Bali’s position as a world-class surf destination is no secret, It’s been pulling surfers with its promise of amazing waves, culture, party scene, and cheap living for decades. While the island of the gods has lost some charm with the crowds and rapid development in the past few years, it’s still hard to beat as a world-class surf destination! Here’s everything you need to know for a surf trip to Bali. From where to stay, the sort of waves and crowd levels you can expect, and some typical costs involved. So, let’s dive in!
Overview
- Perfect waves
- Consistency
- Variety
- Crowds
- Traffic
Table of Contents
Best Surf Spots in Bali
Canggu
Arguably Bali’s most famous haunt. An ever-expanding surf and digital nomad hotspot, That seems to be getting bigger and bigger every day. While the craziness and traffic have somewhat diminished Canggu’s charm, the waves remain the same. If you’re a beginner or longboarder, head to Old Mans–a long fat, peeling whitewater that breaks over deep water, it’s the mellowest wave in the area.
For something with more juice, check out Echo Beach. Here, there’s a left reef at one end, a right reef on the other, with punchy sand-bottomed wedges in between. Which is pretty sick. But as you’d expect it’s stupidly crowded! Full Canggu surfing guide here.
Uluwatu
For some classic Balinese surfing, head down to Uluwatu, a wave that put surfing in Bali on the map, with those beautiful blue walls, reeling down the point, Temples at the top, before moving down to “The Peak” in the middle, then reeling down across the crazy shallow racetracks section on the inside. Elsewhere on the Bukit Peninsula, check out Padang Padang for freight train lefts, Bingin for a short version of the same as well as a number of other fun reef breaks. Learn more about surfing in Uluwatu.
Kuta
Kuta Beach is the OG surf spot in Bali, it’s here where all the accommodations used to be and where you stayed back in the day, way before I was born, but the long stretch of beach break is slap bang in the middle of the madness of Kuta, and let’s face it, not the nicest joint in the world. However, for beginners, Kuta Beach is a pretty sick place to learn or improve surfing. With long peeling white waters and countless places to hire equipment, it’s an easy palace to get introduced to surfing in Bali.
Keramas
Keramas is one of the funniest waves in the world, a wally, and sometimes hollow right, with the Komune Hotel perched right out the front. You can surf here all day at Keramas or the Car Parks peak down the beach, then post up in the pool with a beer and watch the action go down, which is pretty cool!
Nusa Lembongan
Just off the East coast of Bali, Nusa Lembongan is a stunning island, with crystal clear waters, and a variety of surf breaks to suit all abilities. Shipwrecks is a sick right-hander, with powerful waves for advanced surfers, while the aptly named Playgrounds provide something for Intermediates. Read my full breakdown to surfing in Nusa Lembongan here.
Where is Bali?
How to Get to Bali?
Flights
You can find pretty cheap flights to Bali, from major cities. If you’re in Australia you can find flights from Sydney or Melbourne for around $400usd or even cheaper from Perth. From elsewhere, you’ll obviously need to spend a bit more to come so far, from North America or Europe.
Getting Around
Moped
By far, the go-to mode of transport in Bali is the moped. You can hire these usually through your accommodation, and they can cost anywhere between $2 and $10 per day. Usually, the longer you hire your bike for, the cheaper it works out. I’d suggest just messaging your host when you book to try and get one arranged before you arrive. (remember to get one with surfboard racks though!
GoJek
Alternatively, if you don’t feel comfortable driving on the roads in Bali, which are insanely busy especially if you haven’t been there before, you can get a GoJek, which is essentially like Uber but for lifts and food delivery, where you can order a lift on the back of a moped, you’ll see the green uniformed drivers all over Bali! And the journies cost next to nothing, depending on where you’re going.
Taxis
You can also take taxis to be more comfortable on longer journeys. You can also hire a car, but to be honest, I wouldn’t recommend it as the roads are often narrow and the traffic so insane that you’ll spend less time driving and more time in traffic.
Where to Stay?
So, where should you stay for a budget surf trip in Bali? Well, when it comes to accommodation in Bali, you’re spoiled for choice! I love having my own room, even as a budget traveler, so my go-to spots include Bougainvillea on Batu Bolong, or if you’re on a super tight budget some of the cheapest hostels are mostly found in Canggu.
Check out The Farm Hostel for a lively, affordable, party-type vibe, Tribal Bali if you’re less focused on partying and wanna get work done. Or check out the cheapest surf hostels scattered around town on Hostelworld and or Booking.com which are two great sites I always use to book the cheapest accommodation.
Tips for Surfing in Bali
Crowds
On an island with such a huge tourist draw and surf infrastructure, It’s frickin crowded! And no, I’m not gonna be one of those people who moans saying it’s not how it used to be, one because I’m not old enough to remember it uncrowded and two I’m one of the people making up the crowd. I love Bali as much as the next man, but surfing at the main spots, Echo and Ulu’s is painful sometimes, particularly if it’s smaller, so it can be frustrating to surf sometimes.
Bali Surf Trip Cost Breakdown
So to tally things up for a week in Bali, obviously it will come down to how shoestring or how lavish you want to do it, but on a budget, here’s how an average week may look.
Accommodation – Private room at Bougainvillea $15 per night
Food – Restaurant meals 3 x per day @ $5 ($15) $105
Moped Hire – $5 per day $35
Massage – $10
Total = $265
Final Words
Thanks so much for watching and I hope you enjoyed this episode. Please fire away with any questions for scoring waves in Bali on a budget below. Or check out more Bali content on YouTube.
