Camping at Balian Beach

Balian is one of my favorite beaches for camping in Bali.  The camping spot is at Balian Surf Camp which is just on the other side of the river (usually ankle deep) from Balian beach.

Balian is a really fun surf break which catches swell all year round.  Here you can find more information about the waves.

Balian has a few cool restaurants and you can use the shower and beach side pool at Pondok Pitaya hotel if you buy a 100k Rupiah food voucher.

Balian Surf Camp is on the quieter side of the river (not that Balian is at all hectic).  This whole strip of beachfront is practically undeveloped and Bali Surf Camp is a philanthropic organization in which all profits from the enterprise go to the local village.  They have a few rooms for rent as well as a quaint local restaurant (warung).  There are restrooms, a shower, and fresh water access from which you can refill the campervan water tanks.  They also rent boards and offer surf lessons (pre-arrange).

The staff at Bali Surf Camp are wonderful and the whole area has a chill laid back vibe.  There are quite a few places to park the campervan.  If it’s important to you to be near the facilities then you can park right at the end of the road near the restaurant.  This is a beautiful spot but locals tend to show up early in the morning to collect wood on the beach and this causes the dogs to bark.  I prefer to park a bit more on the southern side of the restaurant area.

Cost to stay: 50,000 per person to park the campervan here. Includes breakfast.

Getting there:

Balian beach and Balian Surf Camp are easy to get to as you just turn off the main highway.  Note that driving from the surf camp to the official Balian beach area is about 5 minutes.  Walking along the beach is also 5 minutes.

One thing of note, if you are coming from South Bali (Canggu, Seminyak, etc.) Google will try to route you along small roads close to the coast.  You DO NOT want to take these roads.  They are barely suitable for a motorbike and will be a miserable ride if you can make it at all.  This area is marked on the map.  Take the main highway (Google will likely offer it as an alternative).

Also, if you are going to head to the mountains after Balian do not take the road that goes immediately North from Balian.  Look on the map for the better option.

Ammenties:

• Bathrooms and shower
• Firewood available – 25,000 Rupiah per bundle depending on season. Coconut husk tinder is 5,000.  2 bundles plus some larger wood from the beach makes a good fire all night.
• Food available
• WiFi near the restaurant
• Decent cell signal
• Surfboard rental and lessons (need to arrange before arrival)

If a suitable board isn’t available for rent at the surf camp, you can go over to Balian and try the beach front rental or check out Roni’s Surfboards (100k/day) here https://goo.gl/maps/M6vAcL4oeg9Awp8f8