overview
Bali has a wide variety of beaches as the tropical coral island of volcanic origin, in colors and the sand you can find on them. Before visiting Bali, people often have false expectations about exclusively bright white beaches with turquoise water. Upon arrival, they are disappointed to find black beaches they had no idea about. We hope this Guide sheds some light on the perceptions of Balinese beaches. While Bali doesn't have pure white beaches like from a catalog, as you're more likely to find those in other parts of Indonesia, it still offers beautiful coastal areas. Most of Bali's beaches are made of black sand, which has its unique charm with the white contrasting foam of the ocean.
This Guide is divided into the following sections:
Colors & Types
Bali offers a wide range of beach colors, which differ in whether they are made of sand or rounded rocks.
Bright "White" Beaches
The lightest beaches of Bali are the ones that look the most exotic and best evoke a tropical holiday. They also get you the most likes on social media. :) Ironically, there are a few of them in Bali. Most are made of fine to coarse sand; if you look closely at them, you can often see millions of tiny particles of shells and coral. But the beaches aren't white; they're more of a pale yellow.
Locations of "white" beaches:
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South Bali, around the whole southern peninsula called Bukit (translates as "hill" in Indonesian)
Green Bowl Beach
Balangan Beach
Bingin Beach
Pandawa Beach
Nyang Nyang Beach
Thomas Beach
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Northwest Bali around the West Bali National Park and Menjangan (Deer Island)
Menjangan Island
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Nearby islands of Bali Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Ceningan, and Nusa Penida
Atuh Beach Nusa Penida
Kelinking Beach Nusa Penida
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Bias Tugel Beach* and Blue Lagoon Beach* near Padang Bai Harbour
Bias Tugel Beach (White Sand Beach)
Candidasa Beach
Virgin Beach
(*) these last four beaches usually have some black sand mixed in
💡 Interesting fact: Hints of black volcanic sand are often found on the southern beaches.
Dreamland Beach with black sand mixed in
Yellow "Golden" Beaches
The yellow beaches are the transition between the lightest and the darkest. They have shades of yellow to grey-yellow, called "golden," and are in the southern part of the island. These beaches are usually only sandy.
Locations of "golden" beaches:
Kuta Beach
Canggu Beach
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In the southeast of the island around the Sanur area
Sanur Beach
Black Beaches
Beaches of black volcanic sand are the most common in Bali and can be found in all other coastal locations. The most common is fine black sand, which occasionally turns into coarser sand. On the southwest and north coasts, you may sometimes come across pebble beaches, for example, at the spots Amed or Tulamben that divers favor.
Purnama Beach
Sorso Beach
Seseh Beach
Keramas Beach
Amed Beach
Pulaki Beach
All beach areas by color are shown in the map below.
Tides
Many of Bali's beaches are influenced by the height of the sea or ocean and the tides, which vary significantly in some parts of the island.
Some beaches in Bali, especially in the southern part of the island, practically disappear under the water at high tide and cannot be accessed. Such beaches are Green Bowl and often Nyang-Nyang or the adjacent Nungalan. So we recommend keeping an eye on the tide and its height at these particular beaches, especially in the case of Green Bowl. It can save you hundreds of steps walking down (and then up) for no reason in case of high tide.
The tide also affects the conditions of the beach. There can be bigger waves and stronger currents at high tide, for example, again in the south of the island or even in Canggu and further north. You may see red flags waving on the beaches in touristy areas, warning of dangerous currents, and no swimming at that point.
Respect the flags "Swimming Prohibited"
⚠️ Warning: We strongly recommend that you respect the bans. Currents can be very tricky. Often, tourists ignore them and then unnecessarily risk their and other people's lives when rescuing them.
💡 Tip: If you get caught in a sea current that pulls you out to the open sea from the beach, never swim against it to the shore. You'll get exhausted, and you won't beat the current anyway. Swim along the coast out of the current. There is a good chance you will get out of the current quickly and swim calmly to the beach. The currents tend to be relatively narrow. More info about rip currents can be found in the Safety Guide.
In contrast, the low tide creates lovely natural pools on many beaches where you can swim or watch the underwater life while snorkeling or strolling on the hard sand.
Nyang Nyang Beach during low tide
💡 Tip: For tide tracking, we recommend website tide-forecast.com
Cleanliness
In general, the beaches in Bali are relatively clean and very photogenic. However, the perception of cleanliness is very individual, and what is clean for one person may be beyond dirty for another. It also depends on the set expectations one comes to Bali with. Therefore, take advantage of this Guide and set your expectations according to the attached photos. Then you will not be disappointed by any clash with reality.
Several factors affect the overall cleanliness of Bali's beaches, including:
Rainy Season (November to March)
During the rainy season, heavy rainfalls increase the flow of rivers inland, taking mainly wood and trash with them to the ocean and sea, which then washes back onto the beaches. So you can often find beaches with layers of primarily plastic waste mixed with wood and seaweed. During the rainy season, the ocean currents are also slightly different, occasionally bringing floating trash from neighboring islands (mainly Java).
Common waste on the beach during rainy season
Dreamland Beach during rainy season
Dry Season (April to October)
During the dry season, the beaches are at their cleanest. Due to low rainfall, practically no garbage from inland enters the ocean/sea. However, it can still happen that currents wash trash already in the ocean onto the beaches.
Plastic waste on Nyang Nyang Beach during dry season
Distance from Tourist Spots
Beaches near touristy places are usually cleaner and better maintained. Very often, they are cleaned by the people from the village responsible for it or directly by the adjacent hotels. On the other hand, wild beaches away from tourist interest can sometimes be clogged with wood and small plastic waste, even during the dry season. However, the pollution is insignificant.
Be aware that there are commonly free-roaming dogs on the beaches of Bali, but they are not aggressive and most likely will only notice you if you throw them the rest of your lunch food. :)
Activities
Balinese beaches offer a variety of activities to do on them:
Swimming
To swim in the ocean/sea, the waves must not be too big and wild, the water level must be high enough not to scratch your belly on coral, and there must not be dangerous currents. Beaches with good conditions for swimming can be found mainly in the southern part of Bali in the areas of Nusa Dua, Jimbaran, Sanur, in the northeast Candidasa, Amed, Tulamben, and practically the entire northern coast up to Pemuteran. These beaches are also very suitable for families with children.
Of course, you can also swim at the other beaches, but it will probably not be a calm swim, but rather a rocking with the waves.
Running
Beaches suitable for running have hard sand, which does not rub your feet, so there is no risk of ankle sprains or other injuries. These beaches include, for example, those in the Canggu area and those to the north and northwest. If it is low tide, this consists of the area up to Soka and Balian beaches. You can also jog on beaches northeast of Sanur, such as Purnama, Saba, Keramas, and beyond. These are also ideal for the sport at low tide.
On the other hand, the southern beaches around the Bukit peninsula are not very suitable for jogging. They have deep sand where your feet sometimes sink up to your ankles.
Surfing
Beaches and places suitable for surfing are listed in the Surfing Map.
Horse Riding
You can take a romantic horseback ride on the beach at sunset in Bali, for example, around Pigstone Beach, Saba Beach, and Sanur Beach.
Horse riding in Bali
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MAp
Map of areas by the color of beaches you can find in Bali.
White: The brightest "white" beaches in Bali
Yellow: "Golden" beaches with yellow sand or a mix of yellow and black
Black: Beaches with black volcanic sand
Can't you see the map? Google can be stubborn. Try this link.
