11 Beaches of Bali that I explored- Comparison and Photos [Updated Nov 2017]

Nov 2017 update at the bottom of the post (updated with 4 more beaches). Original post content follows

Bali has hundreds of beaches all around its coast line. It is nearly impossible to explore all of them. During my 4 day stay I visited about 6 different beaches. This post gives a round -up of these beaches- what to expect, what’s great about them and so on. If you have limited time and need to decide which beach is best suited for your needs and expectations, this might help. Please note that this post compares only 7 of the hundreds of beaches in Bali, so it by no means comprehensive. But these are some of the most popular/frequently visited ones in Bali, so I am sure it will be of some help.

Most beaches are open to public all the time- some are guarded and may have timings (can’t go late night to very early morning). Parking/Entry fee is collected in most beaches- approx. INR 10 to 30 per person.

	Blue Lagoon Beach	Pandawa beach	Kuta Beach	Green Bowl Beach	Blue Point beach	Dreamland Beach	Virgin Beach
Distance from City (Denspasar Airport	60 kms approx	20 kms	5-6 kms	20km	15 kms	15  kms	75 kms
Distance from Parking lot	Minimum, 20-30 steps	Minimum	Minimum	High, 200+ steps	Minimum, 20-30 steps	Medium	?
Privacy	High	Low	Low	Very high	Low	Medium	Low
Entry Fee/ Parking fee	2000 IDR per person	NA	NA	2000 IDR	5000 IDR per person	2000 IDR per person	?
Famous for	?	Mahabharatha characters	Closer to city and many hotels, easy access, nothing great otherwise	Caves and High privacy	Surfing	Huge rocks and high waves, mild caves, lots of sand	?
Food/ Restaurants available?	Yes, very few	Yes, Many	Yes	Just one	Yes, Many	Yes, Many	Yes
Access Controlled?	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	?

1. Pandawa Beach

This was one of the first beaches we visited. This beach is named after Hindu epic Mahabharatha, which tells us the fight between Pandawas and the Kauravas.

Located next to giant limestone cliff, lots of statues of Mahabharatha's key characters is carved here- you can see statues of Nakula, Sahadeva, Kunti, Arjuna etc. Pandawa beach is very unique in that sense as you are very unlikely to see an idol/statue of Pandawas in any other temples.

Beach seemed pretty standard, with a series of shacks next to it. Great place to simply lie down and sip drinks. We went there too early in the morning, before the shacks opened. The beach was isolated.


Lots of construction work is also happening around Pandawa beach. The hill is being carved out, to make space for buildings and other facilities next to the beach.

I went there along with Raja Selvam.

Reaching Pandawa beach itself was an experience. Nice roads were carved in between huge cliffs. Apparently this beach is very recent one- opened to public only in 2012 as it was located behind a cliff without easy access.

2. Blue Lagoon Beach

I stopped at this beach while returning from Water Palace. I would say this beach is not really worth going all the way- it represents a small stretch of area- high on privacy otherwise nothing much. If you are passing by or staying nearby then it is worth a quick visit, else can be skipped.

3. Blue Point Beach

This beach is famous among surfers. I had good time clicking several close-up photos of surfers in action. Check this post for those surfing action still photographs. Clear waters on the rocky sea bed is a treat to the eye. Highly recommended.

4. Green Bowl Beach

Green bowl beach scores very high on privacy, but one should climb down some 100-150 steps from parking lot to reach this beach. Climbing up will drain all your energy. Few enterprising locals sell stuff like beer and coconut here, for a price tag 4 times more than city price. But the visit was totally worth it. The length of this beach is short.

Lots of limestone caves give Green Bowl beach a unique experience. If it rains or if you feel too hot, you can relax inside the caves

Above left: steps to Green bowl beach, right- limestone cliff at Dreamland beach

5.Dreamland Beach- just a few kms away from Blue Lagoon Beach, Diamond beach offers a different experience- huge rocks next the ocean are ideal resting place for family members who do not wish to get into water. Waves seemed to be a bit stronger here 

6. Kuta beach
Right next to the heavily crowded Kuta area, good for morning walk if your hotel is in Kuta otherwise nothing unique.

7. Virgin beach
Almost everyone recommended this, but I missed going there when I went to Water Palace. Checked photos, didn't find it too exciting worth going all the way one more time. Use your discretion. Beaches closer to mountain area (north Bali) are likely to have blackish sand (because of Volcanic ash) but beaches in South had clear and regular sand.

Below Map shows location of these beaches

Sadly all my beach visits were in day time. I couldn't be there during a sunrise/sunset, during which one can usually get the best setup for some photography.

Disclaimer: All information as experienced during our visit in October 2016. Individual experience may vary depending on expectations and circumstances.

Nov 2017 Update:
I had another visit to Bali this week (Nov 2017) and got to visit few more beaches. Below is a quick update on the additional beaches

	Sanur Beach	Jimbaran Bay/ Kedonganan Beach	Seminyak Beach	Crystal Bay Nusa Penida
Distance from City (Denspasar Airport)	15 kms	2 kms	15 kms	15  kms to Sanur Beach, 30 min by speed boat to Nusa Penida, 15 mins by road or boat
Distance from Parking lot	Minimum, 200 meters	Minimum- 20-30 steps	Minimum, 200 meters	200 meters
Privacy	Low	Low	Moderate	Moderate
Entry Fee/ Parking fee	NA	NA	NA	NA
Famous for	Ferry start point to visit Nusa Penida and other islands	Seaside dinner Airplane watching	NA	Snorkelling
Food/ Restaurants available?	Yes	Yes, Many	No (not close to beach)	Yes, bare minimum
Access Controlled?	No	No	No	No

8. Kedonganan beach/Jimbaran bay

You can watch planes land and take off from here. Very close to Denpasat Airport. Dinner by the beach is very popular here, dozens of restaurants exist right next to the beach, with elaborate dinner setting by the beach. Enjoy sunset, watch some local performance (dance and music) and enjoy your dinner. A detailed experience coming up in separate post.

9. Sanur Beach:

Explored only small portion of Sanur beach stretch, to catch boat to Nusa Penida. Boats from various islands like Nusa Penida, Lambongan, Gili etc begin from here. Sanur has lots other spots by the beach including many private beaches as well (next to resorts). Our visit was limited to boat boarding area.

10. Seminyak beach

We went for a walk here in the night. Waves were huge, no shops or signs of adventure activities, but we've not checked it in day time.

11. Crystal Bay, Nusa Penida
Did snorkeling here, had great views of the ocean floor. Basic facilities available, worth a stop if you're visiting Nusa Penida. Rest room usage costs 5000 INR, Tender coconut 25000 IDR, minimum food and refreshments available.