2 Days in Uluwatu: Your Ultimate Itinerary for Beaches, Temples & Epic Sunsets

Magnificent cliffs, gorgeous beaches, sunsets that make you just want to stop and stare… Uluwatu is definitely worth adding into your Bali trip!

And this two day Uluwatu itinerary is just long enough to hit all the highlights while still planning some time to just… enjoy the relaxation.

You’ll get the laid back beach vibes and the cute cafes, a dose of adventure with a surf lesson, and top it all off with a cultural performance like no other – the traditional Kecak fire dance!

This Uluwatu itinerary balances activities and downtime, and I think it makes a perfect addition to a longer Bali itinerary; in fact, that is exactly the reason I loved coming to Uluwatu as the first stop on my own Bali trip!

2 Days: Highlights of Uluwatu Itinerary

Day 1 in Uluwatu

The first day of this Uluwatu is all about the beaches.

I like to think of this as a beach “sampler” because you’ll really do a little bit of everything:

• Spend your morning catching the waves at one of the many surfable beaches
• Relax and re-energize by lounging at Thomas Beach
• Explore tide pools and a breathtaking sunset at Binging Beach

Morning: Take a Surf Lesson

For shorter itineraries, I like to start off with something exciting that you can look forward to, which is why I think taking a morning surf is a great way to kick off an Uluwatu itinerary!

Uluwatu is well-known for its great breaks — good for beginners to advanced surfers, depending on the beach you choose!

If you’ve surfed previously and don’t need a lesson, head to one of the below beaches depending on your skill level:

• Dreamland Beach – has consistent waves and is a popular spot for surfing
• Padang Padang Beach – known for clean barrels and consistent waves in the Dry Season
• Suluban Beach – world class, challenging waves
• Nyang Nyang Beach — for advanced surfers only

Almost every surfable beach in Uluwatu will have a place to rent boards.

Otherwise, if you’ve never surfed or are relatively new to surfing, I recommend taking a surf lesson. I didn’t have the opportunity to take a lesson in Bali, but have taken a few lessons on other trips around the world, and I have to say standing on a surfboard is an absolute thrill!

I was so scared before my first surf lesson — and, truthfully, I didn’t even stand up on a surfboard until my second lesson — but it’s so fun to learn something new and develop a skill while you travel!

And if surfing is something you’ve ever thought about giving a try, Uluwatu is the place to try it!

Lunch: Local Warung or Cute Cafe

With all the energy you’ll have used for surfing, a food stop is the necessary next step in your Uluwatu itinerary.

I really enjoyed Suka Espresso while I was in Uluwatu. It’s a cute, roadside cafe with plenty of seating and a variety of food options.

I loved their smoothie bowls for dessert — they were fresh, flavorful, and the perfect meal to keep me cool in the Bali heat!

We actually stopped at Suka Espresso a couple of times while we were in Uluwatu, and I can confidently say that whether you go for breakfast and get a muesli or avocado toast, or you go later in the day and grab a bowl or a burger, the meal will be extremely satisfying!

If you’re craving a more authentic Indonesian meal, I highly recommend using Google Maps and Reviews to find a warung near you. Warungs are covered outdoor resturaunts that tend to serve more local meals, like Nasi Goreng.

While in Uluwatu, we went to Loka Warung, which was located near our accommodation, and thought it was delicious, but it may be out of the way for you depending on which beach you went to for your surf lesson.

Afternoon: Thomas Beach Chill Time

After lunch, it’s time for the more relaxing part of your beach day — head over to Thomas Beach!

If you ended up at Suka Espresso, Thomas Beach is super close: walk five minutes down a gravel path to a parking area and then take the stairs down the cliff to the beach.

This is the perfect spot to relax!

You can rent a sun bed for 50K IDR (~$3 USD) or you can just walk a bit farther down the beach and lay out a towel; there is a large sandy area that you can use.

Thomas beach tends to be a bit quieter than the some of the other Uluwatu beaches, has a long stretch of sand if you want to take a walk, and is great for swimming when you need to cool down!

