Short answer: Medewi is a long, slow left-hand point break about two to two and a half hours west of Canggu, with a fraction of the crowd and one of the longest rides in Bali. Beyond it, West Bali National Park and Menjangan hold the best coral and wall diving on the island.
This is the least developed coast in Bali. There is very little here, and that is the entire point.
Last checked: 13 August 2026. Prices in Indonesian rupiah.
Getting there
| From | By car | Private driver, one way |
|---|---|---|
| Canggu → Medewi | 2–2.5 hr | 600,000–850,000 IDR |
| Seminyak → Medewi | 2.5–3 hr | 700,000–900,000 IDR |
| Medewi → West Bali NP / Pemuteran | 1.5–2 hr | 400,000–600,000 IDR |
| Canggu → Pemuteran (north-west) | 4–5 hr | 900,000–1,200,000 IDR |
The road runs along the coast through Tabanan and can be slow in stretches. Add time rather than trusting a mapping app. Riding it on a scooter is doable and it is a long, hot day each way — see getting around Bali.
The wave
Medewi is a longboarder's wave, and that framing matters more than any description:
- Long, slow left-hand point break — rides measured in hundreds of metres on a good day.
- Rounded stone bottom, not sand. Entry and exit take care, and reef shoes help.
- Suits longboards and mid-lengths, and improving intermediates working on trimming and positioning rather than turns.
- Not a beginner wave, despite being slow. The stones, the paddle and the positioning all argue against a first session here.
- Far less crowded than anything in the south, and the lineup is more local.
Best conditions: dry season swell, mid tide, early morning before the wind. Same seasonal logic as the rest of the west coast — see learning to surf in Bali.
If you are a beginner, Batu Bolong, Kuta or Legian are the right places and this is not. See Kuta and Legian.
What else is out here
West Bali National Park (Taman Nasional Bali Barat) — dry forest, savanna and mangrove, with genuinely good birdlife including the critically endangered Bali starling. Guided walks are the way in.
Menjangan Island — inside the park, and the best coral and wall diving in Bali. Steep drop-offs, excellent visibility, healthy reef. Best done as an overnight from Pemuteran rather than a day trip from the south. See diving in Bali.
Pemuteran, on the north-west coast — a quiet diving village with a long-running coral restoration project, and calm swimmable water. A very different Bali from Canggu.
Black-sand beaches with nobody on them, all along the west coast, and villages that see very few visitors.
What it costs
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Guesthouse / homestay, per night | 200,000–600,000 IDR |
| Small resort, per night | 600,000–1,500,000 IDR |
| Warung meal | 25,000–50,000 IDR |
| Restaurant main (limited) | 70,000–150,000 IDR |
| Surfboard rental, per day | 100,000–200,000 IDR |
| Surf guide / lesson | 300,000–600,000 IDR |
| Scooter rental, per day | 70,000–100,000 IDR |
| National park guided walk | 300,000–700,000 IDR |
| Menjangan dive, two tanks | 900,000–1,600,000 IDR |
| Two people, two nights at Medewi | ~1,200,000–2,500,000 IDR |
Everything here is cheaper than the south, including identical things, because there is almost no visitor demand.
Carry cash. ATMs are scarce and card acceptance is limited.
Who this coast is for
Go if:
- You longboard, or you are an intermediate who wants a long wave with nobody on it
- You dive, and Menjangan is on your list
- You want two or three days somewhere genuinely quiet
- You have already done the south and want to see a different Bali
Skip it if:
- You are learning to surf
- You want restaurants, cafés or any nightlife
- You need internet — this is not a working base
- You have under a week in Bali total
The honest negatives
- Almost no infrastructure. A handful of warungs and homestays, and that is it.
- Internet is patchy and power cuts more frequent. Do not schedule calls.
- Limited medical facilities. Anything serious means driving toward Denpasar.
- The drive. Two to two and a half hours each way, on a road that is slow in places.
- The stone bottom at Medewi is unforgiving on bare feet and on fins.
- Wet season brings runoff and reduced water clarity along this coast.
- Very little for non-surfers at Medewi specifically. The park and Menjangan are further on.
- It is quiet in a way that some people find flat after three days.
How to structure it
Two nights at Medewi if you surf: arrive afternoon, dawn session, a second session, out on day three.
Four to five nights west if you want the full coast: two at Medewi, then on to Pemuteran for Menjangan diving and the national park.
Pairs naturally with the north-central highlands on the way back — Munduk, the twin lakes and Jatiluwih are roughly on the return route. See Sidemen and north Bali.
Where the money leaks
Book accommodation directly rather than through a platform — these are small family-run places and the difference is often 20–30%, plus they will hold a room on a WhatsApp message. Drivers arranged directly rather than through a hotel save the usual 30–50% markup, and a return trip negotiated as one job beats two one-ways. Dive trips are cheaper arranged from Pemuteran than from the south.
The wider pattern applies wherever you base: spa slots in the empty 1–4pm window at 30–50% off, gym and studio weekly passes below drop-ins, and accommodation negotiated in person and for longer stays well below the listed rate.
Last Call Bali tracks what venues across Canggu, Pererenan, Ubud, Seminyak, Uluwatu and Sanur are discounting right now, with a direct WhatsApp line to the venue. No commission, no booking fee, no card details.
See what's discounted near you today →
Related
- Learning to surf in Bali
- Surfing in Canggu · the Bukit
- Diving in Bali — Menjangan detail
- Sidemen and north Bali
- Getting around Bali
- Best time to visit Bali
How this page is verified
Drive times are measured on the ground rather than taken from a mapping app, which underestimates the west coast road. Accommodation, surf and dive prices come from contacting homestays and operators directly and cross-checking with recent visitors, re-verified quarterly.
We deliberately do not name guesthouses or surf guides out here. These are very small family operations with tiny capacity, and directing volume at one of them changes it — which is precisely the opposite of why anyone goes to Medewi. Ask when you arrive; the village will tell you.
