Here are my 6 favorite Uluwatu beaches to check out during your trip to Bali, Indonesia!

Uluwatu is one of the most beautiful parts of Bali.

This large peninsula in the south of the island is fringed with picturesque beaches, each of which offers its own special scenery and vibe.

Uluwatu is heaven for surfers and beach lovers. There are busy, crowded beaches with a bit of a “scene” and trendy cafes, and there are also tranquil beaches with no attractions or other people around.

Whether you want to watch the sunrise or sunset, eat freshly grilled seafood on the beach, surf massive tubes or beginner waves, or just sunbathe and read in the sunshine, here are the best Uluwatu beaches to visit in Bali!

Don’t miss the most useful travel tips for the island in my ultimate Bali Travel Guide!

How to get to the best Uluwatu beaches

You can access the best beaches in Uluwatu by walking, driving a motorbike, or taking a taxi.

Uluwatu’s beaches and beach towns are pretty spread out along the peninsula, so it depends where you’re staying!

For example, I stayed in the Bingin Area and could easily walk to Bingin Beach and Dreamland Beach. Padang Padang Beach was a 10 minute motorbike ride and Uluwatu Beach was a 15 minute motorbike ride.

There are lots of places to rent a motorbike around Uluwatu. The standard price is around 100,000 IDR (10 AUD / 7 USD) for the day. We rented a motorbike for a whole week for 600,000 IDR (60 AUD / 45 USD). A 1.5L bottle of fuel costs 20,000 IDR (2 AUD / 1.30 USD).

If you don’t want to rent and drive your own bike, you can get a motorcycle taxi or a regular car taxi. Gojek is the most popular app in Bali for booking taxis.

Quick facts about most Uluwatu beaches in Bali

• Some beaches have an entry fee that is payable in cash only
• The entry fee is usually only during daylight hours so if you arrive super early or after sunset there may not be a fee
• Uluwatu is elevated on high cliffs so most of the beaches require a steep walk or drive down to sea level
• Most of the Uluwatu beaches are better for surfing at high tide
• The beaches are usually better for sunbathing and walking at low tide when there is more sand
• Sand on the beaches isn’t fine or silky. The particles are a bit big and rough, and if you look closely you can see the intricate details in the small, round pieces of coral. It’s so cool!

The 6 Best Beaches In Uluwatu, Bali

These are my 6 favorite Uluwatu beaches! We stayed near Bingin Beach in western Uluwatu, so all of these beaches are in that area. Uluwatu is actually quite large, and it can take 45 minutes to drive from the west side to the east side.

I was so impressed by the beaches on the west side that we never even made it to the east side. So I’m sure there are many more beautiful Uluwatu beaches in addition to these 6.

But if you are staying in Bingin, Padang Padang, or Uluwatu near the west side of the peninsula, definitely check out these beaches!

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Dreamland Beach

• Entry fee: 10,000 IDR per person (1 AUD /
• Best for: The best tropical views

Dreamland Beach is my favorite beach that I visited in Uluwatu.

One afternoon, I embarked on a solo walking mission to Dreamland Beach from Bingin. It was only a 20 minute walk, but the intense afternoon Bali heat had me drenched in sweat by the time I arrived.

As I emerged onto Dreamland Beach and saw the brilliant blue of the ocean, I was blown away. I don’t know why the water here was so much more pristine and saturated than the other Uluwatu beaches.

But nevertheless, the vibrant sapphire water looked like something out of a postcard.

The northern side of the beach has a fancy resort where you can rent beach chairs and umbrellas. If you walk to the south, there are ragged cliffs and caves framed by more golden sand and turquoise water.

It’s also a popular surf spot and you can even book beginner surf lessons here.

After a quick swim in the waves, I relaxed with a book in the shade in one of the rocky caves. It was paradise!

Cemongkak Beach

• Entry fee: None
• Best for: An uncrowded sunset

Located right to the south of Dreamland Beach is Cemongkak Beach.

This lovely strip of sand is nestled in between Dreamland Beach and Bingin Beach. Because those two beaches are quite popular, Cemongkak Beach is usually uncrowded.

There are also no facilities at Cemongkok Beach which is probably why fewer tourists come here.

It’s a steep walk down the cliff to get here, or you can walk along the sand from Dreamland Beach or Bingin Beach at low tide.

The beach is lovely, but the highlight is watching the sunset from the top of the cliff overlooking Cemongkak Beach. The sunset spot is in Google Maps as “Sunset Point Pantai Cemongkak”. Just walk down the quiet Uluwatu streets, including a few rocky alleyways.

You’ll eventually emerge onto a wide open grassy cliff where a few other people might be hanging out for sunset. You get a perfect, unobstructed view of the sun drifting below the horizon with Cemongkak Beach in the foreground.

Bingin Beach

• Entry fee: None
• Best for: Beachfront meals and sunsets

Bingin Beach is another one of the best Uluwatu beaches! We spent a lot of time here and I definitely gained some leg strength from walking up and down the steep staircase.

