Beaches in Uluwatu: What You NEED to Know
You’re finally ready to plan your trip to Bali and have heard only incredible things about the beaches in Uluwatu. I get it – I was SO EXCITED to spend a day beach-hopping when I first arrived in Bali… but I found it pretty difficult to find helpful information on the beaches in Uluwatu.
This post will share some of the logistical things you should keep in mind during your beach day in Uluwatu and highlight some of the best beaches in Uluwatu. And if you need help planning the rest of your trip, check out this super detailed Bali for First Timers Travel Guide!
If you’re like me and aren’t much of a sit-still-on-vacation kind of person, you can definitely do some beach hopping… I checked out all three of these beaches in one day with time for some delicious meals in between!
But, if you prefer a more relaxed beach vacation, watching the water and the waves, you can definitely take it slower and hang out at just one or two beaches for the day!
Table of Contents
Logistics You Should Know for the Beaches in Uluwatu
Entrance Fees
What I found during my day hopping around the beaches in Uluwatu was that I needed to have cash on hand! Most of the beaches had an entrance fee around 30-50K IDR (~$2-3 USD) per person.
When I visited in April 2024, cards were not accepted for entrance fees, so make sure you bring enough cash for your beach day!
Accessibility
One of the most beautiful things about Bali is the rugged, jungle landscape; the downside to this is that most of the beaches require some sort of short hike or stairs to reach. Be prepared for the short workouts – I was still fine in flip flops, but if you do need more accessible beaches, these are not going to be the best options for you.
Spend One Day Beach Hopping in Uluwatu
When my friend and I were in Bali, we spent our first 36 hours in Uluwatu – and I believe that spending one day beach hopping is the BEST way to avoid jet lag… You get to explore and take in the incredible island vibes, while also taking it a bit slower!
If you head to the same three beaches I did, you’ll be able to spend a few hours at each spot, grab some great food food in between, and end your evening at the most incredible sunset spot!
Also, if you’re looking for where to stay in Uluwatu so you can be well-located for your beach day, my friend and I stayed at The Tempekan Nyang-Nyang and really enjoyed it! It’s a smaller property, so very quiet and peaceful and has a small pool as well that you can enjoy!
Thomas Beach
After grabbing a breakfast at Suka Espresso, my friend and I headed to Thomas Beach. This was my favorite beach in Uluwatu for swimming!
We arrived around 9am, and were some of the only people there! It was amazing! Beautiful sand, rock formations in the distance, and when you swam in the ocean, you had the best view of beach umbrellas and the jungle!
How to Get There
If you start your morning with breakfast at Suka Espresso, you’ll have just a 5-minute walk to Thomas Beach down the road. Once you get to the parking area, you’ll find a cardboard sign near a set of stairs. Follow the steps down, and you’ll be on the beach! The sign may be hidden by the trees, so make sure to do a good sweep of the area!
If you’re not within walking distance, and feel comfortable driving a scooter, that’s a great way to get around; otherwise book a Grab Bike for the single trip or hire a private driver for the day!
When to Visit
I loved getting here in the morning while the beach was still quiet! We arrived around 9am and stayed for a few hours. The beach was just starting to get busier when we left around 12pm.
Cost
Entrance is free, but if you want to use one of the lounge chairs and umbrellas, it will run you 50K IDR (~$3 USD).
If you don’t want to pay for lounge chair access, you can walk a short distance to some empty beach space and set up your own spot. That being said, during high tide, there isn’t much beach space, so it probably is better to just rent a chair!
What to Do
Relax on one of the lounge chairs, swim, or take a short walk along the beach!
Word of Caution
The tide does get pretty high here and doesn’t leave a lot of beach space during high-tide! Rather than leaving bags and shoes on the ground, I recommend keeping them on your lounge chair, especially if you are going for a swim or walk!
Padang Padang Beach
Padang Padang is a MASSIVE beach that definitely gets packed, yet it felt like a must-see while we were hopping through the beaches in Uluwatu. I did enjoy my time on this beach, but truthfully, if I had to redo my day and needed to cut one of the beaches from my trip, it would be this one.
Since my friend and I had already left Thomas Beach to grab lunch (we ended back up at Suka Espresso because we enjoyed our breakfast so much 🤤), it made sense for us to head to another spot!
