The 5 most stunning beaches in Bali, from surfing heaven to family fun

The Balinese people treat the ocean with enormous respect. Though their coastline is dotted with some of the world's most stunning (and popular) beaches, living so close to the water means recognizing the power and risk that exists alongside that beauty. It's not unusual for locals to meditate and pray at beaches to encourage positive energy and protection.

Every visitor arrives with dreams of stretching out on a blissful strip of sand before grabbing a surfboard or a snorkel to dive beneath the waves. If you're here for the water sports as much as the sand, it's important to pay attention to those who know this island best. Strong currents can often lie beneath seemingly calm waters – especially at Canggu, Seminyak and beaches along the west coast.

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But hundreds of shores are perfectly safe for swimming, surfing and enjoying a cold drink as you watch a spectacular sunset. These are five beautiful beaches in Bali that we think you can't afford to miss.

1. Seseh Beach

Best for sunset strolls

The most outlying beach in Badung, Seseh has thus far evaded the large-scale development that has inextricably changed the face of Bali’s southwest coast. 

With shore-breaking waves, Seseh is not ideal for swimming or surfing, though small rock pools form at the northern end of the beach at low tide. Elaborate Hindu ceremonies with devotees dressed in white are held regularly on the pavilion near the parking area, and locals come to walk their dogs along the beach and marvel at the colors painted across the sky at dusk.

• Location: Jalan Pantai Seseh (Seseh Beach Road) 

• How to get there: xxxx

• Amenities: loungers; Warung Pantai, a palm-thatch restaurant on the beach that has a few dozen bean bags, sun loungers and umbrellas; several eateries along Jalan Pantai Seseh

2. Medewi Beach

Best for surfing

Two hour's drive from Seseh, the Muslim village of Medewi on the far west coast is a throwback to the Bali of yesteryear, with bamboo shacks where you can buy a meal for a few dollars and long black beaches littered with coconut husks and palm fronds. Medewi is also home to the longest left-hand waves in Bali – curved mirrors of water from one to three meters in height that in ideal conditions retain their shape for up to 300m.

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Local tip: Surf schools in Canggu offer day trips to Medewi where they pile up to 10 surfers into a van to maximize profits. But Mukli, a professional surfer from Medewi who like many Indonesians goes by only one name, has a more equitable answer: “Those who come up just for the day with surf schools, these are not the crowd we want on our waves. Come and stay in a local guesthouse for a few days instead. It's good for the community and gives us money to send our children to school.”

• Location: Pekutatan District

• How to get there: Car, motorbike, rideshare or taxi via the main coastal road

3. Menjangan Beach

Best for snorkeling

Much of Bali’s coral has been degraded by bleaching and unsustainable fishing practices. But the house reef at NusaBay Menjangan – the only hotel on the Prapat Agung Peninsula, part of West Bali National Park – is a standout. The waters around the jetty are home to multicolored coral gardens teeming with tropical fish, including schools of angelfish, some as large as dinner plates, that are seemingly unperturbed by human visitors.

The sand at Menjangan and all through West Bali National Park is not black but bone white, edged with mangroves and home to a herd of Javan rusa, a large deer native to Indonesia that stands up to 185cm (6ft) high. And because this beach can only be reached by boat, there are never more than a few groups of people around.

Local tip: You don’t have to stay at NusaBay Menjangan resort to beach comb at Prapat Agung Peninsula. Go to Pantai (Beach) Karang Sewu on the mainland, where you can hire a boat, driver and snorkeling equipment for half a day for around 760,000Rp.

• Location: West Bali National Park

4. Amed

Best for boating

A 10km (6.2 miles) string of scalloped sandy bays on Bali's spectacular reef-fringed east coast named after its largest village, Amed is Bali’s epicenter for scuba diving. There’s a small underwater wreck about halfway down the coast and a much larger wreck, the USAT Liberty, which was sunk by the Japanese during WWII, a 30-minute drive to the north at Tulamben. But marine life is more abundant in West Bali National Park, and, in my opinion, it is the lack of large-scale development on the strip that makes Amed the premier beach destination in Bali.

Local tip: Every morning at dawn, a fleet of hundreds of "jukungs" – traditional wooden Indonesian outrigger canoes – can be seen returning to land after spending the night at sea. Your guesthouse or hotel can book a jukung and driver to take you out onto the water after the sun rises to marvel at Mount Agung volcano, Bali's highest and holiest mountain peak and one of eight "chakra" points in the world.

• Location: East Bali

5. Karma Beach

Best for families and everything other than surfing

I’m not a fan of the big commercial beach clubs in Bali, but there’s one I keep going back to repeatedly. Set 150m (492ft) below a towering sea cliff on the Bukit Peninsula on Bali’s south coast, Karma Beach is edged by a turquoise lagoon. The entry fee includes the use of sunbeds, stand-up paddle boards, kayaks and snorkeling gear to explore the lagoon, which at high tide is flat and mirror-like. Plus there are trained lifeguards on duty, making it a great option if you're visiting with kids.

Local tip: If a visit to Karma Beach Club is out of your budget, catch a taxi to neighboring Melasti Beach, which has the same brilliant white sand and tranquil turquoise water. It gets quite busy on weekends and during the Australian school holidays.

• Location: Ungasan

• How to get there: Shuttle service offered by Karma Kandara resort 

• Amenities: Lifeguards, sunbeds, stand-up paddle boards, kayaks and snorkeling gear

• Hours: 10am-9pm