Sunset & Dinner: Bingin Beach + Lucky Fish Lounge

Once you feel well-rested or just ready to move to the next stop, you’ll make your way to Bingin Beach.

It takes about 10 minutes to get to Bingin Beach from Thomas Beach — a perfect excuse to use Grab or Gojek ride shares!

Once you arrive at Binging Beach, you’ll have a lot of stairs to go down; it’s really the one downside to Bingin.

Again, you can rent a sun bed or umbrella. My friend and I just walked towards the end of the beach and found a nice shaded alcove where we set up our towels.

Bingin Beach is really cool because it has tons of rocky formations that create tide pools when the tide goes out. I saw so many people peeping into the tide pools trying to see what critters were inside!

Depending on the tide and water levels, you can also swim and surf at Bingin Beach, though I will say the rocks felt pretty rough on my feet so you may want to bring some sandals or water shoes with you for a more enjoyable experience.

Right before sunset, make your way over to Lucky Fish Lounge. My friend and I came upon it by accident as we were leaving Binging Beach and it was the best accident ever!

You’ll pick your fresh caught fish and find a table on the sand as your order is being grilled. Then you get to enjoy your casual meal with a great sunset view! It’s the perfect way to end a day!

Note: it looks like Lucky Fish is temporarily closed. There were a few other warungs located right on Bingin Beach, so I recommend trying one of them to still have a beautiful and casual sunset dinner.

Day 2 in Uluwatu

One thing about the way I travel is that I love to leave a bit of time to be spontaneous and choose an activity based on my mood, and I love to bring the same type of spontaneity into the travel intineraries I make for you!

Day two of this Uluwatu itinerary starts with a choose your own adventure to give you ideas on how you can customize this trip based on your interests, and then it will take you to the Uluwatu Temple for magical views and a beautiful performance.

Morning: Choose Your Adventure

There are several different ways you can start off your morning depending on your energy levels and your interests.

Option 1: More Beaches

Keep up the Uluwatu beach hopping and visit the iconic Padang Padang Beach. I have way more information about Padang Padang in my Uluwatu beach guide, but here are the highlights:

• Iconic Bali beach that gained popularity from it’s feature in the movie “Eat, Pray, Love”
• Has a fairly large beach area, and tourists come here to relax, surf, and swim
• The beach does get very busy, so I recommend going as early as possible to avoid the majority of the crowds

Option 2: Chase Views

If you’re looking for more of a soft adventure and want to chase views, use the morning to visit one (or more!) of the best viewpoints:

• If you’re up for sunrise, head to the Eastern part of the Bukit peninsula: Pandawa Beach or Sulaban Beach would be good options
• If you want a beautiful view without many crowds, Balangan Beach viewpoint would be a great choice for you
• Karang Boma is known as one of the best viewpoints in Uluwatu, but because it is Western-facing, it’s more of a sunset spot

If you want a mix of relaxation and views, you may want to check out one of the many beach clubs around Uluwatu: Sundays Beach Club and Single Fin are popular options!

Option 3: Grounding and Wellness

If you are looking for a wellness-focused morning, take a yoga class or get a Balinese massage!

I only went for one massage on the last day of my entire two and a half weeks in Bali, and I’m so sad I didn’t take the time for a couple more!

While I didn’t have my massage in Uluwatu, I think this would be a great morning activity! You can find so many masseuses in Uluwatu; it really is best to use Google Reviews to help you find the best option near your accommodation.

If you’re craving more of a movement-based wellness experience, take a yoga class!

There are many ways to do this, but a couple unique opportunities I found are:

• Puppy yoga in Uluwatu
• Booking a yoga-focused accommodation

Afternoon: Uluwatu Temple & Exploring the Grounds

In the afternoon, you’ll head over to the Uluwatu Temple.

The Temple opens for visitors at 4:30pm, and I suggest arriving by 5pm so can spend 45 minutes to an hour walking the grounds and enjoying the cliffside views.

