Uluwatu travel Guide, Over a cliff.

ULUWATU

It’s a cliff side little town located on the Southern most part of Bali island. Surfer’s paradise one might call it. Ulu means top and watu means stone.

Tall golden haired tanned Australians and the like flock to this part of town for surfing purposes.  It’s an understatement to claim that the scenery in Uluwatu is breath-taking.

If you also happen to crave clear blue skies, white sands and crystal blue-turquoise waters, this is where to get it. It goes without saying that one must climb down the cliff (a million steps) to reach the beaches, as with most things, one must work to get it.

How to get there

On my first trip to Bali in 2017, my friends  and I ordered an uber to Uluwatu. It was very cheap, about IDR140,000 ($9.5). Getting this ride was by sheer luck, because Uber and grab taxi drivers are somewhat banned from operating in certain areas.

The preferrable option would be to arrange transportation with your hotel or tour agents, for a higher price of course! However, I have heard good things about Blue bird Taxi and Go jek, it’s worth a try!

During my second trip to Bali, my family and I hired a wonderful driver for a few days. It was super convenient having him around, it was IDR400,000 ($27.39) for the entire day and he took us wherever we pleased. I highly recommend hiring a driver especially if traveling in a big group.

 Uluwatu is a 40 minute drive from Ngurah Rai aiport; from Ubud, it’s a 2hour long ride.

Where to stay

We chose to stay near Padang Padang beach, at a budget friendly hotel right next to padang padang inn. ( I forgot the name, don’t tell!) It set us back IDR168,500 ($11.54) each per night.

Where to go

Padang padang beach

It’s right down the road from the hotel. Entrance fee is  IDR10,000 ($0.68) per person, this donation is to clean and conserve the beach. The steps down (there are about a million of them I swear) lead right into a cave! The best time to go is early morning to avoid the crowds, as tourists arrive at around 11am in really big buses… fair warning!

As in most places in Bali, you can’t escape the Macaques (monkeys), keep an eye your stuff!

Melasti beach

This beach/view point is fairly new. Our driver took us to this spot claiming “it may be one of the best views we’ll ever get to set our eyes on”. I was pleasantly surprised at the fact that there were not many tourists!

Blue point beach

Let’s talk about the walk from Padang Padang beach to Blue Point beach. Don’t do it! I attempted this solo trek on flipflops, a bottle of water and senslessness. I had to share the narrow road with crazy tanned surfers on their motorbikes rushing to “catch a big wave” from beach to beach. Word of advice, hire a scooter to ride around Uluwatu. The final destination was totally worth it though.

                                      I guess you can see why they call it Blue point.

Single fin

Twice we tried to make it for the Sunday fest party, we failed both times. I only succeeded in going there during the day. If you want to grab an overpriced drink while taking in the sunset, this is the place to be, but to get a good seat you must be there latest 4pm.

If you’re on a budget, drink and eat in your hotel before heading there for a night out!  And please dress up,  you don’t want to be competing with gorgeous humans who look like they came straight out of a magazine.

Uluwatu Temple

People go there to experience the sunsets and famous Kecak dance. Entrance fee to the temple is IDR30,000 ($2). Sarongs are provided at the entrance. The sunset Kecak dance is one hour long, it starts at 6:00pm, but most people are seated by 5:30pm. The ticket price for the dance is IDR100,000 ($6.85). Arrange a round trip taxi ride to Uluwatu Temple as it’s a bit out of the way.

                     Next week I’ll take you through the joys of exploring Nusa Penida island.

                                                           Have a lovely day!