18 Best Things to Do in Uluwatu 2026: Beaches, Kecak & Entry Fees

You'll see it from the plane: the Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue shows the Hindu god Vishnu riding the mythical bird Garuda, and at 121 m including its pedestal it's one of the tallest statues in the world. Sculptor Nyoman Nuarta worked on it for almost three decades, and President Joko Widodo inaugurated it in September 2018.

The park is built inside an old limestone quarry with giant cut-stone walls, and it stages cultural performances from 10 AM, plus two shows at 6 PM: a daily Kecak and the BarAong show from Wednesday to Saturday. For the best view, book the Top of Statue tour, which takes you inside to the 9th and 23rd floors.

Uluwatu's most famous evening starts in a clifftop amphitheatre 70 m above the Indian Ocean. A chorus of men chanting cak-cak-cak, with no gamelan, tells the story of the Ramayana as the sun goes down, ending with the monkey-god Hanoman's fire scene.

The show runs every day from 6 PM to 7 PM (except on Nyepi and the day before) and the gate opens at 4 PM. Seats are first come, first served, so arrive by 5 PM. The official booth at the temple entrance sells tickets, mostly for cash, and some platforms offer online pre-booking.

A staircase winds down past surf shops and clifftop bars to Suluban, a tiny beach inside a limestone cave at the foot of the cliffs. Surfers head out from here to the Uluwatu break, a powerful left-hand reef wave first surfed in the 1970s and one of the most consistent in the world.

It isn't a swimming beach: the surge rushes through the cave and the reef is shallow, so explore at low tide. For sunset, stay up top at Single Fin, the cliffside bar above the break.

Perched on the cliff above Suluban, Single Fin looks straight down on the Uluwatu break, and its decks are where surfers, families and sunset crowds meet at the end of the day. The bar takes its name from the single-fin boards ridden by the first surfers here in the 1970s, and it hosts the annual Uluwatu Single Fin Classic each August.

We'd arrive at 4 PM, when the music starts and the light turns gold over the lineup. Wednesdays and Sundays are party nights that run until 2 AM, so book ahead if you want a table at the railing.

You have to earn Green Bowl. On Uluwatu's quieter south-eastern side, about 300–350 stone steps lead down through the jungle to a wide bay with sea caves at the foot of the cliff and reef pools at low tide. One of the caves holds a small shrine.

Go at low to mid tide, as high tide covers most of the sand. Currents here are dangerous and there are no lifeguards, so stay in the shallows.

For a sunset with nothing between you and the horizon, head to Karang Boma, a grassy headland a few minutes from Uluwatu Temple with views straight down the cliffs to the Indian Ocean. The headland is now a managed clifftop park with a café, Copy House, which opens at 3 PM and has mat seating on the grass.

Karang Boma also stages its own Kecak dance on the clifftop in the evening, a smaller alternative to the temple show. Come from about 5 PM for golden hour, and stay well back from the edge, as the drop to the sea is sheer.

A long curve of golden sand runs beneath green cliffs at Balangan, on the peninsula's west coast, with a clifftop viewpoint at one end. It faces west, so it's one of the best beaches in Uluwatu for sunset.

The left-hand reef break suits intermediate surfers, and surf schools run beginner lessons here. The bottom is reef and very shallow at low tide, so swim at mid to high tide and bring reef shoes.

If you remember Bali's 'abandoned plane' in a quarry at Kutuh, it's gone. In 2021 the ex-Mandala Airlines Boeing 737 was taken apart and moved to the clifftop above Nyang Nyang Beach, where it's now the Private Jet Villa, a two-bedroom luxury stay with an infinity pool and a cockpit jacuzzi.

The villa is private, so don't walk into the grounds. Instead, see the plane from Nyang Nyang below, one of Uluwatu's longest and emptiest stretches of sand, reached by a long cliff trail or a steep concrete road. There's no lifeguard, so go no deeper than your waist.

