Need help planning your visit to the beautiful Green Bowl Beach in Bali? You’ve come to the right place!
In this article I have outlined everything you need to know about visiting Green Bowl Beach, including where it is, how to get there, what to expect, my honest review and more.
I only discovered Green Bowl Beach on my third trip to Bali, and I’m pretty gutted I didn’t get to enjoy it before. It’s a wild beach with few services and somewhat hard to reach, but that’s exactly what makes it beautiful.
So what are you waiting for? Read on, and discover everything you need to know about this stunning Uluwatu beach!
Table of Contents
What is Green Bowl Beach in Bali
First and foremost, Green Bowl Beach in Bali is obviously a beach! It’s fairly secluded and famed for its surfing. It’s quite a wild, rugged beach located at the bottom of a cliff with a set of stairs leading down to it.
If you like your beaches like this, rather than being busy and packed with eateries and bars, then you’ll like Bali’s Green Bowl Beach.
It’s not that big, just around 30 metres (almost 100 feet) long and backed by a 75-metre (246-foot) cliff, and it makes for a cool place to visit.
Where is Green Bowl Beach Bali
It’s Green Bowl Beach’s location that makes it so epic, set among the tall, dramatic cliffs of southern Bali’s Bukit Peninsula. At low tide a series of moss-covered rocks are visible, giving it the name of “Green Bowl”.
Bali is full of amazing beaches, but this more hidden offering, like other beaches in the Uluwatu area, really benefits from the cliffs that make it more tricky to get to.
The exact, official place that it’s situated in is Ungasan, which is part of Badung Regency’s South Kuta district (this makes up the entire Bukit Peninsula).
Ungasan is to the east of Pecatu, the administrative area in which the famous Uluwatu cliffs are located.
How to get to Green Bowl Beach
From Green Bowl Beach, Uluwatu is around a 23 minute drive away; a distance of around 12.4 kilometres (7.7 miles) by road. That’s one route anyway.
An alternative, longer route along a much more winding road — a distance of 13.9 kilometres (8.6 miles) — takes around 30 minutes to traverse. If you’re travelling by car, these times will be longer due to traffic.
The easiest way to get to Green Bowl Beach is to rent a scooter. That way you can wind your way past cars if they are stuck in traffic. Just always remember to wear a helmet!
Alternatively, you could choose a more hassle-free way of seeing this beautiful beach by booking yourself onto a tour of the Uluwatu region’s best beaches.
Bali: Hidden Beach Tour & Seafood Dinner with Sunset View
This Bali hidden beach tour includes stops at the beaches of Padang, Bingin and Suluban, with an optional hour lunch stop at Uluwatu.
Each beach stop is around 1.5 hours, giving you a chance to explore, swim, take photos and chill out. The tour finishes at Jimbaran Beach for a sunset dinner — a dreamy end to the day!
It’s a private tour with your own driver, and you’ll be picked up from your accommodation directly, so it’s great if you want a more personal, one-to-one tour experience.
By having your own driver, you’ll also be able to tailor the tour more to your preferences too, including a stop also at Green Bowl Beach.
Click here to book your private Bali beach tour with Green Bowl Beach & sunset!
This tour is also a private tour but has a pickup location in Kuta. It’s billed as an island tour of the main sights in Bali, but you will be able to personalise your itinerary as much as you want.
Fuel fees are included in the cost of the tour, which is a plus, as is bottled water in case you need it. Overall, a decent way to see the island.
Click here to book your private car with driver in Bali!
Bali: Full-Day Private White Sand Beaches and Sunset Tour
With pickup available at a select number of hotels and villas in selected areas, you can begin this full-day tour from the front door of your accommodation.
You’ll head to Nusa Dua, then go onwards to the beaches of the Uluwatu region, including Padang Padang Beach and Melasti Beach, finishing up with a sunset barbecue at Jimbaran Beach.
Check out prices & availability for a private Bali beach & sunset tour!
Best time to visit Green Bowl Beach
I would say that the best time to visit Green Bowl Beach is at low tide. That’s because at high tide there’s almost no beach to speak of.
The water comes right up to the steps, and there’s actually very little space for you to sit on the sand. Visit at low tide and you’ll find there’s more beach to sit on and enjoy the views.
If you’re looking to avoid the crowds, then you should visit in the morning — there are usually fewer people around then. At sunset, more people tend to arrive.
When it comes to the best time of year to visit, I would recommend visiting in the dry season. If you visit in the wet season there’s a very high chance that you could get caught in a huge downpour, which will put a dampener on your beach day.
