Bali was this tropical island with empty white sand beaches, crystal clear water and tall palm trees, gently leaning over to provide some shade during the heat of the day, at least that was my expectation. But as usually the case with expectations, the reality looked a little bit different and this was certainly the case with Bali as well.
First of all, there were almost no palm trees on the entire island and my place of arrival, Kuta, was packed with tourists, making it quite difficult to actually enjoy the uninspiring local beach. Considering that Bali was dubbed the Cancun for Australians, seeing all the tourists was technically no big surprise. But what did seem rather surprising on the other hand, was the fact that Bali was actually a volcanic island with most of its shoreline appearing as ash grey or even black.
Under the Influence of the Volcanoes
Typical Coastline of Bali with Grey Beaches and Volcanoes
There was certainly an immense beauty to the coastline of Bali, it was just quite interesting to realize how much it was influenced by the huge volcanoes further inland. In many instances, there were not only volcanoes towering in the background, but also the local beaches were not quite the empty-palm-tree-white-sand-beaches, but rather dark in color and dotted with local wooden fishing boats.
The Big Volcanoes of Bali
Huge ancient Crater, Danau Batur and Volcano Gunung Abang
Volcanic Lake Danau Tamblingan and Volcano Gunung Lesung
Active Volcano Gunung Batur centered in an ancient Crater
As it turned out, there were at least 15 volcanoes on Bali, some of them still active while two of them were ancient craters of such great dimension that the rim of these volcanoes looked like a small mountain range. These two craters, one by Munduk and the other by Toya Bungkah, were dominating the interior landscape of Bali, while the other volcanoes seemed to have rather an impact on the beaches.
The differently Colored Beaches of Bali
Volcanic Black Sand Beaches
Colorful Black Sand Coastline by Lalang-Linggha
Black Sand Balian Beach, the Surfers’ Paradise of Bali
Amed’s Black Sand Beach with Volcano Gunung Agung
It was actually quite amazing to experience how extremely dark a beach could be, while walking early in the morning on Balian Beach in the west of Bali. On the other hand, the natural beauty of the dark beach in Amed with its wooden fishing boats and the picture perfect cone of Volcano Gunung Agung was simply breathtaking.
Ash-Grey Sand Beaches
Grey Sand Beach and Local Fishing Boats by Seririt
Empty Grey Sand Beach and Quiet Sea in Kalibukbuk
Grey Sand Tourist Beach of Lovina, in the North of Bali
While the beaches in the east and west of Bali had turned out to be quite dark in color with some of them being even completely black, the ones in the northern area around Lovina were rather ash grey looking.
Yellow Sandy Beaches
Wide Yellow Sand Beach stretching from Seminyak to Kuta
Yellow Sandy Beach of the Nusa Dua Resort Town
Empty Beach Chairs of Yellow Sand Beach in Sanur
Surprisingly enough, but the only light-colored sandy beaches on Bali could be found at the very southern tip if the island, stretching down to the small Bukit Peninsula. All of these beaches in Nusa Dua, Sanur, Seminyak and Kuta were actually in really close proximity and could be reached easily from each other.
Pale White Sand Beaches.
White Sand of Sri Lanka Beach on Bukit Peninsula
Empty White Sand Balangan Beach in the South of Bali
Small natural Blue Lagoon Beach by Padangbai
Exploring some of the volcanoes and the many differently colored beaches of Bali was definitely the perfect thing to do while visiting the island. Especially the two huge craters and the empty Balangan Beach as well as the small Blue Lagoon seemed well worth the visit. Even if there were almost no palm trees on the entire island and even if most beaches where not white, Bali was still an amazingly beautiful island to visit and in the end, it exceeded all my expectations…
Have you been to Bali? Which volcanoes and which beaches did you visit?
