TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - You may often stumble upon offers on Bali tourism packages to the garden park attraction, luxurious resorts, mainstream beaches, and cultural attractions.
But do you know that Bali has several hidden surprises and secret beaches that are difficult to reach? Here are the three hidden gems in Bali that are challenging to visit but are worth every inch of its natural beauty once you get there.
1. Nyang Nyang Beach
This beach is located in Pecatu Village located in South Kuta, Badung. This spot was recently nominated by CNN Travel International as the best beach to visit in 2018.
Nyang Nyang is the only beach in Indonesia included in the list of best beaches that go side-by-side with Thailand’s Railay Beach, Bazaruto Archipelago in Mozambique, and Sant Sebastia Beach in Spain.
Tempo had the chance to visit Nyang Nyang beach in March of 2017 before it was awarded as one of the best beaches in the world. We traveled to the place with the help of local guide Gede Arya who showed us the challenging route to the beach. The access road leading to the beach was a limestone gravel road.
Visitors will be faced with a kilometer downhill section to reach the beach.
2. Campuhan Ridge Walk
The beauty of Campuhan in Ubud recently went viral in social media with 11,000 images of the place shared through Instagram with the hashtag #bukitcampuhan.
Several travel influencers that are on the rise such as Kadekarini and Anggey Anggraini have also posted several photos of them visiting the location with its natural terraces in its background. Tempo also visited this location in the first week of February this year. It turns out that this unique spot isn’t easy to find.
Campuhan is an hour drive from the City of Denpasar. But you can also ride a shuttle bus from Kuta Beach. Once you arrive at Ubud Market, there are no official signs that can direct you to Campuhan Ridge Walk, digital maps also lack information on the access roads to get there.
The closest location with Campuhan that can be accessed by motorized vehicles is only up to Kafe Karsa that is located behind luxurious villas in the Ubud rural area. Once you arrive at the café, you will be faced with two alternative roads through paddy fields or through a dead end road just 500 meters from the café.
Both access roads are quite challenging in its nature. You would have to walk two kilometers up and downhill footpaths.
3. Green Bowl Beach
This place used to be a privately owned beach. It is located not too far from Nyang Nyang, at Ungasan Village to be exact.
Similar to Nyang Nyang, Green Bowl is located way under a cliff. Visitors must walk down a 300 staircase to reach the beach that according to local resident Made was found in March of 2017. The location was initially crowded by foreign tourists before it was widely known by the public.
According to Made, tourists usually visit the beach to surf its strong currents and waves. The beach itself isn’t vast but is still very much maintained.
Francisca Christy Rosana
