Top 15 Fun Things To Do In Uluwatu, Bali
It might not be as much of a magnet for beach-seeking tourists as Seminyak or Canggu, but there’s no shortage of fun things to do in Uluwatu. With clifftop views and white-sand coves, it’s got a fantastic range of natural beauty spots, as well as a handful of cultural experiences that shouldn’t be missed.
In this post, I’ll take you through the best things to do in Uluwatu, from swimming at Bingin Beach to chowing down on local cuisine at a traditional warung. Let’s dive in!
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Before you go:
🏨 Affordable hotel: Uluwatu Desa
🛂 Apply for the required visa here to enter Bali ahead of time.
🚖 Pre-book your airport transfer to your hotel
🚗 Rent a Scooter: You’ll need to rent a scooter to get around!
🧷 Travel Insurance with SafetyWing in case of any accidents. Better safe than sorry!
📱Mobile eSIM card to stay connected for less than $1 a day. There’s no hassle of changing out your physical sim card!
💜 Best time to visit Bali: May to August to avoid rainy season
Top 15 Things to Do in Uluwatu
Uluwatu is home to some of Bali’s best beaches – and that’s saying something on an island where there’s no shortage of beautiful, sandy shorelines. It’s one of my favourite places in Bali for a chill downtime.
But there are lots of other reasons to stay in Uluwatu beyond the beaches. This part of the Bukit Peninsula also boasts one of Bali’s oldest temples, a cultural park with regularly scheduled traditional performances, and some of the best waves for more advanced surfers.
1. Spend a Day at a Beach Club
The area around Uluwatu is home to quite a few beach clubs where I could easily spend a whole day enjoying cocktails, tunes, sun, and swimming.
One of my favs was the Karma Kandara, located in one of the coolest resorts in Uluwatu. It’s an upmarket venue on a lovely strip of private and secluded beach with daybeds, showers, toilets, and a restaurant and bar. Basically, it has everything you need for some quality relaxation.
For a more family-oriented vibe (at least during the day), I’d suggest somewhere like Minoo (right next door) or El Kabron (a bit further up the coast). At both places, there seemed to be plenty of families soaking up the rays and having fun on the beach when I visited.
Plus, you can join a beach club hopping tour where you will be taken to the very best spots!
2. Visit Uluwatu Temple at sunset
I love the location of Uluwatu Temple, which is balanced on the clifftops, facing out towards the western horizon. A walkway has been built into the rock so that you can have a little stroll along the edge and enjoy the view from different, vertiginous points.
It’s all particularly beautiful during the golden hour around sunset, so try and time your visit to coincide with the end of the day.
3. Watch a Kecak Dance Show
Every evening, Uluwatu Temple stages their version of the Kecak fire dance, which draws upon elements of traditional Balinese dance to tell the story of a battle from the Hindu epic Ramayana.
The battle involves Hanuman, the lord of monkeys, which seems especially appropriate because there are quite a few naughty monkeys hanging about (sometimes literally) Uluwatu Temple. Keep a hold of your valuables!
Make sure you buy tickets in advance since the Kecak fire dance is quite a popular spectacle with tourists and is often sold out. It is one of many fun things to do in Uluwatu.
4. Have Brunch at Nourish Café
Nourish Cafe was my go-to place when I was in the mood for a loaded grain bowl paired with a thick smoothie. Honestly, they make healthy food taste so good!
They have quite a few veggie and vegan options, like fruit-topped pancakes and smashed avocado toast, as well as meaty brunchy fares like ham and cheese toasties and a British-style fry-up.
It’s about 15-20 minutes’ walk from a couple of top-notch beaches (Padang Padang and Bingin), so you can wander down to the seaside after your meal.
5. Watch the Sunset and Surfers From Single Fin
If you want a good meal combined with super views, I had a great experience at Single Fin, a restaurant that’s set into the cliff just above the sea. It’s a prime surfing spot, so during the day, you can see plenty of people riding the waves – with varying levels of skill!
It’s also a great place to see the sunset, either with one of their signature cocktails or over dinner. Single Fin has a pretty extensive all-day menu that covers everything from pizza and loaded fries to a local speciality you’ll see on menus all over Indonesia, Nasi Goreng.
6. Climb Down to Suluban Beach
One of the most unique beaches in Uluwatu, Suluban is a great little sandy hideaway right under Single Fin. The route from the restaurant descends past several warungs and down various staircases. At the bottom, you pass between some rocks to get to a small but pristine slice of beach.
Make sure you wear water shoes, as there are sharp bits of coral reef under the sea here if you swim. I bought these Teva water shoes that even have grips on the bottom so you won’t slip. I also find them to be cute too since practicality is not always fashionable.
Plus, if you want to explore the caves a bit further – and they are pretty cool – you’ll want shoes that won’t slip!
7. Take a Surf Class on Padang Padang Beach
Another ‘hidden’ (but definitely not secret) beach that I visited was Padang Padang. Like Suluban, you have to climb down quite a few stairs and pass through a cave to get here, but the reward is a mini cove with dramatic rock formations and soft sand.
Padang Padang is also one of the best places for beginners to take a surfing lesson. The waves here tend to be a little calmer than in other parts of Uluwatu, which is why the instructors here cater to wave-riding newbies.
