Green Bowl Beach

Green Bowl sits below the cliffs near Ungasan on the southern edge of the Bukit Peninsula. Its name is a minor puzzle: signs and maps have long given both “Green Bowl” and “Green Ball”, and the surfers’ version, Bowl, describes the shape of the reef wave offshore.

Reaching it means walking down a few hundred steps through scrub and limestone, which keeps numbers down even as the clifftop above has filled with villas and resorts. At the bottom is a short arc of golden sand backed by overhanging rock and shallow caves that give welcome shade. Monkeys from the surrounding forest are often around the stairs, so keep food and loose items packed away.

Unlike most of the south Bukit, Green Bowl has a patch of mostly sandy sea floor that is good for a swim when the sea is calm, and snorkelling is decent on small-swell days. The wave breaks over reef offshore, with a channel in the middle of the beach for paddling out. There is little or nothing at the bottom of the stairs, so carry water and food down with you. Low to mid tide exposes the most sand.

There is no public transport. Drive or ride south from Jimbaran toward Ungasan, then follow the road down toward the south coast and the signs for Green Bowl; parking is at the top of the stairs. Allow 30 minutes to an hour from Kuta, depending on traffic.