Bingin beach: rediscovering Bali’s old-school charm
Located at the bulb of Bali, at the bottom part of the island that is known as the Bukit, Bingin Beach has had a rapidly changing coastline. The area was the original surfers’ paradise with the pioneers making the pilgrimage down to Uluwatu from the 1960’s, putting Bali on the surfing circuit. The rest is history with surfers making the pilgrimage to this coastline from all over the world.
This arid part of the island was largely undeveloped until recently. Now there are major hotel groups positioned on the breathtaking cliffs and land prices have soared.
Needless to say this has changed the landscape of the coastline as dramatically as the views. There is still the old laidback shabby surfer-chic lifestyle to be found, but it is continuously pitted against the mass tourism development that has boomed in the last decade. Bingin is definitely still in the Bali old-school beach category, but the face of its future is scarily evident from this enclave that has views across to the Dreamland development.
The area is a tiny cove that can be reached using some very steep steps. But at the bottom lies a beach to rival the best of them and with some of the best surf on the island. It has remained fairly undeveloped and there are small warung (restaurants), guesthouses and homes dotted along the beach and the steep paths leading down. It resembles the rustic, hippy Portofino village in Italy.
There is kind of an old-world charm about this beach and there does not seem to a lot going on. Naturally the main attraction is the surfing. The beach has Grade 5 waves meaning they are big and powerful and also quite far offshore. The surfing here is not necessarily shut to beginners though as it goes through seasonal calm patches where small waves roll in around December and are learner-friendly.
Perched above on the top of the steep incline are a few establishments offering early-morning yoga, watching the sunrise over the Indian Ocean. Massages are also on offer with awe-inspiring views and also on the beach. Come 5:00 pm tables are set up on the sand and a few restaurants, such as Made’s, offer fresh seafood barbeques. The seafood is freshly caught and often you may have to wait a little bit for it to be actually brought in by the fishermen.
As long as you can handle the steep steps up and down, Bingin is an oasis of ocean calm to escape to in Bali’s Bukit.
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