Bali's six key directional temples include Pura Luhur Uluwatu, perched on a 70 m cliff at the island's south-western tip and linked to the 16th-century priest Dang Hyang Nirartha. Its name comes from ulu (head or top) and watu (stone).

Only worshippers may enter the inner temple, but the clifftop paths have some of the best sunset views in Bali. Sarongs and sashes are provided at the entrance.

A narrow staircase squeezes through a crack in the limestone to Padang Padang (officially Labuan Sait Beach), a small white-sand cove with clear water, lifeguards, showers and toilets.

The water near the shore is usually calm, while out on the reef the famous Padang Padang left is a barrelling wave for experts only. Watch the tide if you explore the rocks, as the rising tide can cut you off.

No stairs at all: a road cut through the limestone cliffs leads straight down to Melasti, with a big car park next to the sand. With a calm lagoon inside the reef, rock pools at low tide and beach clubs along the shore, no beach in Uluwatu is easier for families.

There's a Kecak dance at Melasti too, a less crowded alternative to the temple show. App rides can drop you at the beach but rarely collect, so arrange your ride back.

The road to Pandawa is carved through the cliffs, with statues of the five Pandawa brothers from the Mahabharata set into the rock. Below is a long white beach with a lagoon for swimming and canoeing at low tide.

Lifeguards are on duty during the day, which few Uluwatu beaches can offer. The beach faces south-east, so come for sunrise or a morning swim.

Gunung Payung lies on the quieter south coast near Pandawa: a wide stretch of white sand under green cliffs, run by the traditional village of Kutuh. It is far less busy than its neighbours, with rocks at the water's edge and clear water when the sea is calm.

Walk down the long flight of stone steps from the car park, or take the shuttle. There are warungs and sunbeds on the sand. The gate opens early, so come in the morning for the calmest water and the most space.

There are almost no stairs down to Dreamland, below the Pecatu Indah resort, which makes it one of the easiest Uluwatu beaches to reach. It has a wide stretch of sand, loungers and warungs. Surf schools use its beach break for beginner lessons.

The shorebreak is powerful and rips form on big-swell days, so swim only when it's calm and obey the red flags. It's busiest from 11 AM to 3 PM, and the car park fills by midday at weekends.

Look for the lane opposite Suka Espresso: about 130–175 concrete steps lead down to Thomas Beach, a laid-back stretch of sand between Padang Padang and Suluban, with giant limestone boulders on the reef.

It faces west for sunset and is calmest in the middle, near the stairs, at mid to high tide. There are no lifeguards, and new villas are going up on the surrounding cliffs.

The reef breaks at Uluwatu, Padang Padang, Bingin and Impossibles put Uluwatu among the world's great surf destinations, and they are strictly for experienced surfers. Beginners don't miss out: local surf schools take small groups to gentler waves at Balangan, Dreamland and the inside section of Padang Padang, choosing the spot to suit the tide.

Lessons usually last 1.5–2 hours and include a board, a rash guard and a coach in the water. The best season is April to October, when the south-east trade winds blow offshore.

An inclinator lift (or 270 steps) drops you down the cliff to Sundays Beach Club, set on a white-sand cove with red-and-white sunbeds, free kayaks and paddleboards, live music from 5 PM and bonfires from 6:30 PM. The day pass includes credit to spend on food and drink.

For a party, El Kabron, open since 2011, has a clifftop pool and sunset sessions, and Savaya, about 100 m above the ocean, is a 21+ day club with ticketed events. Our guide to the best beach clubs in Bali covers the rest.

Daybeds, cabanas and a cocktail bar face the Indian Ocean across the two oceanfront decks of Ulu Cliffhouse, an adults-only pool club a few hundred metres along the cliffs from Single Fin. Resident DJs play from the afternoon into sunset.

Book a daybed for up to four or a cabana for up to six; both carry a minimum spend on food and drink. Mondays bring the Off Duty Club house session from 1 PM, and from 4 PM burnt cooks dinner over fire.