All across Bali, beaches invite everyone from locals, tourists, to that crowd who just keeps coming back to the Indonesian paradise. The place where sand and sea reside in harmony can be found throughout the island including Canggu and its neighboring area.
A stay at Canggu won’t be complete if you don’t to go to the nearest beach. Feel the sand in your toes, dip your feet at the shore, swim under the sun, surf the day away, watch the sunset, or even party. Where to? Relax, we got you covered. Here are the four beaches near Canggu that you have to visit when you are staying at one of the hippest places in Bali.
- Batu Bolong Beach
This is the go-to beach if you are staying in Canggu. Batu Bolong can be roughly translated to a stone with hole, the beach has black sand and perfect waves for surfing, whether you are a beginner or an expert. Don’t mix it up with Batu Bolong in Tanah Lot Temple.
Stalls, shops, cafes, bars, and lounge is scattered around the beach. Drink a whole coconut in the seaside stalls where locals serve you with a smile. Also, there are enough shops to rent surfboards or even some surfing lesson from Canggu locals. For those who want to learn to surf, this is the place!
Chill at cafes with a drink in hand, party at the favorite beachfront bar Old Man’s that was named after the surf break that moves like an old man at Batu Bolong! Have a sunset session at The Lawn beach lounge, swim, or just simply sit in the beach and enjoy the view for free.
For parking you have to pay 2.000 rupiah for motorcycle and 5,000 rupiah for car. With big space to park, it is located next to the temple named Pura Kahyangan Jagat Batu Bolong.
When the sun goes down and nighttime has arrived, places like Old Man’s, The Lawn, and Island Beach Bar change its mood to a party mood. When it’s getting darker, prepare for various dance music at Sand Bar where people dance on the sand while the waves swash away.
About the name Batu Bolong. If you visited there and wonder where is the stone with the hole, well, it doesn’t exist anymore. Robi, a local that gave daily religious offering in the beach said that there was a hole in one of the rocks but cease to exist after some natural changes on the
- Batu Mejan or Echo Beach
Call it Batu Mejan Beach or you can call it Echo Beach just like The Martha and the Muffin’s hit song. There’s cafes and bars such as Echo Beach Club with a fantastic view of the ocean from a reasonable height. Have some seafood barbecue, share some wine, or just catch some beers with friends
You can also go down and feel the sand on your feet, there are also shop and stalls all over the shore. There is also La Brisa, a beach club with pool that overlooks the sunset with regular parties at night.
If clubs and bar is not your thing and just want to chill under the sun or even get tan, there are sun loungers that you can get if you buy drinks such as coconut or beer.
Just like Batu Bolong Beach, you can also surf and swim in this black sand beach. With surf breaks and tubes of wave, Echo Beach is an excellent spot for surfers. Grab your surfboard, hang ten with a longboard or shred the wave with a fish.
But those who want to swim should be more careful because of strong currents. Remember, red flag means no swimming but you can still dip your feet or body at the shore.
The place is still situated in Canggu village, north of Batu Bolong. Without traffic you can reach the beach from Canggu with bikes for only 9 minutes. Pura Batu Mejan is also at the beach, if you park near the area prepare 2.000 rupiah for motorcycle.
North from Echo Beach there is Pererenan Beach that has a statue of Dewa Baruna riding a mythical fish with an elephant head called mina. Reachable by walking distance, the beach is also a great surfing spot, even the 2019 Deus Ex Machina 9ft and Single surfing competition was held in the Pererenan Beach.
- Berawa Beach
If you decided to go to Berawa Beach there are many spots you can choose from. Well there’s Berawa Beach that is located near a temple, the infamous Hidden Beach with a secret-ish entrance through some woods, and the one where Finn’s beach club resides. From Canggu to Berawa Beach would take about 15 minutes with a bike.
At Finn’s you can enjoy a luxury retreat with pool and an ocean view—drinks, music, and daybeds. Not far from there you can go to either Hidden Beach with beachfront bars or Berawa Beach that often has volley ball net with you can play with others.
Just like other beach that has become a top tourist destination, the beach bars in Hidden Beach such as Hidden Beach Bar and Amerta also offer sun loungers, chairs, and also bean bags. Enjoy some food and drinks with music that accompany each bar or shack. There are even some disc jockeys playing live in places like The Shack and Tukan.
Want to exercise at the beach? Some shack such as Agung’s also provide some work out equipment like dumbbells and bars. The whole beach is also a surf destination but if you want to swim, again be careful and just like before, playing in the shore is a-okay.
4 Batu Belig Beach
Out of Canggu, drive about 15 minutes with a bike to get to Batu Belig Beach that is located in Kerobokan. Prepare for flat gray-brown coloured sands with one of the best sunset view that you can find in Bali.
The place is spacious. At times when it’s not too crowded, you can feel the tranquility by just walking, sitting down, or laying down—all under the sun while the sea serenades. Favorite go-to places include the beach bar 707 and a beach club with a pool and bright colors named Tropicola.
Party or relax, a choice that you can also get in Batu Belig Beach. Not like the other three, the beach near Seminyak has a calming atmosphere. Surfing is possible although there are not much people who surf in this beach—it can be a good or a bad thing but differs from one person to another.
Go south to Seminyak and find big beach club names such as Potato Head and W Bali. Other restaurant, bars, and cafes are also spread throughout Seminyak near Batu Belig Beach. To have peace and quiet until the sun sets, have a bite at the many selection of restaurants on the way, and party on when the night time struck sounds like a great plan. How about it then?
