Canggu - 6 Things to Do You Shouldn’t Miss

Canggu is currently one of the most sought-after areas in Bali and is especially known for its awesome surf spots.

Although the area is becoming more popular year after year, you can still find plenty of local life here and numerous beautiful rice fields. Fortunately, it is still years away from fully touristic spots like Seminyak or Kuta.

Bali Canggu – The Hotspot for Surfers

We spent 2 months in Bali, and for us, Canggu is truly the most beautiful area on this dream island. It offers the perfect mix of culture, adventure, and relaxation.

To make sure you know right away what you definitely should not miss on your trip to Canggu, we have put together some of the most important things for you.

Accommodation in Canggu – Our Hotel Tip

Canggu offers a wide range of accommodations for every budget: simple homestays, mid-range hotels, as well as luxurious rooms with private pools. Homestays in Indonesia are always a great experience, which we personally prefer because the service is simply excellent and you feel completely at ease. The Koming Guest House offers simple but clean rooms and a pool, as well as a central location. Canggu Beach is only a few minutes away.

You can find more great hotels and homestays in Canggu on this page.

1. Eat Nasi Campur

Nasi Campur is our absolute favorite dish in Bali. Especially in Canggu, there are many warungs that specialize in it. The special thing about Nasi Campur is that it can actually be 1,000 dishes in one.

The only main component is the rice. Everything else that should go on your plate you can choose yourself. Most warungs offer a large and really tasty selection: potatoes, satay skewers, yellow curry, eggs, fried shrimp, spicy vegetables, and many, many other things.

Just have whatever you feel like put on your plate, and you will experience a pretty awesome explosion of flavors.

Because Nasi Campur is actually always different, it does not get boring very quickly. We ourselves ate Nasi Campur 6-7 days in a row and apart from the rice, we had something different on our plate every time.

On top of that, it is really cheap if you go to a local warung that is not geared toward mass tourism. A generous portion costs around 20,000 – 30,000 rupiah (about €1.50 – 2).

2. Learn to Surf

Canggu is currently the surfer hotspot in Bali! Along the many beautiful but dark sandy beaches, you will find providers everywhere renting surfboards. Especially at Batu Bolong Beach, you will find the largest selection, but this is also where the water is the busiest.

Rental fees for a surfboard per session range between 40,000 and 50,000 rupiah, which is about €3. If you want to rent a surfboard for a full day, the price is usually 100,000 rupiah (about €6.50).

If you do not have any surfing experience yet, we can only recommend that you get a surf instructor. How much a surf instructor charges per session varies a lot and a bit of bargaining skill is also required.

In general, the price is between 300,000 and 350,000 rupiah (€20 – 24). You will find surf instructors at all the beaches in Canggu. But in your accommodation, 99% of the time someone will also know a surf instructor who will have time for you.

3. Spend a Sunday Evening With Locals at Pererenan Beach

Pererenan Beach is one of the westernmost beaches in Canggu and every Sunday the locals meet here to celebrate a little with their families, enjoy the sunset, and eat really delicious food at the small food stalls for incredibly low prices.

As a tourist, you will pay more than the locals, but it is still inexpensive. Several spring rolls with sauce, for example, cost 10,000 rupiah (about 70 cents). And the very popular Tipat Tahu also costs just 10,000 rupiah.

It is really beautiful to get a small glimpse of the real life of the Balinese. If you are always friendly, there is a good chance that a family will invite you to eat with them on the beach. Wonderful!

If you are not staying in Canggu, there are also tours that take you to Ubud, waterfalls, rice fields, and finally to Canggu for sunset.

4. Get a Free Tattoo at Deus Ex Machina

At the restaurant and café Deus Ex Machina there is one of the coolest specials we have ever seen in a restaurant every Tuesday. It is called “Taco and Tattuesday” and you can get a tattoo for free.

