Bali Surf Trip Guide: Seasons, Visas and What It Really Costs

Uluwatu

World-class reef, a clifftop full of remote workers, and a famous wave that most visitors have no business paddling out at.

Uluwatu is the southern tip of the Bukit Peninsula: limestone cliffs, warm water, and a run of reef breaks that catch every swell the Indian Ocean sends from May to September. It is one of the best stretches of surf on the planet, and it has quietly become one of the more liveable remote-work bases in Bali — quieter than Canggu, more spread out, and considerably more dependent on having your own transport.

Best for: Confident intermediate and advanced surfers — the reef here is genuinely world-class from May to September; Remote workers who want quiet over convenience and are happy on a scooter

• A Day Here
• Things to Do
• Where to Eat

Canggu

Black sand, the softest learners' wave in Bali, three punchy reefs a short walk from it, and the worst traffic on the island.

Canggu is a flat, dark-sand stretch of the west coast between Berawa and Pererenan, and it is where most people who learn to surf in Bali actually learn. The sand is black volcanic grit rather than the white coral sand of the brochures, the coast faces the same direction along its whole length, and the waves are beach breaks and shallow rock shelves rather than the deep-water reef of the Bukit Peninsula.

Best for: Genuine beginners — Batu Bolong and Old Man's are the softest, most forgiving waves in southern Bali, and there is no reef to fall on; Remote workers who want fast internet, a coworking desk within walking distance and other people around

• Things to Do
• Sunset Bars & Beach Clubs
• Where to Eat

Seminyak

Three kilometres of sandbank, a five-star strip behind it since 1978, and an address that says Kuta for reasons nobody explains.

Seminyak is about three kilometres of straight, west-facing sand with shifting banks in front of it and a hotel strip behind. The bottom is sand the whole way, the water sat at 26.8°C the morning this page was written, and you can be out of the water and at a table in ten minutes without getting on a scooter. For a lot of people that combination is the whole point.

Best for: Improving beginners who want nothing harder than sand underneath them: every break on this stretch is sand-bottom; Anyone who wants to walk from a hotel to the beach, dinner and a spa without riding anywhere

• Where to Eat
• Sunset Bars & Beach Clubs
• Best Cafés

Ubud

Rice terraces, temples and some of the best dinners in Bali, about an hour and a half from the airport and nowhere near a wave.

Ubud is an inland town in Gianyar Regency, about 210 m above sea level, with no beach. Wikipedia puts the district's population at 74,800 and describes it as an arts and culture centre, with yoga, museums and the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival as the draws. Bali Holiday Secrets describes it as surrounded by jungle and rice terraces.

Best for: Culture seekers and nature lovers: temples, rice terraces, museums and dance are the reason Ubud is on the map; Couples and families, which Bali Holiday Secrets names among the people Ubud suits

• Where to Eat
• Cafés & Coworking
• Bars & Nightlife

Nusa Lembongan

Three reef breaks off one stretch of coast, half an hour by fast boat from Sanur.

Nusa Lembongan is a small island off Bali's east coast, and for a surfer it's a rare setup: three reef breaks in a row off the northwest coast, around Jungut Batu. Shipwrecks, Lacerations and Playgrounds are close enough together that you can pick between them on the day. Across a footbridge, Nusa Ceningan has a fourth.

Best for: Intermediate surfers who want several reef breaks within paddling or a short boat ride of one beach; Surfers coming from Canggu or Uluwatu who want a slower island for a few days

Gili Islands

Three car-free islands off Lombok, a fast boat from Bali, and some of the clearest water you can snorkel.

The Gili Islands are three small islands off the north-west coast of Lombok, a fast boat ride east of Bali. There are no cars or motorbikes, you can snorkel with turtles off the beach, and each island has its own pace: Gili Trawangan is the biggest and liveliest, Gili Meno the smallest and quietest, and Gili Air somewhere in between.

Best for: Snorkelling and diving trips: turtles, clear water and an underwater sculpture garden; A few slow days between Bali and Lombok, with no traffic