Bingin Beach is pretty rocky, but the water is calm and clear. It’s a popular spot for surf lessons and board rentals, though the waves are often really small.

At the southern end of the beach there are some huge, uniquely shaped rocks and boulders that are cool to walk around. You also get an amazing sunset view here!

Bingin Beach has quite a few amenities as well. There are accommodations scattered throughout the nearby alleyways and lots of cafes and restaurants right on the beach.

Definitely come down to Bingin Beach at sunset for the seafood BBQ. Every night from 5pm to 10pm, the beachfront restaurant Lucky Fish Lounge sets their tables up on the sand.

You can select freshly caught seafood and the locals will grill it up over the fire and serve it with rice and veggies. It’s so delicious!

Padang Padang Beach

• Entry fee: 15,000 IDR per person (1.50 AUD /
• Best for: Beginner surfers and spotting monkeys

As one of the more touristy Uluwatu beaches, Padang Padang is pretty much always crowded. It also has one of the higher entry fees because it’s so popular.

But it’s a beautiful spot and worth visiting! We went to Padang Padang Beach once at midday and once at sunset.

At midday, Padang Padang Beach is insanely crowded. But the calm blue water, surrounding cliffs, and golden sand are gorgeous.

This is a great spot for surf lessons as the waves are small, the water is pretty deep, and there are lots of cheap board rentals and instructors. I rented a board and went out for a few waves with Matt. I’m not a great surfer but it was so much fun, despite how crowded the water was.

At sunset, there are lots of campfires, beach BBQs, and crowds of backpackers hanging out on the sand. You can’t see the sunset very well here because of the nearby cliffs, so I prefer Padang Padang during the day.

The steep stairs heading down to the beach are surrounded by lush vegetation. There are usually monkeys here, which is always fun to see. Just keep your belongings close or they will try to steal things from you!

Uluwatu Beach

• Entry fee: 5,000 IDR per person (0.50 AUD /
• Best for: Experienced surfers and clifftop cafes

Uluwatu Beach is the place to be for travelers, surfers, photographers, models, influencers, and all types of people that come to Bali.

This is one of the most famous spots for surfing in Bali. So naturally, I came here often to watch Matt surf. It wasn’t his favorite spot because there wasn’t much swell at the time and the waves were really crowded.

But the entrance to Uluwatu Beach is really cool! You start by walking down the concrete stairs that wind through a maze of clifftop cafes and souvenir shops. Eventually the stairs get rockier and steeper and you step down onto the sand.

Then it’s a narrow, cavelike strip of sand surrounded by jagged rocks before you reach Uluwatu Beach. At high tide there isn’t much sand at all here so people congregate in the shady caves at the entrance.

I personally thought Uluwatu Beach wasn’t that great for swimming or sunbathing because there are lots of rocks. And at high tide most of the sand is covered. But it’s popular for surfers or anyone looking for a unique beach view.

The best thing to do at Uluwatu Beach is hang out in the clifftop cafes. There is a great vibe here either for a chill morning coffee with a view or sunset drinks and DJs.

The beach is also near Uluwatu Temple, one of Bali’s top attractions.

Nyang Nyang Beach

• Entry fee: None
• Best for: A quiet, remote beach with no crowds

Nyang Nyang Beach is one of the best beaches in Uluwatu for escaping the crowds. Located near the southern end of Uluwatu, it’s far away from the popular tourist hubs of Bingin, Padang Padang, and Uluwatu.

You’ll probably need a motorbike or taxi to reach Nyang Nyang Beach as it’s further away from most accommodations.

There is a winding, incredibly steep road that leads down to the beach. So you don’t have to walk down any challenging stairs! However, you do have to be super careful driving your bike down the steep hill.

Once you arrive, you’ll find a long, tranquil beach with very few people around. Surfers come here to find waves that are more tranquil than busy Uluwatu Beach. But other than that you may find the beach to be completely deserted.

Nyang Nyang Beach is decent for swimming, but the shoreline is a bit rocky so it’s not the best swimming beach in Uluwatu.

Thanks for reading my list of the 6 best Uluwatu beaches in Bali!

Before traveling to Bali…

☼ Get travel insurance! Especially if you’ll be surfing or riding motorbikes. My favorite website for comparing plans is Squaremouth Insurance. Read my Budget Traveler’s Guide To Travel Insurance for more info on that topic.

☼ Apply for your visa before you arrive to save time at the airport. I cover how to do this in my list of Bali Travel Tips: Important Things To Know Before You Go.

☼ Book your airport transfers to also save time at the airport! It’s so easy and saves you lots of hassle once you arrive.

☼ Get a cheap SIM card so you can have directions as you drive around Uluwatu by motorbike. You can get one when you arrive, but I found it easier to get an eSIM and set it up the day before I left for Bali.