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Candidasa
Laid-back east coast base (East Bali)
About Candidasa
Candidasa is a small, quiet seaside town in East Bali with a lotus lagoon at its center. It is well placed for the east: the Bali Aga village of Tenganan, the white sand of Virgin Beach, the dive sites around Padangbai and Gili Tepekong, and the Tirta Gangga water palace.
Best for: Couples, divers & culture seekers
- Tenganan village
- Virgin Beach
- Diving at Gili Tepekong
- Lotus lagoon
Candidasa at a glance
- Beach: Fair (2/5). Little sand left in town behind the sea walls; white-sand Virgin Beach is 15 minutes away.
- Nightlife: Poor (1/5). A few quiet bars and restaurants.
- Prices: $$ · Moderate. Moderate, with good-value seafront hotels.
- To the airport: 65 km · 1½–2 h. By road to Bali airport (DPS), in usual traffic.
- Climate: Hot & humid · coast
Ratings
- Calm-water swimming: Good (3/5)
- Surfing: None (0/5)
- Diving & snorkeling: Very good (4/5)
- Sunsets: Poor (1/5)
- Restaurants & cafés: Fair (2/5)
- Culture & temples: Very good (4/5)
- Nature & landscapes: Good (3/5)
- Yoga & wellness: Good (3/5)
- Family-friendly: Good (3/5)
- Peace & quiet: Very good (4/5)
- Remote work: Poor (1/5)
- Walkability: Fair (2/5)
Rated from 0 (none) to 5 (excellent), compared with Bali's other areas.
Resorts in Candidasa
- Quenzo Beach Resort: Karangasem, from about $150 a night
- Amankila: Karangasem, from about $1,260 a night
- Alila Manggis: Karangasem, from about $120 a night
- Candi Beach Resort & Spa: Karangasem, from about $80 a night
- Puri Bagus Candidasa: Karangasem, from about $55 a night
Sights in Candidasa
- Tenganan Pegringsingan (traditional village). Tenganan Pegringsingan is a walled Bali Aga village just inland from Candidasa, whose people keep customs older than the Hindu-Javanese culture of the rest of the island. Rows of family compounds line a broad, stepped central lane, and weavers make geringsing, a rare double-ikat cloth that can take years to finish. Visitors walk in freely and leave a donation at the gate.
- Goa Lawah Temple (temple). Pura Goa Lawah is one of Bali's most important temples, built around the mouth of a cave where thousands of bats roost. Families come to the black-sand beach across the road for ceremonies, including rites held after a cremation, then pray at the temple. A sarong and sash are needed, and it lies on the coast road between Klungkung and Padangbai.
Beaches in Candidasa
- Virgin Beach (beach). Virgin Beach, also called Pasir Putih or Pantai Perasi, is a bay of white sand about 600 m long between the hills of Bukit Asah and Bukit Perasi, 20 minutes' drive east of Candidasa, reached by lanes from Bugbug and from Perasi village. Warungs and small cafes line the sand and rent sun loungers, and outrigger boats take visitors out to Pulau Paus, a whale-shaped rock. The sea is often calm enough for swimming and for snorkeling over coral a few meters out, though the waves can build quickly.
- Bias Tugel Beach (beach). Bias Tugel is a short cove of white sand between rocky, wooded headlands just south of the ferry port at Padangbai, on the open coast outside the bay, with clear water, coral close to shore and a few simple warungs. From the car park on the hill road above, it is about a 10-minute walk down steps and a steep, rocky path, and a track over the hill from the harbor entrance also leads there. Waves get bigger at high tide and currents can be strong, so swim and snorkel at low or mid tide.
- Blue Lagoon Beach (beach). Blue Lagoon is a small sandy cove on the far side of the headland at the east end of Padangbai's main bay, a short walk from the village. The water is usually calm and clear, with coral reef right off the shore: people snorkel straight from the beach, wading in through a sandy, coral-free channel, and local dive centers bring divers to its reef. A couple of warungs serve simple meals, and snorkel gear can be rented on the beach.
- Padangbai Beach (beach). Padangbai Beach is the main beach of the small port town of Padangbai, a narrow curve of sand around the bay just east of the harbor, where ferries leave for Lombok and Nusa Penida. Colorful outrigger fishing boats line the shore and fill the bay, and the beach road, Jalan Silayukti, is busy with dive shops, cafes and guesthouses. Boats leave from the sand for snorkeling and diving trips to the reefs nearby.
- Pengalon Beach (beach). Pengalon Beach is the black-sand fishing beach of Banjar Pengalon in Antiga Kelod, on the coast between Goa Lawah and Padangbai, about 2 kilometers southwest of the Padangbai ferry harbor. Dozens of jukung, the local outrigger fishing canoes, are drawn up in rows on the sand below the village houses and a Pura Segara sea temple. It is a quiet working beach open to the swell: in August 2022 high waves damaged several boats and swept some out to sea.