harbor in the northern part of the beach.
You can see all the way to Padang Bai and the majestic Gunung Agung Mountain, which the Balinese believe is the place where the gods live.
The beach with Gunung Agung in the back
It’s pretty funny to know that the beach isn’t what it seems to be...
When you walk along the beach of Sanur you will only see beautifully sand. But don’t believe what your eyes see... In reality the beach is volcanic black just like the other beaches on this coast.
The ex-president of Indonesia, Sukarno changed the color of the beach and brought in truckloads of white sand to cover the black volcanic sand.
You can see it yourself. Just walk all the way to the Hang Tuah harbor and continue walking for 10 minutes along the boulevard and you will see the original color of the beach at the fishermen village...
Nevertheless, this nice beach is what makes Sanur a popular holiday destination for travelers from all over the world.
The boats are ready to take you on a trip…
The reef is about 1km from shore, so at the beach the water is very calm. Surfers can rent a boat to the reef instead of paddling all the way. The best season to surf is in the rainy season, between January and March when the winds come from land.
Swimmers can enjoy some swimming closer to shore. However, there are areas where there is a lot of seaweed, which makes walking in the water very uncomfortable. Luckily the numerous up-scale Sanur Bali hotels along the beach have found a solution...
They’ve cut away strips of seaweed so you can go for a swim or wade in the water with ease.
Enjoy having food and drinks right on Sanur beach
On the beach you will also find a lot of colorful boats (called jukung) and the boatmen would love to sail you around the lagoon or all the way to the reef or Serangan turtle island, south of Sanur.
Other water activities at Sanur are snorkeling and diving at Lebongan and Nusa Penida, para-sailing, sea kayaking, jet-skiing and fishing.
Sanur beach also has lots of good restaurants such as the Bonsai Cafe and the Luhtus coffeeshop, souvenir shops that sell everything and massage ladies who are willing to show you their massage techniques.
South Bali Beaches -- Kuta Beach
The first time I arrived at Kuta Beach was 7 years ago and I had to rub my eyes a couple of times to check if I wasn’t on the Costa Blanca in Spain.
The beach is crowded with tourists coming from every corner of the planet, from Sweden to Japan and with vendors selling ice cream, drinks, souvenirs and massage ladies who would love to try out their new techniques.
At the end of the day, Kuta beach is great place to watch the sunset...
However it has not always been like this. Before the 1970’s Kuta was just another quiet and poor fishing village with just a couple of farms situated under palm trees.
Only in the past did it play a role. Around 600 years ago the Javanese General Gajah Madah invaded Bali at Kuta and built a fort (fort means kuta) to defend the area from other invaders.
Later it became an important port for the Balinese slave trade and when the Dutch colonized Bali, Kuta became the place where their ships were repaired and supplied with stocks.
In the 1930’s Muriel Pearson started the first hotel of Kuta but later sold it to a young Californian surfer and his wife, Bob and Louise Koke, who named it the Kuta Beach Hotel. This hotel still exists and today you can find more backpacker hostels and classy hotels on this beach strip.
The beach of Kuta
In the 1960’s hippies and adventurers started to arrive in search for some more flower power, unlimited supply of mushrooms and the relaxed lifestyle under the palm trees at the wide and long sunny beach. From then on, Kuta beach was put on the tourist map.
Not only is Kuta beach still the place for a relaxed lifestyle but is also famous for one of the best sunsets on the entire island. It’s already a busy beach but between 5pm-6pm it gets even busier with people carrying cameras and tripods.
Surfing is the activity on Kuta beach and here you can find numerous Balinese surf instructors who love to instruct you on how to surf. The breaks are perfect for first-timers and the water is shallow, so you can jump on your board in no-time.
My first surfing lesson...
Behind the third wave it gets dangerous so don’t try to swim here, many tourist have drowned here due to the strong underwater currents. Check out the flags on the beach too, before entering. Don’t go in if they are red...
If Kuta beach is too busy for you, you can always walk towards the beach in Seminyak. You can even take a really long walk to Canggu or Bali's famous temple the Tanah lot, which is 13km from Kuta beach. You do have to pass several river gullies though... So be prepared to get wet feet.
