Pemuteran Beach Guide & Top Things To Do

Lying on the sand with closed eyes. Enjoying the breeze and sunlight touching the skin. And listening to no sound other than the waves crashing on the beach. When lie back time comes, doing those things is rewarding. In Bali, it seems that there is always a new hidden gem added to the secluded beach list. Pemuteran Beach is the perfect getaway on that list.

Pemuteran Beach stretches 6 km long with black volcanic sand. The coast strip is narrow if there is no low tide. The beautiful scenery is also adorned with mountain parallel to the coastline. It’s a real manifestation of the Balinese “nyegara gunung” philosophy, that marine and mountain are inseparable.

But what attracts the world’s attention the most is what people do to nature. There are causes to conserve natural resources, the Biorock and turtle conservation. While it offers tranquility and peace on the beach, mystifying man-made wonders await below the surface.

Pemuteran Beach Entrance Fee

There is no charge for tourists to explore the beach. The distance from the big road Jl Singaraja Gilimanuk is just 300 meters away. Most hotels and homestays behind the beach offer snorkeling gear rental and diving packages. Some even provide sunbeds on the beach despite it not directly facing the beach. Snorkeling gear rental will cost Rp50,000 for a day.

See: Banjar Hot Springs, Pools & Entrance Ticket.

Pemuteran Beach Opening Hours

The beach is open every day for 24 hours. The Biorock Pemuteran, the snorkeling spot has less crowd in the morning. The crowd starts flocking to the beach after 3 PM for swimming and snorkeling on the site.

See: Guide To Explore Aling-Aling Waterfall & Tickets.

The History of Pemuteran Beach

Pemuteran was born out of initiatives. An Australian man came to the place, intending to dive and do business here. Christopher E. Brown was disappointed when finding out that this place was destroyed badly by its’ very own people. The corals were mined for building materials. Parts were destroyed by unsustainable fishing.

The wood used to burn and process corals into building material was taken from the forest. The environmental damage provoked poverty and starvation. Consequently, people sold turtles and their eggs. Then, Brown took the initiative to buy the turtle and eggs, paying higher than the market price.

Brown also educated people on how important it is to keep turtles around. The man then established Reef Seen to conserve coral and turtle hatchery. All of the man’s hard work paid off. Now, Pemuteran Beach features a blue overlay of the sea and beautiful green hills.

The sea juts into the land creating a crescent-shaped bay beach hidden by surrounding hills. Customary law also limits the number of goods and service providers to do business here. Diving operators, traders, and hotels are all limited to keep orderliness and serenity.

Underwater Temple

In 2010, a viral photo showed a perplexing site of an alleged ancient temple on the Pemuteran seabed. However, the fact didn’t meet people’s expectations. The site is not ancient at all. The underwater temple garden is part of Coral Conservation caused by Reef Gardeners.

The temple garden is home to many statues of Buddhist and Hinduism deities. A 4-meter tall gateway welcomes visitors to the temple. A big Buddha stone statue sits on the ocean floor, surrounded by smaller deities and stupas. Another one is Buddha in its’ prominent pose, lying on one side, with the right hand sustaining the head.

In this garden lie also the statues of Hinduism deities such as Shiva and Ganesha. God Shiva sits on a flower-like iron structure. The right-hand stands open upright on the left-hand fist. The sandstone carvings were placed in the Underwater Temple Garden. All of the above features make the Pemuteran underwater temple garden the World’s Biggest coral restoration site.

Diving & Snorkeling

There are operators offering fun diving. The dive sites are only a 5-10 minute boat ride. In addition, about 1km from the shore is also a chain of reefs. The reefs attract coral creatures to the area, at 5-30m depths. Divers may easily spot schools of fish, parrot fish, clown fish, shrimps and crabs, seahorses, etc. here.

There are packages offering boat dives that start from Rp 550,000/day. Shore dive is offered from Rp350,000 per dive. The view the divers will encounter is surely magical. However, not everyone has the nerve to try this. Don’t worry. The coral reefs’ view from up at the surface is also stunning.