Visiting in shoulder season is also an option, with fewer people there but still pretty good weather.
Entrance fees & opening times
As you arrive at the parking area you’ll see the ticket office. It costs 10,000 IDR per person to get entry to the beach. It’s best to visit during daylight hours because of the steep stairs.
Infrastructure & services at Green Bowl Beach
Arrive prepared for the day (or however long you plan on staying) as there’s nothing whatsoever on the beach itself.
If you’re hungry, you could go to one of the two little local warungs at the top with local food (serving up things like nasi goreng and mie goreng), cold water and coconuts.
Just note that there aren’t any bars, restaurants, beach umbrellas or sunbeds on the beach itself. Another thing to note is the notorious Green Bowl Beach stairs.
From the car park it’s a very long staircase down to the beach so be ready. It’s not too bad downhill, but definitely a bit challenging coming back up in the heat. I’d also recommend that you don’t tackle these stairs at dusk or when it’s dark.
What is there to do at Green Bowl Beach?
Whatever you usually do at the beach, you can do at Green Bowl Beach. Swim, snorkel, or just catch a tan on the sand. There’s a cave you can chill in if you need shade.
At first, it was for the Green Bowl surf that Bali visitors flocked to this beach. Surfers still come here of course, but it’s just a more popular spot now also for non surfers who want to chill.
Though it’s famous for surfing, this is for experts only I would say — there are no surf schools or rentals, and you have to bring your own board. It’s not one of the easiest places to surf in Bali.
Is Green Bowl Beach worth visiting?
Definitely! Like many visitors, my Green Bowl Beach review is very positive. Alongside other attractions like Tegalalang Rice Terrace in Ubud, I’d say it’s a must on any Bali itinerary.
It’s a beautiful beach, rugged and wild. But also, there are not many people there due to the lack of services, and the loads of steps down to the beach itself.
As long as you come prepared, it’s amazing — just stepping foot onto this beach for the first time is an adventure.
Where to stay to visit Green Bowl Beach
The best area to stay to visit Green Bowl Beach in my opinion is Uluwatu, but you could stay anywhere in the Bukit Peninsula really. Here are some great places to stay for every budget.
Budget: Ancala Uluwatu – For a budget price, you get rooms with minimalist design, cool artwork, and a private veranda leading out onto a lush tropical garden. Plus in the common areas a pool and bicycle rental.
Click here to book your stay at Ancala Uluwatu!
Mid-range: Bingin Garden Uluwatu – Located just a few hundred metres from the beach, here you will find clean and spacious rooms, with a minimalist decor accented with natural wood in one of the best locations to stay in Uluwatu.
Check out prices & availability at Bingin Garden Uluwatu here!
Luxury: Umana Bali – If you’re looking for luxury, then this resort definitely delivers. This five-star resort sits atop a cliff overlooking the ocean, and offers four dining options, iconic Bali private pools, hot tubs and a shared infinity pool.
Don’t miss out, click here to book your stay at Umana Bali!
Do you need travel insurance?
After my personal experience spending two nights in a private hospital in Tenerife, and having to pay for it out of pocket (it wasn’t cheap), I always recommend getting travel insurance.
You might not end up needing it, but for a small fee you can travel without worries. Personally, I suggest getting your travel insurance with Heymondo.
Heymondo offers tailor made travel insurance, providing the best value for money for your specific trip. You can also buy it once you’re already abroad and have forgotten about it before flying (which, if you’re anything like me, is quite likely).
Besides the usual cancellation, medical expenses, luggage coverage and general travel insurance services, Heymondo also has a 24/7 doctor chat and instant assistance through their app.
Plus, as a Greta’s Travels reader, you get 5% off your Heymondo travel insurance!
Click here to get your 5% off Heymondo travel insurance!
Final thoughts on my Green Bowl Beach review
That’s a wrap on my ultimate Green Bowl Beach review. Have you been to Green Bowl Beach before? How did you find it? Let me know in the comments below!
Green Bowl Beach is amongst my favourite beaches in Bali. It still feels like a little corner of rugged natural beauty, far from the tourist masses of Canggu and other areas of Bali I try to avoid.
It’s not the sort of beach with those iconic Bali instagrammable photo opps, or where you can tick off epic activities like swimming in turtles from your Bali bucket list, but it’s still a very pretty beach.
It’s a great beach to spend the day, relax and enjoy the beauty of Bali beaches, just make sure to come prepared, so you don’t have to walk the billion steps too many times!
I hope you found my Green Bowl Beach guide useful, if you still have questions about visiting this beautiful beach in Uluwatu, just let me know in the comments below.
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