“AMAZING LOOKOUT POINT”
Enjoy my video impression of Pandawa beach below.
The location
Pandawa beach is located on the southern side of the South Kuta Peninsula. It is one of the larger cliff side beaches.
I am referring to Pandawa beach as a cliffside beach, because to get there you will have to drive down the cliffside to reach the beach.
This will not be much of an issue, as the infrastructure around the beach is in perfect condition.
I would normally recommend everybody to rent a scooter if you are in Bali. Because it allows for a lot of freedom. I know it isn’t for the faint hearted, as the traffic can be quite horrible in Bali. But in the South Kuta Peninsula the traffic is overall less. It should offer for an easy stepping stone in getting used to the Bali traffic. Being on a scooter is also especially useful if you want to combine a visit to Pandawa beach with the nearby Melasti beach. A one two combo that is easily doable. If you don’t want to drive a scooter, you can easily get a Grab or Gojek taxi to get you to your destination. Or ask for some transport at your accommodation.
Getting into Pandawa
To get to Pandawa beach you will have to enter the area from the roundabout towards the Jl. Pantai Pandawa road. The entrance is pretty obvious, as you will be greeted by a large traditional Balinese gate.
When you continue driving, the road all of a sudden changes into this wide and well-maintained road, that even seems to have signage for dedicated lanes for cars, busses and motorbikes.
A little further down that road, you will reach the ticket booth. Entrance for one person if you are a foreigner on a motorbike, is 15k IDR.
From the ticket booth you continue down this large road, past what looks like the early skeletons of an abandoned resort on your left.
A little beyond that, the cliffs in front of you will open up, where you have this look-out point that presents you with an amazing view over the ocean and Pandawa beach.
The beachfront itself
Pandawa beach is a very beautiful looking beach. With a long stretch of white sand and turquoise blue water. Combined with a lot of green open areas at the bottom of the cliffs. It has a lot of open fields, with the beachfront itself closely packed with small shops and restaurants. It is also a pretty long beach. Stretching well over several hundred meters (approximately 600 meters I believe). But the beach itself also doesn’t run to deep from the edge of the water. But I have to admit, that I was there during high tide. So, it might be a bit different when it is low tide.
Pandawa beach also feels more like a locals beach. When I was there a lot of local people were visiting. And compared to some more touristy beaches, there weren’t that many foreigners.
Landmarks
There are some pretty characteristic items to behold when visiting Pandawa beach. First and foremost is the large white tower that resides near the beachfront. It is one of those things you cannot miss. The tower is actually a lighthouse that is still actively used.
What you can also see right next to it, is the single beach club you can find at Pandawa beach, named Roosterfish beach club.
But also on your way down from the top of the cliffs, you will come across these statues standing inside the hollowed out limestone cliffside. Which represent the Pandavas. The main characters from the ancient Mahabharata epic, I was told.
And there is also this more demonic figure in he middle of the roundabout at the bottom of the cliffs. Representing (what seemed to me) one of the many Ogoh Ogoh statues you might come across on Bali.
What to do
There are plenty of things to do at Pandawa beach. As it is one of the more developed beaches.
- Chill at the beach: First and foremost you can of course chill at the long stretch of beach. There are plenty of vendors who rent out a beach bed and an umbrella. You can just relax near the ocean water and soak up the sun all day.
- Rent a canoe: If you would like to be a bit more active, you an also rent a canoe to head out on the water. There are plenty of local vendors renting out their equipment.
- Surfing: Just like at most other beaches in the Peninsula, you are able to catch some waves and do some surfing. Equipment is also available at all the vendors along the beachfront.
- Go snorkeling: You can also go snorkeling. You can get snorkeling equipment from the same vendors mentioned before. You will find them all along the beachfront.
- Enjoy some local cuisine: You can find many local warungs along the beachfront. Where you will be able to enjoy many dishes from the delicious Indonesian cuisine.
- Visit the beach club & dining: If some more luxury is your thing, you can go and visit the nearby Roosterfish beach club. Here you can spend your day at their pool, or enjoy some more fine dining at their establishment.
- Have a look at the landmarks: If you like to see some interesting things, then having a look at the above mentioned landmarks, is the thing for you. Don’t miss the lighthouse and the statues on your way in.
- Enjoy the view: One thing that just cannot be beat, is the amazing view you have over Pandawa beach and the ocean from the look-out point on top of the cliffs.
And that is Pandawa beach.