So, get the snorkeling gear from the operator. And explore the spot from up at the surface. Or, don’t like being wet? Enjoying sunrise and sunset while kayaking or boat paddling is also an amazing experience. Do make sure to put on sunscreen or at least a t-shirt. Tourists can rent only equipment that starts at Rp50,000 per item.

Turtle Conservation

People in Pemuteran used to eat turtles and their eggs. To earn money, the turtle and the eggs were good commodities. There were also souvenirs made from the shell. Of course, these practices put the environment at stake further. A cause was initiated by the Dive Resort to raise awareness of how important the turtles’ existence is for the ecosystem.

The Resort also established a turtle hatchery. Now, with Rp40,000 and valid for 1 week, tourists may enter the hatchery and see the activities here. The price list shows “Turtle Project Story” which is a 5-minute explanation of turtles in the pool. Tourists will hear this every half hour.

At 10.00 AM, 3-month-old turtles will be released. Their chance of survival in the wild will increase after 3 months old. To participate in releasing the turtle, tourists will pay another Rp100,000. Then, feeding time is at 04:30 PM. While all come with a price, the knowledge and experience the tourists get here are priceless.

Pemuteran Bay Annual Festival

Pemuteran has breathtaking sunrise and sunset, too. Approaching the morning, vibrant reds and blues energize people who witness the sunrise. There is a wide range of fun activities to enjoy all day. With many magnificent attractions, the time will fly very fast while tourists hop from one spot to another.

As the day ends, pinks and purples will take visitors to relax rest in the evening. However, there is no nightlife here. But on Sunday afternoon from 5 to 9, Reef Seen’s house band will play Western music and Indonesian Reggae hits. Visitors can join in a jam.

There is also an annual festival, Pemuteran Bay Festival that is held in November. This year’s rundown is quite packed and starts with a beach clean-up. The reef gardening, running, and fishing competitions are the most anticipated event as well.

And last, the festivities of music performances and local food festivals. So, prepare everything when planning to check the festival, lodging might be full. Not to mention that the festival is anticipated by the locals too.

See: Guide To Explore Banyumala Twin Waterfall.

Facilities

With world-class tourist attractions, Pemuteran Beach has complete facilities although in limited numbers. The parking lot, hall, and praying room are all available on the spot. Cafes are available both on the beach and at the hotels. Some provide Western foods.

Local foods and drinks are available at warungs on the beach, but no nightlife here. Only, a home band plays once a week in the Reef Seen. For divers and travelers, lodging at lower rates near the beach with an AC room starts from Rp250,000.

There are souvenir stands, a minimarket, bicycle or motor rentals, ATM, and even a money changer along the road in the village.

See: Guide To Explore West Bali National Park & Ticket.

How To Get To Pemuteran Beach

It takes about a 4-hour drive from Denpasar in the south. Take the Denpasar-Singaraja road. Then take a left turn to Singaraja-Gilimanuk road heading to Lovina. Continue through Banjar and Seririt village before arriving at Pemuteran. Private cars with driver service costs around Rp600.000 from Kuta and Seminyak.

Public buses are also available at Mengwi Terminal, with the last stop at Singaraja. The fare costs Rp40.000 to Rp60.000. From Singaraja, go with a minivan that heads to Pemuteran. And the journey will take another 1,5 hours to Pemuteran. The journey to Pemuteran will present breathtaking views along the way.

Pemuteran is even easier to reach from Gilimanuk Port. It takes about 45 minutes (or 32.1 km) by land transportation. There is a public minivan tourists can take from Gilimanuk Ferry Terminal. The fare is about Rp30.000 ($2).

See: Guide To Choose Tourist SIM Card, Price & Providers.

Address & Location

Pemuteran Beach is 1 hour away from the dolphin beach Lovina and is located in Pemuteran village, Gerokgak, Buleleng, Bali 81155.