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Find more Information about Bali here
The Temples and Ceremonies of Bali
Physical Appearance
Split Stone Entrance Gates
Balinese Temples in actual Use
Different Temple Locations on Bali
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Exploring Bali’s Landscapes by Scooter
Driving Conditions on Bali
Crater Rim drive by Munduk
Big Crater ride by Gunung Batur
Winding Coastal Road by Amed
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9 Days of Driving around Bali Island
General tips for driving on Bali.
Individual days of riding by Scooter.
Street maps for all sections of the ride.
Summarized driving conditions with diary links.
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If I think of Bali, I would think just like you of white sand beaches dotted with palms. What an amazing surprise! I’ve never actually swum on a black sand beach. But I love a lot the contrast you’ve shown on that photo with white wooden boats and black sand beneath them. Thanks for linking up to the #SundayTraveler.
P.S. I also love a play with a word – architorture!
frankaboutcroatia recently posted…What to do in Croatia in spring
Hi Frank, I am glad to hear that you like my play on words and it’s even better that you enjoyed seeing the colorful beaches of Bali. It really was a surprise to see all the dark beaches and to me it was a very strange feeling to be standing on a black beach. I totally recommend the experience, but go in the morning because the black sand gets really boiling hot in the sun…
Looks beautiful, it’s been too long since I’ve been to Bali, would probably be crazy busy and filled with Aussies, but I’m sure the other remote areas are still amazing to see. Hope you can join us and also link up for Travel Photo Mondays, the link is open for the whole week.
noel recently posted…Airport art in San Francisco,Travel Photo Mondays #37
You are right Noel that, similarly as the beaches of Cancun are packed with North Americans and the ones of Mallorca are packed with northern Europeans, Bali’s beaches are flooded with Australians. Luckily all of these three are actually beautiful places and once you leave the usual tourist area, Kuta in this case, the rest of Bali is a really rewarding place to visit. Thanks for the invitation to the Photo Mondays, I will definitely make sure to check it out…
LOVE this! I have wanted to visit Bali for a long time, your pics make me want to go there!
Margherita recently posted…Jordan Road Trip
Thank you Margherita! You should definitely go and visit Bali, it’s a really beautiful island. Just make sure to get out of the main tourist area and explore all the many beaches and volcanoes, ideally on a scooter or motorcycle…
I was surprised by the amount of tourists in Kuta as well. It was a bit of a turn off, but the rest of the island makes up for it !
I’ve never been to one of Bali’s black sand beaches, but now I really want to. I will be there next week so I will check one out, thanks for the tip!
Christine recently posted…Travel Planning- Pre-trip Purchases
It’s great to hear that you will be visiting Bali next week, Christine! Definitely check out some of the black sand beaches and in case you haven’t done so yet, some volcanoes as well. If you are confident enough to drive, get your own wheels, it was really the best to be cruising around while exploring everything that Bali had to offer…
I’m surprised that there are that many different shades of sand in Bali! I love the photos of the volcanoes. Such beautiful views!
Lauren recently posted…Caribbean Cruise – Downtown Oranjestad, Aruba (Day 8)
Thanks a lot Lauren, I am glad to hear that you like the volcanoes! Finding the different colors of the beaches was a big surprise for me as well, but this way it was even more interesting the explore the coast of Bali…
Beautiful pictures! I have read so much about Bali and want to visit some day. Hopefully with not too many tourist to spoil the day out of the beach.
Bianca @itsallbee recently posted…Look Mum No Hands!
Thanks a lot Bianca! You should definitely visit Bali when you get the chance, it’s a beautiful island and as soon as you leave the usual Kuta area, you probably have have most of the beaches to yourself…
I have always wanted to visit a black sand beach. They just scream exotic to me. Thanks for linking up to #SundayTraveler.
Adelina | PackMeTo recently posted…Pretending to Be Royalty at Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna
Adelina, you really should visit a black sand beach, especially if you haven’t seen one. I had never really experienced beaches like that as well and it was definitely quite an exotic and strange feel. The only downside is that it gets really, really hot on the sand in the mid-day sun…
I love Bali and your photos bring me right back there…gorgeous!
