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Padang Padang beach and its clear water, Bali.
Land Tour

Uluwatu Beach Hopping

Four hidden coves down four sets of cliff steps

Duration
8 hours door to door
Group
Private car, up to 5 guests
Difficulty
Moderate · a lot of steps
Bring
Reef shoes and a dry bag

The trip

What You're Signing Up For

The Bukit peninsula is a limestone shelf with the sea cut in underneath it, so almost every beach down there sits at the bottom of a staircase or behind a cave. That is exactly why they stay good: coaches cannot reach them.

A day of it takes in Padang Padang through its rock cleft, Suluban through the cave mouth under the surf breaks, Bingin down its long cliff stair, and Melasti, which has a road cut into the cliff face and no steps at all.

Highlights

Why People Pick This One

  • Four coves in one day, each reached a different way
  • Padang Padang's rock cleft and Suluban's cave entrance
  • Melasti at the end, which needs no steps at all
  • A driver who knows which are calm and which are shut at that tide
  • Uluwatu temple ten minutes away if you want to add it

Full description

The Whole Thing

The Bukit is raised limestone, lifted out of the sea and undercut by it, which is why the coastline is cliff with pockets of sand at the bottom rather than a continuous beach. Each cove is effectively its own small world reached by its own staircase.

Itinerary

The Trip, Stop By Stop

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

  1. Hotel pickup

    Canggu, Seminyak, Kuta, Jimbaran, Sanur, Ubud

    Your driver confirms the time the evening before. Mornings are calmer and cooler.

    Included

  2. Padang Padang

    Through the cleft in the rock and down onto the sand. Small, and famous for good reason.

  3. Suluban

    In under the cliff through the cave mouth, below the Uluwatu surf breaks.

  4. Bingin and lunch

    The long stair down, then a warung on the sand. Lunch is not included and costs very little.

  5. Melasti

    The wide white bay with the road cut down the cliff. No steps, and the best swimming of the day.

  6. Back to your hotel

    Same car, same driver, or stay on for the Kecak at Uluwatu if you have booked it.

    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
  • Four beaches in one day
  • Parking and access fees at each
  • A driver who checks tide and swell before choosing the order
  • Uluwatu temple added at no extra charge if you want it

Not included

  • Lunch at the warungs on the sand
  • Sunbeds where you choose to hire them
  • 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 with bad knees

Bingin alone is around two hundred steps down and back. We will happily build a Melasti-only day instead.

Anyone wanting to swim everywhere

Two of the four sit under surf breaks and are often unsafe to swim. It depends on the day.

Anyone in a hurry

Four beaches with staircases is a full day. Two would be a relaxed half.

Come prepared

What To Bring

Swimwear worn from the car

Three or four beaches in an afternoon. Changing at each one is not a plan that survives the first stop.

Shoes for the stairs

Every beach on the Bukit is at the bottom of a long flight of steps cut into limestone. They are steep and often wet.

Reef-safe sunscreen

These are reef beaches at low tide and there is no shade on any of them until late afternoon.

Cash for parking and warungs

Each beach has its own parking attendant and its own warung, and all of them are cash.

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.

How many steps are we talking about?

Bingin is around two hundred. Padang Padang is short but steep. Suluban is a staircase then a cave. Melasti has none. Tell us if that is a problem and we will reshape the day.

Can we swim at all of them?

It depends on tide and swell. Melasti almost always. Padang Padang usually. Suluban and Bingin sit under surf breaks and are often better for watching than swimming.

Is lunch included?

No. There are warungs on the sand at Bingin and Padang Padang and they are cheap and good.

Can we add Uluwatu temple?

Yes, it is ten minutes from Suluban and there is no extra charge for the car. The Kecak starts at six if you want to stay.

What should we bring?

Reef shoes, a dry bag and more water than you think. There is no shade on most of the staircases.

Pairs well with

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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.