A Guide to Uluwatu: The Best Bali Beach Destination

Uluwatu is the best destination in Bali, Indonesia for beautiful coastal scenery! It is known for its dramatic cliff top views, vast beaches, and incredible surfing. The southern coast is lined with charming, cliffside beaches that are some of the finest on the entire island!

We found Uluwatu to be one of the most laidback locations we visited in Bali, which is great when you don’t like big crowds of people and crazy traffic.

A little bit about Uluwatu:

In Balinese, ‘Ulu’ translates to ‘lands end’ and ‘Watu’ means ‘rock’, which is how Uluwatu got its name. It is located at the southern tip of Bali and it has enchanting seaside cliffs.

Uluwatu was “discovered” as a surfing destination in 1972. Today, Uluwatu is one of the most popular surf destinations in all of Bali, with surfers visiting from all over the world.

If you are looking for a chill beach destination, full of laid back surfer vibes and great restaurants, then be sure to visit Uluwatu! It is for sure a bucket list destination!

Read our other blogs for more destinations in Bali:

Where is Uluwatu, Bali?

Uluwatu is located on the south-western tip of the Bukit Peninsula of Bali, Indonesia. Located in the heart of the Kuta South District, it is roughly 35 kilometers (21.75 miles) south of Canggu and 53 kilometers (32.93 miles) south of Ubud.

How to Get to Uluwatu

If you fly into Denpasar, the Ngurah Rai International Airport, it is a 35 minute drive with no traffic, but this can vastly differ depending on the time of day and traffic. We found that it was best to drive in the early morning before the traffic would get too bad. A 35 minute drive can easily turn into a 2 hour drive in Bali.

If you are arriving in Bali and your first destination is Uluwatu, I recommend getting a Grab from the airport to your accommodation. Once you arrive in Uluwatu, you can rent a scooter. Be aware that Uber or Lyft do not exist is Bali!

Where to Stay in Uluwatu

We stayed in a very budget friendly villa that I wouldn’t necessarily recommend. I always recommend using Booking.com to find an accommodation that is right for you and your budget! We used Booking for all of our stays in Bali. There is a great variety of options.

Getting Around Uluwatu

I 100% recommend renting a scooter to get around Uluwatu, however I wouldn’t suggest driving with all of your bags! The traffic is much calmer on this part of the island (at least in our experience). We rented a scooter for the entire month we were in Bali and the cost came to $2.60 USD a day.

In my other Bali blogs, I have suggested to only rent a scooter if you are comfortable driving it in crazy traffic, but we really did not experience this in Uluwatu.

Best Beaches in Uluwatu

Suluban Beach

Suluban Beach was one of the coolest beaches, and it is definitely popular among surfers! You have to walk down a lot of steps, then you end up in this beautiful cave like crevice where the sea is washing up. It is not really for swimming or sunbathing, but if you want a beautiful view, you have to check it out!

If you are coming to Bali for the world-class surfing, this beach was the entrance for surfers going out to catch the best break in October. The waves were big and the break was long!

To top it off, above the cliffs at Suluban Beach lies endless restaurants and surf shops! It makes for a beautiful afternoon to watch the surfers and the sun go down over the ocean.

Padang Padang Beach

Padang Padang is one of the most popular beaches in Uluwatu, and it is also known for its surfing. Again, there are lots of stairs to walk down and the beach is small, beautiful, and clean. There are also lots of monkeys around! When we were there, some locals were performing a Hindu offering ceremony that was fascinating to watch.

Balangan Beach

Balangan Beach was only a 5 minute drive from our accommodation, and it was a stunning one! The beach is almost half a kilometer long, making it an ideal spot for a calming walk along the ocean. Right next to the beach, there is a cliff overlook that is perfect for watching the sunset!

Nyang Nyang Beach

Nyang Nyang Beach was one of our favorites. Words can’t even describe this hidden gem. An immense white sand beach at the base of a towering cliff, with what seemed like endless tide pools.

It is not much of a swimming beach, but it was calm and beautiful. The rocky shore was full of little tide pools that were crawling with sea life. The views were incredible.

To get to this beach was not without a bit of effort. In the hot sun, we walked down a steep road for 30 minutes before arriving to the beach entrance. Little did we know, that we could have actually drove our scooter all the way down!

Dreamland Beach

Dreamland Beach was my favorite beach in Uluwatu for swimming in the clear, blue water. The water here was amazing, and it is one of the best beaches for lounging and soaking up some sun.

We rented some lounge chairs and an umbrella to hang out for the day, read, and swim. I could have relaxed at this beach for an entire week!

Bingin Beach

Bingin Beach is another great spot for swimming, lounging, or surfing. The beach is lined with restaurants too, which makes it a great spot to hang out for the day. I sat at a restaurant balcony and enjoyed a fresh coconut while watching Jake surf.

Uluwatu Temple & Kecak Fire Dance

While in Bali, it is a necessity to go to a traditional dance show, and the Uluwatu Temple has one of the best Balinese dance shows! It takes place at sunset and is called the Kecak Fire Dance.

The Kecak dance is a mixture of song, dance, and theatre. It is composed of a choir of 70 men and has origins in the old ritual dance “Sanghyang,” in which the dancers fall into a trance.

The Kecak dance tells a story about Rama, the prince of Ayodya. He was exiled from the throne. His loyal wife, Sita, and brother, Laksamana, follow him into the forest where the demon king, Rahwana, lusts after the beautiful Sita. They end up kidnapping Sita, and it becomes a battle to get her back.

Before entering the show, they hand out a paper explaining the dance in more detail, so you understand the story behind what is happening.

The show happens every night, starting at 6 pm. I had read that they only start selling tickets an hour prior to the beginning of the show, so we arrived at 5pm to secure our tickets and walk around the beautiful temple before the show began.

We loved the show, and highly recommend it to anyone visiting Uluwatu! Just be careful of the monkeys when leaving the show, they will take you for anything you have. We witnessed them steal a woman’s glasses, and while the couple was trying to get the glasses back, they almost got their phone ripped out of their hands by another monkey!

Best Food in Uluwatu

Nourish Cafe & Pizzeria

Nourish Cafe & Pizzeria was a delicious dinner spot for pizza and drinks. The pizza was very good, and they had live music playing while we were there. If you are in the mood for pizza, I definitely recommend it. We stopped here for dinner after leaving the Uluwatu Temple Kecak Fire Dance Show.

Cafe La Pasion

Cafe La Pasion was close to our villa and it had great food options! We actually ended up eating here twice, once for tacos and once for burgers, and both were very good!

The Cashew Tree

The Cashew Tree is in a secluded and quiet spot, and the menu is filled with delicious clean food options. We had dinner here one evening, and the food was amazing.

The Loft

The Loft was one of our absolute favorite breakfast spots. I think we had breakfast and a coffee here 3 different times and it never disappointed. Amazing coffee and breakfast options. We tried the smoothie bowls and the savory breakfast plates, and my mouth is watering thinking about it!

Suka Espresso

Suka Espresso was another delicious spot! We stopped here for lunch and the poke bowls were so fresh and good!

Uluwatu is one of the best destinations in Bali. We loved our visit here! From the beautiful cliffside beaches, chill surfing vibes, to the delicious restaurant options, how could you not want to come here?!

Which Uluwatu Beach would you go to first?

– Morgan