Green Bowl Beach

Green Bowl Beach - Indonesia
© balinature

This secluded strip of white sand is located in the far south of Bali. For the Bukit Peninsula it is something of a hidden gem, although it isn’t really that much of a secret anymore. Even so, being a little off-the-beaten-track keeps it pretty quiet and usually there are just a handful of beachgoers and surfers trying to avoid the crowds.

That said, things could have been different. In the not too distant past developers did try to drag the Green Bowl into line with the rest of the coast and built a resort complete with elevator down to the beach. That didn’t work out and things soon returned to the way they always had been.

Much of the beaches appeal is down to its feeling of remoteness. The steeply rising lush, jungle of vegetation to the rear of the beach certainly reinforces this. During the 70 metre descent through the trees you are likely to spot some of the resident monkeys and traditional stone statues.

But why is it called Green Bowl beach? To tell you the truth we aren’t sure but there are a few theories. Some say it is the shape of the beach and how it fills up at high tide, others say it is the colour of the seaweed that clings to the rocks at low tide. However we prefer another theory. This refers to the bowl-shaped caves in the limestone cliffs at the back of the beach. The caves offer some welcome shade from the midday sun and are also home to small Balinese Hindu shrines.

Green Bowl (or Greenball) is a fairly well known surf spot. It isn’t in the same league as the waves on the west coast but it can get good and is less busy. The beach is more exposed to the swells which has its pros and cons; ideal when the waves are small, but not so at any other time.

This also makes swimming somewhat riskier at Green Bowl. If there are waves there are likely to be strong currents. If not this is great place for snorkeling with plenty to see on the coral just offshore.

Nearest town/city

Kangin

Dogs?

Dogs allowed

Activities

  • Diving & snorkelling
  • Surfing

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Current weather (Fri Mar 29th 06:00)

Partly cloudy

(Partly cloudy)
25.6°C / 78°F

Sea temperature

29.4°C
84.9°F

Green Bowl Beach surf forecasts

Green Bowl BeachFull weather & tide times info »