Corinne recently posted…Singapore’s Signature Dish – The Chili Crab
Thank you very much Corinne. It’s always nice to reminisce, especially on a beautiful island like Bali…
Gorgeous photos – I can’t wait to visit Bali late this year/early next year! Thanks for linking up to the #SundayTraveler!
Ashley @ A Southern Gypsy recently posted…Five Ways to Spring into Nashville
Hi Ashley, great to hear that you like the photos and even better that you are going to Bali! Definitely try to explore beyond the usual tourist spots, ideally with a motorcycle or a scooter. It’s so much fun and there really is a lot of diversity for such a small island…
Why haven’t I been to Bali yet if it is so gorgeous? I particularly like the Black Sand Coastline by Lalang-Linggha, lovely!
You are right Franca, the black beaches really were something special and beautiful. Why you haven’t been to Bali yet is a good question, but it seems like you might have to go very soon…
You’re bringing back some great memories with your pictures, Dennis! My wife and I stayed in Lovina about 5 years back and really enjoyed our time there. We had planned to visit more of the island, but after a few bus rides from hell on Java to get over there, we decided to stay put and relax—and Lovina was a great place to do that. Not sure whether tourism has changed it since our visit though. At the time, Lovina really seemed to posed to become more popular with international visitors; it would be interesting to hear your thoughts on what it’s like these days.
Ryan recently posted…24 Hours in Tokyo For Culture Lovers
Ryan, it’s great to hear that I could bring back some of your Bali memories! What Lovina is concerned, I visited a while back as well, but I found it to be pretty relaxed and a really nice place to hang out, as you describe it as well. On the other hand there so many hotels and restaurants in the area, that it must get packed at some points during the year. Luckily I managed to avoid those times…
These are some fantastic photos, I especially love the dark sand at Balian Beach. Thanks for sharing Dennis!
Thank you very much Ashlea! It’s great to learn that you enjoyed the photos of Bali’s beaches and I really have to agree with you: the completely black Balian Beach was definitely something special…
I’m heading to Bali for the first time next month so I’m delighted to see this photo essay! I’m also really glad you’ve given realistic expectations of what to expect from the appearance of the beaches as I hear so many people who complain after they return about how it wasn’t white sand etc etc because they hadn’t researched it. I’m not sure we’ll have time to squeeze in Amed but do you think it’s doable as a half or full day trip from Ubud? Great post!
Shikha (whywasteannualleave) recently posted…An Alpine Fairytale in Lake Bled, Slovenia: A Cream Cake with A View
Shikha, it’s great to hear that are visiting Bali as well! Visiting Amed from Ubud on a full day trip should be possible I think, but it was actually well worth it staying overnight in the area and watching the sunset or strolling the beach in the morning. Either way, it’s perfect that now you will have no illusions regarding the beaches of Bali…
Great read, I am one of those Aussies who love Bali, except unlike most of them I do get away from Kuta. My very first trip there in 1995 I stayed in Ubud. We went in August, my first time in 17 years and revisited the resort and fell in love with Bali all over again.
Lyn – A Hole in my Shoe recently posted…Bali, Beyond beer and beaches
Wow Lyn, that sounds like you had already a long term relationship with Bali! It is definitely a beautiful place to visit and I am very glad to hear that you made it out of the Kuta area ans well. Hopefully you even explores some nice beaches and volcanoes…
I’ve been to Bali but I haven’t done much of the inland and sticked mostly in the south western area, where the surf is. Amazing pictures! I clearly have to go back!
Pam | a Blonde around the World recently posted…FALL IN NEW YORK
Ah, I see Pam, I really only have been only to one surfer beach on Bali. But the rest of the island is definitely well worth exploring as well, especially for the great landscapes, volcanoes and even the different types of beaches…
Hello Dennis,
For Amed I’ve made similar pictures of the beach. It’s amazing all the respons you are getting. Most of the tourists here are from France. Not so many from Germany. Do you know why? Btw our Amed website is also in German.