Beach in Bali

White-sand cove at the foot of the Ungasan cliffs, reached by an inclinator from the resort above. Access is paid and usually needs booking.

The watersports strip north of Nusa Dua — parasailing, jetskis and banana boats off a sheltered bay.

The bay Amed is built around: black sand, moored outriggers and a coral wall a short swim from shore.

Long calm-water bay where the seafood grills put their tables straight onto the sand at sunset.

The long west-facing beach Bali's tourism started on: beginner surf, board rental by the hour and a famous sunset.

Wide, near-empty beach below a steep jungle track, with the rusted hull of a wrecked freighter sitting on the sand. The walk back up is the hard part.

Quiet north-west bay with calm water and the Biorock coral restoration project lying just offshore.

White sand under high cliffs with a lone rock standing offshore, reached by a steep unshaded descent.

Black-sand surf beach with a small clifftop temple, the heart of Canggu's beginner-surf scene.

Wide black-sand beach lined with beach clubs, quieter than Batu Bolong at low tide.

Cliffside cove with a barrelling reef break, reached by steep stairs down from the clifftop warungs.

Sheltered white-sand bay and Nusa Penida's best swimming/snorkelling beach, with occasional mola-mola sightings.

White-sand beach below the resort strip, with seaweed farms worked at its southern end.

Secluded cove beach with tide-pool caves, reached via a long stone staircase down the cliff.

Wide grey-sand beach with a beach break, quiet compared with the coast further south.

The quieter continuation of Kuta's sand as it runs north towards Seminyak.

Quiet dark-sand bay east of Amed edged with coral and fishing jukung, with snorkelling straight off the sand.

Calm black-sand beach on the north coast, known for the boats that go out at dawn to look for dolphins.

The long raked main beach of the resort enclave, calm and safe to swim because the reef takes the surf well offshore.

Long, largely undeveloped beach reached down a steep jungle path — one of the Bukit's quietest.

Small cove beach reached through a cave-like rock passage, famous surf break and a Eat Pray Love filming spot.

Broad sandy beach backed by beach clubs and sunset bars, Bali's original resort strip.

Small cove below the cliffs west of Jimbaran, known for the rock pools that fill at low tide and for its sunset.

Long stretch of white sand reached by a stairway cut into the cliff, quieter than the surf beaches on either side.

Turquoise cove beach on the island's east coast, reached down a steep cliffside staircase.

Laid-back surf beach lined with simple warungs, a mellower alternative to Bingin next door.

The sand north of Seminyak as it runs on towards Berawa, cut by a river mouth that is only walkable at low tide.

Neighbouring cove to Atuh with towering limestone cliffs and a stone stairway down to the sand.

Popular sunset beach at the Seminyak/Legian border with beach volleyball courts.

Small steep-sand beach under the cliffs with a heavy shorebreak, a clifftop path away from Devil's Tear.