8. Take a Photo with a Shipwreck at Nyang Nyang Beach
One of the most unique things to do in Uluwatu is taking a photo with a shipwreak. A much longer stretch of sandy beach, Nyang Nyang has plenty of open space for you to throw down a towel and enjoy a bit of sunbathing, although the coral here means it’s only possible to do shallow dips in the sea.
Technically, this bit of shoreline is made up of two beaches, Nyang Nyang and Nunggalan, but I walked from one to the other without a break, so I’m not really sure why they have different names!
The eastern end (Nunggalan) is where you’ll find the remnants of a shipwreck just sitting on the shore. Nobody that I spoke to seemed to know why there are bits of boat on the sands, which added that little extra spice of mystery to the whole thing. Anyway, it makes for a nice snapshot memento of this relaxing place.
9. Watch the Sunset from Balangan Cliffs
Another beautiful place to watch the sunset in Uluwatu is from the viewpoint just above Balangan Beach. It’s easy to get to via scooter, with a parking lot right on the cliffside. From here, you can gaze out to see the setting sun as well as down onto the beach as it’s bathed in a red, end-of-day glow. Majestic!
Beforehand, you can head down to Balangan Beach for a cooling dip. It’s one of the more accessible beaches in Uluwatu, with just some easy steps down to the sand rather than steep staircases like at Padang Padang and Suluban.
10. Learn about Balinese Culture at Garuda Wisnu Kencana Park
There’s one very big reason to come to Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park: the 121-metre-tall statue depicting the Hindu god Vishnu riding the bird-like deity Garuda. It’s the largest statue not just in Bali but in the whole of Indonesia.
The wider park has only been built in the last few years, with statues scattered throughout the grounds. They also have regular Kecak performances, as well as a museum dedicated to Balinese art.
11. Gorge on Indonesian Food at Warung Local
Warung Local is up there with my favourite places to eat Indonesian food. They nail the flavours and the laidback Bali vibe but also offer up a nicer setting than the average warung.
It’s undeniably geared towards visitors with its English menus and aesthetics but still packs an authentic punch when it comes to the delicious dishes.
I’ve eaten at both the branch in Uluwatu and the branch in Canggu, and both are great!
12. Visit Melasti Beach
One of the top things to do in Uluwatu is visiting Melasti Beach. With lovely soft sand and beautiful blue water, Melasti has the picture-perfect look that makes it just as attractive for photographers as sunbathers.
There’s a fee to enter the beach, but once you’re in, you can decide whether to rent some loungers or just throw down your own towel. It’s quite a developed spot, but one that has good accessibility, public facilities, and a couple of swanky beach clubs.
Don’t miss the Kecak dance show, which takes place towards the end of the day on the eastern end of the beach.
13. Swim at Bingin Beach
One of Uluwatu’s main beaches, I got to Bingin by another of those circuitous routes involving lots of stairs! There are quite a few hotels and restaurants that you go past on the way down, so you’ve got lots of choices when it comes to refreshments if you want to chill here for the whole day.
There’s not much shade though, if you don’t rent an umbrella with loungers, so don’t forget the sunscreen.
14. Party at Savaya
You can’t go to Bali and not check out the party scene. While Uluwatu isn’t the throbbing techno heart of nightlife on the island, it still has a few notably cool spots to go dancing and drinking into the early hours.
Topping the list of see-and-be-seen hangouts is Savaya, a very swanky spot with a glowing cube and great views over the sea. It’s undeniably one of the most expensive places I went to in Uluwatu, but it does boast an international roster of DJs. In fact, last year, it landed a spot in the top 10 of DJ Mag’s best clubs in the world.
15. Experience Local Vibes at Pandawa Beach
The last place on my list isn’t a fancy beach or somewhere that attracts a lot of overseas tourists, but it is somewhere with local charm.
Pandawa is where Indonesians in search of sun, sea, and sand tend to go, so there are quite a few warungs and small shops that cater for the local market. Honestly, I thought it provided a really interesting contrast to some of the other beaches I visited in Uluwatu that clearly have a more foreigner-facing mindset.
Don’t miss snapping a pic at the place where the road cuts through the cliff so that you’re surrounded on both sides by high rock walls.
Where to Stay In Uluwatu
Whether you’re a luxury traveller or someone who’s visiting Bali on a budget, Uluwatu has accommodation options that cover the whole spectrum.
Here are my top picks!
$ Lala Homestay Bingin | Uluwatu Desa
$$ Sal Secret Spot
$$$ IKIGAI Uluwatu Beach | PinkCoco | Dreamsea Bali
Hopefully, you enjoyed reading this post on the top things to do in Uluwatu, Bali!
For more reading, you may also like:
🐒 Top Things to Do in Ubud, Bali
🏝️ The Ultimate 2 Week Bali Itinerary
📆 5 Day Bali Itinerary
🚶♀️Bali Solo Travel Guide
🌴 Guide to Campuhan Ridge Walk
🏡 10 Most Beautiful Villas with a Private Pool in Bali
🌿 7 Best Things to do in Munduk, Bali
⛰️ Best Viewpoints of Mt Agung
🌅 Guide to Bukit Cinta for views of Mt. Agung
