A Picnic on the Isolated Nyang Nyang Beach Bali [2024]

Covid Update Jan 2024: Indonesia is now open for all travelers.

Nyangnyang Beach Bali – One of the Best Beaches on the Island

We descended the stairs on the hill shadowing the Nyang Nyang beach. And all we could see was the turquoise Nyang Nyang rolling ahead of us into infinity.

First, I gaped at the blueness of the scene. Then I ran towards the ocean, jumped around, and took pictures. When I had done it all, I melted away into a peaceful calm, or you can also call it the exertion of the 2.5-hour drive with the sun growling above our heads. We had gone to Nyangnyang beach from Ubud, where we were staying at the moment.

Here is my complete Bali Travel Guide and I’ve also noted down first impressions of Bali and practical travel tips for travelers.)

I was overwhelmed by the myriad of colors that filled the landscape. Fleecy clouds floated in a light-blue sea of their own. They led to a deep-blue sea, whose green waves rolled towards us washing over the brown moss and running into the fluorescent-green shore reef. Alongside the green corals stood the ink-blue pools.

Famished, we sat on a wooden bench of an abandoned cafe. Though the cafe didn’t seem to function, its embellishments tinkled around us. Shell wind chimes, beer cans, old slippers, and a cow skull kept us company. We enjoyed our picnic of a multi-grain baguette with ricotta cheese, tomatoes, and bananas.

Related Read: Everything you need to know about the On Arrival Visa for Indonesia

As the food reached my stomach, the playful child in me didn’t let me sit anymore. Again, I ran towards the sea. Like on a summer day in India, when the whole family is asleep in front of water coolers, the child, after having enjoyed his curry and roti with mangoes, opens all the water taps in the house and stands under them, fills all the kitchen spoons and glasses with water, runs bare feet on the boiling floor, and vehemently nods his head when his mother asks him to join her on the sleeping mat on the cold floor.

I was that child. I took off my clothes, changed into my sea-blue bikini behind a tree, and ran into one of those coral pools. And as the water washed over my scorching skin, those childhood days played in my mind like a movie.

Also Read: Traveling India – Stories from growing up and traveling in India

I floated and watched the grey clouds hanging above the ocean. Tiny golden-stripped black fishes darted to and fro in the pools making it all very surreal.

The sea was calm, and the sun reflected off the purple, blue, and green shells. A blue kingfisher decided to perch herself on the sand, near us, and we watched the sea together. And then she took a low flight, giving me plenty of chances to click a picture of her, but my phone was far away in the cafe. Well, that moment would only be mine now.

I could hear nothing apart from my friends’ chuckles and the sound of the soft waves rolling into the shore. I could see nothing but the Indian ocean, the yellow sand, and the hill that fringed them. And in those moments, I was oblivious of the chaotic world behind the hillock existing away from the calm coral pools. I couldn’t imagine the harsh world for the soft sand on which ants crawled away with tiny shells cushioned me.

Apart from us, two fisherwomen and a few men searching for shells were the only people on the Nyang Nyang beach. And when I looked above from my private fringing reef, I saw people looking at us from the cliff above. But most of them didn’t come down until sunset.

The molten, golden sunset. On that Nyang Nyang beach sunset, the spherical sun seemed very close by. We were on the edge of the earth, after all.

The sun was first red, then orange, and later it turned yellow, like a ripe mango. And then it was gone, leaving orange hues behind. (I enjoyed another glorious sunset on Bali’s Nusa Penida island.)

When the sun left we also thought of leaving that solitary heaven. As we walked back to our bike, we found ourselves standing in between two cliffs. Millions of stars watched us from above.

I switched off the phone flashlight. Between those two cliffs, we could only hear the ocean and the silence, only see the stars and the darkness, and only taste the salt and the stillness. It was just us under the starlit sky, and the moon was making the ocean roar.

Some people were making a campfire, barbecuing fish, and drinking Bali beer. If you love to camp, please ask around and I am sure you would be able to rent some gear and go.

From Nyang Nyang beach, we drove for 2.5 hours again to Ubud. On the way, we stopped for some mushroom curry with rice and iced coffee. Back at the hotel, I slept like a baby.

The Logistics to Reach the Nyang Nyang Beach, Bali

The drive to Nyangnyang beach was long but fun as we drove over the ocean for a stretch. Some roads were pretty crowded. Remember that the drive goes via a toll road and the toll collector would ask you to swipe card as you aren’t allowed to pay by cash. But he will take the cash and leave you with a warning to pay by card the next time.

If you are driving to the Nyangnyang from Ubud, you will cross a beautiful art market on your way. I forgot to mark in on the Google Maps but it had looked fabulous.

A car or a bike taxi such as GoJek and Grab can also be hired to Nyang Nyang.

Take food, plenty of water, and swimsuits. There were cafes and fancy restaurants on the main road, but we hadn’t stopped at any because we had taken our picnic.

Some people say the Nyang Nyang beach is hard to find and the walk up to it is strenuous. But perhaps that was the other end of the beach. We followed Google maps, parked our scooters when the beach arrived, and walked down a long flight of stairs to reach it.

The journey was worth it as for me Nyang Nyang beach had been one of the best places to visit in Bali.

My Best Places to Stay in Bali

Nuriani Guest House: an old Balinese-style hotel

I stayed at Nuriani (in the center of Ubud) for two weeks. It was a perfect guest house. Though it was right in the middle of Ubud, paddy fields fringed it. The rooms were large, comfortable, and clean. The breakfast was included in the price, and the rooms were cleaned every day.

From our room we could see the sprawling lush paddy and the whole place was really comfortable. Everything in Ubud was walkable from Nuriani, and the staff was courteous.

Nuriani is a good place to book at least for the first few days while you find more innovative guesthouses in Bali (places such as villas, ocean-facing bungalows, bamboo huts, jungle camps, and so on).

Update Jan 2024: Nuriani is still functional, looks the same, and their prices haven’t gone up like the rest of the world. I would book them without hesitation.

Wijaya Guest House: a home stay in a Balinese Village

Wijaya is a homestay in Laplapan village which is a ten-minute drive from Ubud. The room was pretty affordable, had a balcony, and the breakfast was included, too. From the balcony, I could look down at the lush green garden. The blooming frangipani canopied the entire sunlit courtyard and the family’s temple. Palm and coconut trees swayed in the distance.

The family was really nice and helped out with everything. They rent scooters, too. The village was a different experience from living in the center of Ubud because it was more quiet and empty. I could walk a long way along the paddy, sit in a restaurant surrounded by the greenery, and just not have much to do.

Update Jan 2024: Wijaya is still functional, looks the same, and their prices haven’t gone up like the rest of the world even though they have hundreds of recent, positive reviews.

Travelers also stay in South Bali near Kuta, which is much of a party place, and in Sanur, too, which feels like just another city. Or go to Amed or Canggu for surfing and diving.

Do you also want to go to Nyang Nyang beach in Bali? Let me know in the comments.