Is Uluwatu worth visiting?: A 3 Day Itinerary for Uluwatu
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Before coming to Bali, I didn’t know too much about all the different cities. All I knew was that the influencers all lived in Canggu, the rice paddies are in Ubud, and Seminyak is lots of beach clubs. But when I did a little digging on what to do during my month here, I decided to spend a few days in Uluwatu! (which is known for it’s surfing).
In case you didn’t know, I do not surf LOL but I decided to give a go and see if Uluwatu was really worth visiting as a non-surfer.
Spoiler alert, I LOVED my time there, and although I moved on to Canggu and have already booked a hostel here for the next few days, I already miss Uluwatu and desperately want to go back. The beaches are stunning, there are still lots of beautiful cultural sites to visit, the area is small enough that it’s easy to feel at home after a few days, and there’s the perfect balance between gorgeous brunch places and local warungs where you can get dirt cheap Indonesian food.
I constantly found myself on the back of a little motorbike taxi just SMILING because Uluwatu felt so magical - maybe because it was my first stop on my 3 month southeast Asia adventure, but maybe just because Uluwatu is amazing and 100% worth visiting.
I rolled up to my Hostel, a crusty little place where the beds creak so loud it wakes you up when you switch sides, where the couches are a little bit moist from the humidity, and the pool is no longer in service, and I started to panic a little bit when I saw all the surfboards lined all up against the outside of the rooms. I felt very out of place, and was pretty worried that I wouldn’t be able to find friends if everyone was just here to surf.
My fears where quickly dashed when I found myself being adopted by an enormous group of Spanish speaking travelers who had been at the hostel so long they seemed like family, who took me under their wing and taught me how to ride a motorbike and also gave me (failed) surfing lessons. It was the best time ever — and LADIES if what you want is a beautiful foreign surfer boy — get yourself to Uluwatu. They’re everywhere.
Is Uluwatu Worth Visiting?
Day 1
No Bali itinerary is complete without a good breakfast recommendation, so for your first day here, I suggest that you head to Chela! It’s this gorgeous outdoor bamboo structure, and is the epitome of everything I expected Bali to be. 10/10.
On the first day, the best thing you can do is obviously go beach hopping. If you’re really into surfing, a lot of surfers head to Uluwatu Beach or Padang Padang, as the waves are pretty crazy. For me, I just wanted to swim, so I chose to visit Bingin Beach, which is a little strip of sand that was calm enough for swimming but had enough waves further out that I could sit at a little Warung and watch the surfers.
If you head to Bingin beach, there are a few restaurants that you should keep in mind when you get too much sun: Lucky Fish and Kelly’s Warung are right on the beach and have the cutest atmosphere. I headed to the Warung, ordered a falafel wrap, and probably spent an hour just watching everyone out in the surf! It was the best time.
From there, I realized I didn’t have sunscreen (Pro tip: bring sunscreen from home because it’s a little hard to find, especially in Uluwatu!), so I headed back up the cliff and decided to hit another beach.
There are SO MANY gorgeous beaches in Uluwatu that it was a hard decision, but the shipwreck/hidden beach vibes of Suluban beach drew me in, and I found myself on the back of another motorbike headed in that direction. It’s a little bit of a hike down, as most of the beaches in Uluwatu are located beneath cliffs, but when I reached the bottom I didn’t even mind; the entrance to the beach is this small little alley with towering walls of stone, and I’ve never seen anything like it!
To the left, there’s a small hole that you have to crawl through to get to the actual beach area, but timing it with the waves coming in is so tricky! Me and my beach bag got NAILED with at wave on the way to the beach, but I did do better on the way back LOL. Very cool experience.
For Sunset, you should definitely head to sunset point! I didn’t, as I had fallen in love with everyone from my hostel and opted to spend the evening with them, but I’ve heard wonderful things.
Day 2
Obviously in Bali we do NOT waste a breakfast, so for your second day head over to Nourish Cafe for some smoothie bowls.
Now even if you’ve never surfed a day in your life, I really suggest that you go for a lesson while you’re in Uluwatu! Uluwatu is such a huge surf destination, that if you don’t even give it a go you weren’t making the most of your time there! Head over to Dreamland or Balangan beach for the smaller waves, get yourself a board and a surf instructor, and have a little day of it!
Definitely more challenging than I thought it was going to be, but I’ve taken a few lessons since because I desperately want to be someone who surfs:’) A day well spent that definitely makes Uluwatu worth visiting.
After (unsuccessfully) trying to get all the sand out of my hair, I made my way 30 minutes over to Uluwatu Temple to watch the sunset. There’s a 50,000 IDR entry fee, which is like 3 USD, and if your knees aren’t covered, they’ll give you a little sarong to wear. Lot’s of people come to the temple to see the fire dance which happens a few times on the hour during sunset (I came thinking it was at 6 but they were doing showings at 5 and 7, so I didn’t manage to see it!), so just make sure that you check the show times ahead of schedule.
It’s another additional cost, which as someone on an EXTREME budget didn’t seem worth it to me, but it does look like a really incredible show to see and experience to have.
Day 3
For your last day in Uluwatu, you should definitely visit a beach club. There are so many beach clubs all throughout Bali, but some of the best are located in Uluwatu! These are amazing places to hang out during the day, lounge by the pool, watch the sun set, and get your party on at night! Most of the beach clubs have specific days of the week that they host their best parties on, so make sure to ask around at your hotel or your hostel to find out what days will be the best to go out.
One of the most famous beach clubs in Uluwatu, and the one that I chose to go to, is called Single Fin. Single Fin has amazing food and cocktails, and even better view, and the best vibes when the sun goes down. If you can, be sure to plan your visit to Uluwatu around a Sunday - Sunday’s at Single Fin are famous! I’ve never seen a beach club so packed with people, and we all danced until it closed down for the night. The vibes are immaculate.
Additionally, be sure to check out Ulu Cliff House and Sunday’s Beach Club! The former has some insane parties and is super aesthetic, while the latter is actually located ON the beach, which is a rarity for Uluwatu and it’s crazy cliffs. These are some of my friends photos of Ulu Cliff House! —>
Even though I had to pack everything into a 3 day itinerary for Uluwatu, I would 100% say that Uluwatu is worth visiting. The community is vibrant, the beaches are so much more beautiful than the ones in Canggu, and it was the perfect start to my three weeks in Bali.
Special Shoutout to my Pecatu Guest House Family who made my first few days of my 3 month backpacking trip everything I could’ve asked for! I will cherish the parking-lot motorbike-riding lessons and the surfing workshops and the opportunity to brush up on my Spanish. Uluwatu will always hold a special place in my heart <3
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