How to Get There
My friend and I ordered Grab Bikes which took us right to the entrance!
From there entrance, there are quiet a few stairs that you’ll need to take down to the beach itself.
When to Visit
We got there in the early afternoon and it was packed! There was still space on the beach to lay our towels down, but we had to hunt for it.
As is my normal recommendation for tourist-heavy attractions: earlier is usually better and less crowded. This is also a good sunset spot, but may still have some crowds around in the late afternoon.
Cost
Entrance was 30K IDR (~$2 USD).
What to Do
As I mentioned, this is a huge beach, so you can definitely just take the time to lay out a towel and relax. Grab a cool coconut to hydrate. Take a swim. Go surfing (I didn’t do this last one, so cannot confirm whether it’s beginner-friendly).
Word of Caution:
Monkeys… after being mugged by a monkey — read the story here — this one word is enough.
But for those of you who haven’t had the… pleasure… of that type of experience, just know: Monkeys are super smart, they love anything that is shiny, flashy (RIP my travel hand sanitizer), and that looks, smells, or tastes like food. And they will fight you for it. 🙃
So be aware of the monkeys around you, don’t feed them, and keep your food and valuables inside your bag!
Bingin Beach
Wide open sand, fresh-caught fish being grilled on the shore, stunning tide pools… yeah, you could say this was a top experience for me in Uluwatu!
My friend walked pretty far down the beach and found a small cove for us to relax in (there are also plenty of beach umbrellas for rent if that’s your preference!). We stayed for about an hour, chatted by the water, and then checked out the tide pools for cool critters!
When we started to feel hungry, we made our way back towards the entrance, spotted the coolers of fresh-caught fish, and smelled the grill at Lucky Fish Lounge. We decided to grab a table on the shore and enjoy one of the most delicious seafood dinners I’ve ever had while watching the sunset; it was a magical evening!
How to Get There
We used a Grab Bike to get to the Bingin Beach area, and then we started our descent down the many, many stairs to the beach. On the way down, we passed several cute restaurants built into the cliffs and when we finally got to the bottom, there were several areas with beach umbrellas.
When to Visit
As you can probably tell by my raving description of our experience at the beach that I’m pretty partial to late afternoon and sunset! I also loved exploring the tide pools… this was actually my first time ever doing that… so I would recommend checking the tides and seeing if you can time your visit with low tide!
Cost
Free entrance, but if you want an umbrella or lounge chair, I would expect to pay 30-50K IDR (~$2-3 USD) based on the other beaches we went to!
What to Do
Relax on the beach, try to spot critters in the tide pools, take out a surf board, or grab a phenomenal meal at one of the beachfront resturaunts!
Word of Caution
The rock formations that make this beach so magical to look at are not the most pleasant on bare feet… so it’s definitely worth bringing some water shoes if you plan on walking around on the rocks to explore the tide pools!
Other Beaches in Uluwatu
There are so many beaches in Uluwatu, so below I’ve categorized some of the best beaches into three groups depending on activity type, so you can decide exactly which beaches in Uluwatu are the right fit for you!
Surfing Beaches in Uluwatu
Surfing is what Uluwatu is known for… and here are the BEST beaches in Uluwatu if you want to spend time on a board exploring the surf break!
If you aren’t really sure what you’re doing, check out this 2-hour lesson with great reviews! I didn’t have time for a surf lesson on my trip to Bali, but wish I could have gotten some more experience, and, maybe, catch a wave or two!
Swimming Beaches in Uluwatu
If you’re looking to go from lounge chair to water, these are the beaches for you!
Party Beach Clubs in Uluwatu
If you’ve heard about the awesome beach parties in Bali, and are looking to experience them for yourself: Check out these spots!
I hope you enjoy your time beach-hopping around Uluwatu! If you’re looking for help planning the rest of your Bali trip, check out this super detailed guide for first timers!
FAQs
Can you swim in Uluwatu beaches?
Yes! You can definitely swim in the Uluwatu beaches! My favorite for swimming was Thomas Beach!
What are the best beaches in Uluwatu?
The answer depends on what your are looking for! For swimming and sunbathing, Thomas Beach was my favorite and Padang Padang is a popular spot. For views and tide pools, head to Bingin Beach. For surfing, you should check out Dreamland Beach or Suluban Beach
