One Day Escape to Virgin Beach, Karangasem, Bali

As some of you know that I moved to Bali by July 2019. I moved to a company, resort, situated in Legian. I have never been to Bali before to stay and live here. So, I take this opportunity to explore and discover more Bali and Beyond.

There are so many places to discover in Bali. From the peaceful rainforest in Ubud, pristine sand beach in Nusa Dua, and jaw-dropping caves and waterfalls in Singaraja. Endless adventure awaits here in Bali. Yes, I need to repeat that once again, endless.

I, to be honest, did nothing in the very first week in Bali. Literally, nothing, because I did not know where to go and got no friends here to explore. I mean, I have some friends here but not that sure that we are on the same page for traveling style and kinds of stuff.

Thank God, I have one friend from my previous company, Dewi. She's been living in Bali for years and has explored so many places here. So, on my second Saturday here, I got a chance to discover the East side of Bali, Karangasem, with her.

Karangasem is one of the regions in Bali which located on the East side of the island. So be aware, when you are visiting beaches here, do not expect for that dreamy sunset. This region is known for the snorkeling sites such as Blue Lagoon and Virgin Beach, the one that I will explain more in this post.

To get to Karangasem, you can take your own vehicle whether motorbike or car, do not take public transport because there is none to go there anyway. If you take your own vehicle, I suggest riding your motorbike. It took me around two hours riding to reach the destination. No wonder, since it is around 70KM away from Denpasar. So, make sure you fill-up the fuel tank and bring some snacks if you are hungry.

The track to reach Virgin beach is not that difficult. The road is big enough for buses actually, but the distance and the winds are what matter the most since some roads are actually right next to the beach or coastal line. I am pretty sure that you can easily get tired unless you enjoy the view just like me.

The first place that you can visit in Karangasem is Blue Lagoon. It is located around Padangbai port. So you can use Padangbai as your direction destination in Google Maps. You just take one turn from Padangbai to reach Blue Lagoon. Make sure your vehicle condition is good enough to take the uphill road.

It took us only 10k for tickets including parking. The Blue Lagoon is located downhill, so yes you have to take stairs to reach there. The beach is not that big, but the color is really beautiful. It is no wonder why they call it Blue Lagoon.

Unfortunately, when we arrived there, the waves were not that friendly. It was not that safe for us to do snorkeling. So we only sat there and enjoyed the view while taking some rest to continue to Virgin Beach.

After we had some time there, we decided to move to the next place, Virgin beach. It took only around 30 minutes to reach the beach. As mentioned before, you have to make sure your vehicle condition as there are so many uphill roads.

View from Bukit Asah

While the beach is located downhill, you may also visit Bukit Asah. The ticket booth for Virgin Beach and Bukit Asah is managed by locals, and it also takes us only 10k. The first destination that we visit is of course Bukit Asah.

Bukit Asah is known as one of the camping ground destinations in Bali. It has open wide green fields area full of grass and trees. The view? To the ocean of course! You can see the coastal line of the east side of Bali and a large coral island across the hill.

For campers, you can built your own camp here, or you may rent to the local for that. There is also a small hut that you can rent here for around 400k per night. If you are hungry, you can spot some small shop owned by local who sells snacks and heavy meal. It took me only 6k for Tipat! (It's a rice cake, fresh vegetables, served with peanut sauce for dressing).

Unfortunately, when we visited the Bukit Asah when not in the right season. The grasses were dying and it made the hill look like large savanna. So, I suggest you visit it on the rainy season for a lush view. Thank God, the weather was very good on that day, the sky was clear and everything looks beautiful. There is also a swing that you can play here, and you can also take some pictures!

The next and final destination is located next to the hill, Virgin Beach. As known as the name, the beach feels like a virgin! LOL. It means that not everyone knows this place, so you may see fewer people here which actually pretty good to capture some Bali beaches image. The sand is not that white, and it very clean here.

Bring your snorkeling equipment! The beach is shallow for snorkeling as you can spot fishes, corals, and other marine animals here. Well, I cannot show you the marine life images here because I cannot swim anyways, LOL. But mbak Dewi said that this beach has a beautiful view under the water. What I really like about this beach is actually there are fewer people here. You may find your peaceful state of mind for that;

Overall, Virgin Beach is a beautiful place and should be in your bucket list if you are visiting Bali. The local people is kind and they will be happy to assist you. Besides, the snorkeling area is pretty wide so I assume that two hours is not enough for you to explore this beach.

I ended my Saturday with two hours riding back home with my motorbike. I am happy to discover the place for the very first time. I was thinking that one day I should go back there again when the time the hill is full with lush greenery view and I mastered snorkeling already! LOL.

Overall, I really like the place, and I suggest you put it on your tick box of Where to Go in Bali.  Besides the beauty of the beach, you can also visit some places at one time and it will not make you broke afterward. I mean, 6k for lunch? I only spent less than 100k on this trip! Thank you for reading my post! I hope you like it. Please give comment and feedback below and share to your friends to let them know too!

Love always,

Abraham