Best Quiet Beaches in Bali
Quiet Beaches in Bali: Uncrowded Shores on the Bukit and Beyond
Bali's reputation for overcrowded tourist beaches is well-earned in Kuta and Seminyak, but the island conceals a remarkable number of genuinely quiet beaches that require only a willingness to walk down a flight of steps or drive an hour from the main resort zones. The Bukit Peninsula in the south is particularly rich in cliff-base beaches accessible by staircase, many of which remain quiet throughout the day because the physical descent discourages casual visitors. The northeast coast around Amed has a completely different character from the tourist south: black volcanic sand beaches backed by fishing villages, almost no development, and a diving and snorkelling scene of exceptional quality with only a fraction of the visitor numbers the south attracts.
Top Quiet Beaches in Bali
Bingin Beach
On the Bukit Peninsula, Bingin is accessible by walking down a long staircase from the cliff-top road, a descent that effectively limits visitors to those with a commitment to surf, snorkel, or simply seek out something genuinely beautiful and relatively uncrowded. The beach is a narrow strip of sand backed by surf-camp bungalows carved into the cliff, and the wave that breaks across the reef in front of it is considered one of the best left-handers in Bali. At seven in the morning, before the day heats up, the beach is at its most magical: very few people, extraordinarily clear water catching the early light, and an atmosphere of serious surf culture rather than tourist resort activity. Non-surfers can snorkel the reef or simply swim in the calm sections adjacent to the break.
Gunung Payung Beach
In the far south of the Bukit Peninsula, Gunung Payung is accessible via a fifteen-minute walk from the road through dry scrub and down a cliff path that most tourists pass without noticing. The beach is wide, the sand clean and golden, and the water a clear turquoise that belies the wildness of the surrounding landscape. The complete absence of any commercial development, sun beds, or beach bars means the experience here is entirely natural: you, the ocean, and the dramatic limestone cliffs above. The walk back up in the midday heat requires respect for the Bali sun, so early morning or late afternoon visits are strongly advisable. For those who prioritise natural beauty over facilities, Gunung Payung is one of the finest beaches on the entire island.
Amed
On the northeast coast of Bali, Amed is a series of small fishing villages strung along a few kilometres of black volcanic sand beach with a character entirely unlike the tourist south of the island. The volcanic sand is dark and unusual, the village life genuinely unperformed, and the coral gardens immediately offshore some of the richest and least damaged in Bali. The dive and snorkel scene around the Japanese WW2 shipwreck off Tulamben, thirty minutes further up the coast, draws specialist divers, but the beaches of Amed itself remain quiet and local in character. The view from the beach across the Lombok Strait to the perfectly conical Gunung Rinjani volcano on a clear morning is one of the most spectacular in Indonesia.
Discover Bali's Quiet Shores
Find peaceful accommodation beyond the resort zones at /en/hotels, and explore all Bali beaches at /en/beaches/indonesia.