The grounds are fairly large, so you can definitely wander a bit to try and get away from the crowds.

Just be warned, you may not be able to get away from the monkeys! 🐒

I had the unfortunate experience of being mugged by a monkey. Nothing serious, but it saw hand sanitizer swinging on the outside of my purse and decided to take the hand sanitizer for itself.

You shouldn’t run into issues, but make sure you don’t have anything flashy on your person, so you don’t attract the unwanted attention and can simply enjoy the monkeys’ cuteness!

Sunset/Evening: Kecak Dance at Uluwatu Temple

Once you’ve walked around the Uluwatu Temple, make your way into the auditorium for the Kecak Fire Dance.

If you want to learn more about the show, I’ve written about my Kecak dance experience here; I think it is a great way to round out an Uluwatu itinerary!

The Kecak dance is a unique cultural experience with chanting, dancing, and fiery moments!

I thought it was a fun mix of calming and hypnotic chants with chaotic fire dancing — truly unlike anything I’ve seen before!

Plus, having the sunset as a backdrop was absolutely incredible and added an extra element of fire and color to the show!

I do suggest booking your tickets to the performance in advance, so you don’t have to worry about it being sold out or waste time waiting in the long line when you could be exploring the Uluwatu Temple grounds!

Practical Tips for 2 Days in Uluwatu

Now that you have a plan for your days in Uluwatu, I did want to go over some more practical and logistical information that can help you have a smoother time!

Getting Around Uluwatu

There are a few different way to get around Uluwatu, and I think your best option will depend on where you stay in Uluwatu, as well as, your comfort driving yourself.

Uluwatu is pretty spread out, so if you’re staying in a more remote area, your best bet for transportation will either be renting a scooter yourself or hiring a private driver.

If you’re still figuring out where to stay, check out my Uluwatu accommodation recommendations next!

I’d only suggest renting a scooter if you have previous experience driving one. The traffic can be bad in certain areas of Uluwatu and the roads are very windy — this is not the place to learn how to drive a scooter.

Hiring a private driver can be great as they can take you through a customized itinerary. Meaning you could follow exactly what I’ve laid out here with the comfort of knowing you won’t need to deal with navigating yourself from place to place.

All that said, if you stay in a more central area of Uluwatu, like near the Temple or Bingin Beach, the easiest option for transportation will be Grab or Gojek ride shares.

These work just like Uber and you can be picked up by either a scooter or a car — I loved the scooter option, but a car may make more sense for a larger group!

Just know that if you have too far of a distance, drivers may cancel pickups, so this option is really best if you are more centrally located!

When to Visit Uluwatu

Uluwatu — and really Bali as a whole — has two main seasons: Dry Season and Rainy Season.

Dry Season runs from April through October, and Rainy Season is the opposite half of the year.

I visited in April and thought it was perfect! It’s technically the shoulder season, so we had fewer crowds, better pricing, and overall had very pleasant weather with only a few rainy days our whole trip!

If you want even less of a risk with the weather, you’ll want to book in the middle of Dry Season from June through August.

Just be aware that this coincides with the high season in Bali so you will be battling more crowds and may have inflated prices. Booking your accommodations and any activities in advance will help you have a smoother experience!

Is 2 Days Enough in Uluwatu?

Yes, I think two days is a perfect amount of time if you are on a longer Bali trip.

This will give you the time to see the highlights of the area, experience some down time, and even have a chance to catch a wave!

If you love the beach, want to visit one of the famous beach clubs like Single Fin or Sundays, or are just looking for the ultimate relaxation, then you may want to consider adding on another day or a few days to be able to bask in the chilled-out vibes of Uluwatu!

One thing that will impact your time in Uluwatu is where you decide to stay. Some properties are located in quieter, less trafficked areas which is great for relaxation, but makes getting around the region a bit more tricky.

Read this guide on where to stay in Uluwatu next so that you can pick the best accommodation for your travel style and get the most out of your two days!

Have more questions? Leave a comment below or send me an email! I love chatting with my readers 🙂