South Bali Beaches -- Legian Beach
Legian beach is a lot quieter than its connecting Kuta beach. Here you find more peace of mind, less massage ladies, ice cream vendors, hawkers, surf instructors and Javanese men and students making pictures of foreign tourists in bikini.
Here it’s perfect to stroll along the beach, feel the sand between your toes and let the water wash it away.
Not only is the beach less crowded, but you’ll be far away from the busy traffic noise. Unlike Kuta beach, the beach in Legian is connected to a walkway. So you can comfortably stroll all the way from Legian towards Seminyak.
Enjoy the beach a bit away from the crowd
You can also go surfing in Legian. It is less crowded in the water compared to Kuta, so you will probably have more waves to yourself here.
Legian beach has many up-scale resorts. Almost all of the resorts are set in gardens with bungalows under palm trees. Here you also find the Bali Padma hotel with its classy garden hotel and the Bali Mandira pool which has a really original pool and fantastic views on the ocean.
At night there is still enough to do at the beach. Along the walkway, at Double Six there are many beautifully decorated restaurants and bars that serve great food and cocktails.
It’s a great place to sit till late in the evening while enjoying the cool evening breeze coming straight from sea.
One of our favorite restaurants is located here as well. At Tekor Bali they serve mouth-watering dishes in a great atmosphere, again with stunning view on the ocean...
South Bali Beach -- Seminyak beach
Seminyak beach is located just north of Kuta Beach and Legian beach. You can easily walk along these three beaches in 30 to 40 minutes. A great thing to do when the sun is just about to set.
The sunsets here are truly amazing...
The sand and water at Seminyak Bali are similar to Kuta and Legian, but the beach itself is more quieter. Not only is there less crowd, but there are also less hawkers, a few restaurants and no traffic at Seminyak beach.
The quiet Seminyak beach...
All you will see are sun loungers which are rented out or specially placed for hotel guests, such as the Sofitel hotel. Other then that, the only place where you will spot a crowd is at the couple of restaurants.
There might be only two restaurant located right at Seminyak beach, but they are also the most popular in the area. First of all you have La Luciola, an italian restaurant with view on the beach.
And secondly there is Ku de Ta, a restaurant & lounge which you can't miss when strolling along the beach.
During the day a trendy crowd flock here to enjoy the sun, drinks and food accompanied with good music. At night this place turns into a busy place where people from all over the island come together to enjoy a party in the evening together.
Enjoying a stroll along the beach...
But other than that, Seminyak beach is pretty deserted compared with Kuta Beach. Most people who are staying in the luxurious villas in Seminyak tend to spend their days here under the tropical sun...
Seminyak is also a good spot for some surfing. The waves are similar to those in Kuta, but it is less crowded here. The best time to go is late in the afternoon just before sunset.
For swimmers, please be careful and check out what colour flag has been put out. If it is red, don't go in even if you are a good swimmer. When I was there I heard that a couple of days before someone had drowned because he unexpectedly got pulled down by a current.
So just be patient and wait till everything is clear before running in...
South Bali Beaches -- Canggu
Canggu beach is about 8 kilometers north from Kuta and is a popular surf spot with right and left-hand breaks. There is however no public transport to the beach, so you will need to rent a bike or car to get there.
The sign along the road are clear, so you will easily find the way.
The water at Canggu is too dangerous for swimming so once the waves are gone; the beach is pretty much deserted.
The beach is deserted if there are no waves
You should ask around if you want to get more information on the surf condition. There are probably some local surfers there who can tell you what you want to know.
There is not a lot of tourism development yet in the area except for a couple of home stays, private villa’s and warungs to eat.
South Bali Beaches -- Seseh
Like Canggu, Seseh beach is pretty much deserted and underdeveloped. But the beach is really nice and the waves are definitely good for surfing.
Seseh is really easy to find. If you head towards Tanah Lot there is a clear sign at a traffic light pointing towards Seseh beach. It is still a long ride to the beach though. There is not much along the road: rice fields and a few huge villas. That’s it.
The whole beach all to yourself...
The beach is at a fishing village where you can see rows of boats. There are no restaurants or warungs at Seseh beach, so remember to bring your own food and drinks.
This is definitely the place for people who are just looking for one thing: a great place to surf. You might be the only one there, so you’ll have the waves all to yourself...
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