However, there are a few requirements you have to meet:

• You can only get a tattoo if you order something to eat on site
• Your chosen design should not take longer than 20-25 minutes. So choose something rather small
• Pay attention to the staff all evening, as they will put up a board at some point. When that happens, you have to be quick and sign up immediately. There is only a limited number of spots and therefore only a limited number of tattoos that can be done per evening.

If it still does not work out with the tattoo, it is only half as bad. First, the special is repeated every Tuesday, so you always get a new chance. Second, the food at Deus Ex Machina is excellent even without a tattoo.

5. Dance to Great Electronic Music at Echo Beach

You like going out and beach parties are exactly your thing? Then you should definitely make a trip to Echo Beach.

Especially on Fridays and Sundays, there is always a lot going on here and by midnight at the latest, there is no holding back. Dancing on the beach to excellent beats while sipping a cold Bintang is simply something very special!

By the way, admission is free, as the area is not fenced off and therefore accessible to everyone. A beer costs 30,000 IDR (about €2) and there are also plenty of cocktails to buy. In addition, entire towers of wood are regularly set on fire during a party, which contributes a lot to the awesome atmosphere.

6. Eat at Dandelion With Hopping Rabbits

Warung Dandelion is one of the best and most beautiful restaurants with local cuisine in Canggu. Do not let the rather classy look and the excellent staff scare you off.

The prices are still quite reasonable and the location is simply absolutely amazing. You either sit in a really beautiful garden with enchanted tables and a great vibe or in the very lovingly decorated entrance area.

And as if that were not enough, you will see lots of rabbits hopping around the garden. Do not worry, the rabbits are not on the menu.

For us, Dandelion was one of the biggest surprises in Canggu and we can recommend it not only because of the excellent value for money. Everything about this place is just right and you can feel how much love has been put into this restaurant.

And When I Need Some Peace, What Do I Do?

Then we can only recommend the small neighboring island of Nusa Penida. There is basically no tourism here yet, but you will find stunning nature, deserted beaches, and plenty of Indonesian culture to see. It is one of the greatest highlights we have been able to experience so far. Or if you do not want it to be quite so quiet and adventurous, how about Nusa Lembongan?

About the Authors

Hey, we are Sara and Marco, and we have been traveling indefinitely since the end of January 2016. We both quit our permanent jobs and became self-employed in mid-2015. By now, our office is always in our backpacks and we travel the world as digital nomads.

Our blog, Love and Compass, is our passion project. It is all about traveling together as a couple. Here you will not only find plenty of travel tips and information for you and your partner but also the occasional post about how you can create a harmonious everyday travel life together during your trip.

Our motto is therefore: coconut and French kiss! Discover the world together and awaken the adventure of love. By the way, you can also find us on Facebook and Instagram. Come say hi!

Canggu: Tours and tickets

Do you prefer to travel with a guide who knows the area very well? Then we recommend a guided tour with a local. This way you can get to know Bali in a completely different way. GetYourGuide offers a wide selection of exciting tours for Canggu and the whole of Bali.

How to Get to Bali

To travel to Bali, there are basically only two options: the boat and the airplane. Flights operate from many cities in Indonesia to Bali, but there are also plenty of international flights. These include, e.g., Emirates from Dubai, Cathay Pacific from Hong Kong, Thai Airways from Bangkok and many more.

To find the best and cheapest flights for your trip to Bali, we suggest you check Skyscanner. There you can get all the information on prices, departure times, flight duration and the different airlines to find the best deal for you. This way you can get a good overview.

There are boats to Bali from Lombok, the Gili Islands or Nusa Penida/Nusa Lembongan. You have the choice between simple local ferries or speedboats. Not only are the prices different, but the duration of the boat trip is highly dependent on which boat you choose. An overview of times, prices and boats can be found on 12go.asia.

Have you ever been to Canggu in Bali? Do you know about any other things to do for Canggu that visitors should see? Give us your feedback in the comments.