An excess of people in Kuta and Seminyak can put off some of the tourists who come to the island for a less festive experience rather than the great party atmosphere offered by those areas. Fortunately, visitors looking for quiet only have to embark on a short journey beyond Seminyak to find a long, quieter line of sandy beaches.

The name Canggu actually refers to a group of villages located in northwest Seminyak, which is administratively part of Badung regency. However, since the beaches are located near the villages, people simply started to call them the Canggu beaches.

Despite having smaller crowds, this coastal village cannot in any way be considered a hidden gem nor would you have go off the beaten track to get to the beach. The infrastructure has already been built. In fact, Canggu is a favorite place for expatriates to settle down on the island; you can find plenty of foreigners who have been or soon will be living on the island for a few years here.

Getting to the Canggu area is really easy when driving from Seminyak. You can take the main route by going to Jl. Raya Canggu. This road is the backbone of the area, and every beach available in Canggu is just one left turn away. Alternatively, go to Jl. Batubelig in Seminyak and go all the way west until you find a three-way intersection with a big sign for the Akasha Hotel before taking a left turn to a smaller road that will lead you to the beaches.

Berawa Beach will likely be the first beach that you will discover if you drive down from Seminyak. While beach chairs are available, there is an instantly noticeable lack of commercial activities in the form of stalls and hawkers. Swimming in the area is good fun if you like playing in the surf because strong waves are a common thing at this beach. Its sand bottom is adequately deep. Combine that with the strong waves and you will have great fun being tossed and turned. But it isnt as scary as it might sound: Children can have fun here, too. Lifeguards are available as long as you stay in the red-yellow flag zone.

While Berawa is also a good place to surf, you will find more people riding the waves at Batu Bolong Beach. From Jl. Raya Canggu, you will see a green road sign that leads to the place. The beach itself is quite similar to Berawa, but you will see more surfers floating on their boards far out at sea waiting for the big breaks to ride on.

In the middle of the road between Jl. Raya Canggu and Batu Bolong Beach, you will find a small intersection with a road leading to Echo Beach. Along with Batu Bolong Beach, Echo Beach is one of the beaches in Canggu with the most visitors, possibly because this area is the most developed, made evident by wall-to-wall villas and construction.

Fancy beachside restaurants are available for you to have a meal with great view of the sea. On the weekends, the place has become much more like its southern counterparts by hosting loud parties.

Luckily, for those that wish for a quiet beach, Canggu still has some tricks up its sleeve. Beaches that are further out to the west are relatively quiet, such as Pererenan Beach. If you are going for a beach-a-thon by visiting the all the beaches in Canggu starting from the afternoon, then Pererenan Beach will give you a nice grand finale with its sunset view.

Walking along the coastline of Canggus beaches this week, I felt a calming afternoon breeze and saw the sun on the horizon turning a dark orange. Children ran towards their parents after a day of playing in the waves and sand.

Link:

Beyond Seminyak: the beaches of Canggu