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Traditional Balinese fishing boats drawn up on the shore.
Land Tour

Amed & Tulamben Coast

Black sand, fishing jukung and the wreck everybody dives

Duration
12 hours door to door
Group
Private car, up to 5 guests
Difficulty
Easy · snorkelling optional
Add-on
Diving, quoted separately

The trip

What You're Signing Up For

The far east coast is the quietest stretch of Bali with anything to do on it. Black volcanic sand, water that drops off fast, and a line of fishing villages where the jukung still go out before dawn and come back up the beach on rollers.

Tulamben is where the USAT Liberty lies, a wartime cargo ship in five to thirty metres of water thirty metres off the beach. It is the most dived site in Indonesia and, unusually, the shallow end of it is genuinely snorkellable. Amed, twenty minutes on, is the village to eat and swim in.

Highlights

Why People Pick This One

  • The Liberty wreck, reachable from the beach and shallow enough to snorkel
  • Amed's black sand bays and the jukung fleet
  • The east coast road, which almost nobody drives
  • Lempuyang or Tirta Gangga on the way back at no extra charge
  • A straight route into diving if you want it; ask and we will quote

Full description

The Whole Thing

The USAT Liberty was torpedoed in 1942, beached at Tulamben, and sat on the sand for twenty-one years until the 1963 eruption of Agung shook it off the shore and into the water. It now lies parallel to the beach in five to thirty metres.

Itinerary

The Trip, Stop By Stop

Timings are typical, not fixed. Your guide reshapes the day around your pace and the conditions.

  1. Early hotel pickup

    Canggu, Seminyak, Kuta, Jimbaran, Sanur, Ubud

    Around 06:00. It is a long way and the sea is calmest early. Confirmed the evening before.

    Included

  2. Drive up the east coast

    Two and a half hours through Candidasa and the coastal road, with the sea on your right most of the way.

  3. Tulamben

    The Liberty wreck. Snorkel hire on the beach if you want it, or just watch the divers go in.

  4. Amed

    Lunch in the village and a swim off the black sand. The jukung fleet is drawn up along the shore.

  5. A stop on the way back

    Tirta Gangga or the Lempuyang road, your pick, no extra charge for the car.

  6. Back to your hotel

    Same car, same driver. It is a long drive home.

    Included
Trip stop Pickup area Pickup is from your own accommodation inside these areas. Route is indicative, not the exact road taken.

The price covers

What's Included, And What Isn't

Included

  • Hotel pickup and drop-off across South Bali, Ubud and Canggu
  • Private air-conditioned car with English-speaking driver
  • Fuel, parking, tolls and the driver's day
  • The full east coast run to Tulamben and Amed
  • A stop at Tirta Gangga or the Lempuyang road on the way back
  • Time at both the wreck beach and Amed village
  • A driver who waits while you are in the water

Not included

  • Snorkel hire on the beach, a few dollars
  • Diving, which we quote separately
  • Lunch
  • Personal spending, tips and anything you buy on the day
  • Travel insurance, which we strongly recommend you carry

Before you book

Who This Trip Isn’t For

We would rather talk you out of the wrong trip than take your money for it. If any of these apply, message us and we’ll suggest something that fits better.

Anyone unwilling to drive

Two and a half hours each way. There is no quick version of this trip.

Anyone expecting white sand

The sand is black volcanic gravel and the entry is over cobbles. Reef shoes help.

Non-swimmers

The wreck is the reason to come. Without getting in the water it is a long drive for a view.

Come prepared

What To Bring

Swimwear under your clothes

Jemeluk and the Blue Lagoon are both walk-in swims and the changing options are a warung toilet.

Reef-safe sunscreen

You will be in and out of live coral all day. The ordinary kind bleaches it and this coast is recovering well.

Water shoes or old trainers

The beaches here are pebble and broken coral rather than sand. Not essential, but your feet will notice.

Cash in small notes

Warungs, parking donations and snorkel hire on this coast are all cash, and nobody has change for a big note.

On the trip

What It Looks Like

Tap a photo to enlarge

Before you book

Questions About This Trip

Anything not covered here? Message us. We'd rather answer first than have you book the wrong trip.

Can I snorkel the wreck without diving?

Yes. The bow sits in about five metres and on a calm day you can see a lot of it from the surface. It is one of very few wrecks anywhere you can say that about.

Can you arrange diving instead?

Yes, and it is the reason a lot of guests take this trip. Tell us your certification level and we will quote the dive centre separately from the car.

How rough is the entry?

Loose cobbles, no sand, and a short walk in. Reef shoes make it far easier and you can hire them on the beach.

Is it worth the drive?

It is two and a half hours each way and we would rather say so plainly. If your only interest is a beach, stay south. If it is the wreck or the quiet, it is worth it.

What else can we add?

Tirta Gangga and Lempuyang are both on the road back and neither costs extra for the car. Just say so in the morning.

Pairs well with

Other Trips Guests Interested In

All trips
The sheltered turquoise bay at Padangbai in East Bali, seen from above.

Blue Lagoon & Tanjung Jepun Snorkel

Start from$65 / person

View Itinerary

Ready When You Are

Tell us your dates and how many of you there are. We'll confirm availability, pickup time and the total, usually within the hour.