The most beautiful beaches in Indonesia

Indonesia may be awash with bliss beaches but Bali is perhaps the most inundated beach destination. If we had to pick from Bali’s many offerings, Nusa Dua Beach, some 40 kilometres south of Denpasar, would be the one. All white sand, calm water and swaying palm, Nusa Dua is a picture-perfect paradise complete with sunbathing and water sports facilities for easily bored vacationers. Add to that the long stretch of luxury resorts, bars and restaurants running parallel, and Nusa Dua Beach becomes the perfect honeymoon destination. Though somewhat pricey, Nusa Dua has the advantage of being far enough from the busy centres for tranquillity but still close enough to Kuta and Seminyak to be convenient for day trips, 25 minutes from Ngurah Rai Airport Bali.

Across the island, Dreamland Beach Bali is a more affordable alternative not far from Kuta, with surfing classes and massage treatments on the beach, plus access to trendy restaurants and cafés in town.

Previously mentioned in our rundown of the world’s best pink sand beaches, the Komodo Island Pink Beach is a rare marvel. One of only a handful of pink beaches worldwide, Komodo Pink Beach (or Pantai Merah as it is locally known) is based in the Jurassic world of Komodo National Park, a protected archipelago between Sumbawa and Flores inhabited by eponymous dragons. Most of the Komodo Dragons live on either Komodo or Rinca, leaving the forests and volcanoes of Padar Island free for exploring. From the port hub of Labuan Bajo, you can take a boat trip out to Komodo Pink Beach – around 90 minutes by speed boat – combining a number of the best park attractions into one day trip or taking your sweet time on a liveaboard sightseeing boat over multiple days.

If pink is not really your colour, try …, hands down the best black sand beach Bali has to offer.

Rub two rocks together and you’ve got Kelingking Beach, a site featuring jutting cliffs shaped in the form of a t-rex. See the formation for yourselves on day trips from Bali to the Nusa Islands (30 minutes from Bali), opting to take photos from the viewing platform in the hills above, or braving the steep one-hour hike down to the beach itself. Most tourists come for the viewpoint, meaning that intrepid sand seekers may get lucky and have one of the best Indonesia beaches all to themselves. Organised day tours can help you access the beach more easily, but exploring the whole island by moped instead is a firm recommendation, particularly in the dry season from May to September!

At 17th on CNN’s list of the world’s 100 best beaches, Nihiwata Beach achieves godly status for all who visit. You’ll have to earn your trip to heaven by way of an hour’s flight from Bali (to Sumba Island) followed by a 90-minute drive, after which you’ll be rewarded by some of the best surfing in Indonesia. As well as catching waves, Nihiwatu Beach is a luxury retreat in its own right, watched over by the very nice Nihi Sumba Resort, a hotel that has exclusive access to the beach (together with the local community). At low tide each evening, join the villagers in scouring the reef for crabs, octopus and seaweed, revelling in peachy sunsets as you go.

A low-key alternative to Bali, the three tiny Gili Islands appear to increase in size, emerging like thought bubbles from the northwest coast of Lombok. What they’re thinking is unknown, but it’s no doubt something blissful, much like the beaches that line them. Of the three, Gili Trawangan and Gili Meno are non-motorised, meaning that you’ll have to get from place to place on foot, by electric scooter or by horse-drawn cart (that’s a thing on the Gillis!). Chances are you won’t want to move too much once you find a beach you like, however, instead sway in a hammock all morning before wreck diving off the coast in the afternoon.

Gili Meno is considered the quietest of the three islands, but its Bask Nest Underwater Statues is a top spot for diving with turtles, opposite romantic, upscale accommodation on the island’s other side. The third island, Gili Nanggu, is also a diver’s paradise, with water so clear you don’t even have to don a mask to see tropical fish swimming in the shallows. Remote as the Gili islands are, they are easily accessed on an island-hopping day tour from Bali (via fast boat or ferry from Bali’s Padang Ai), or by chartering a local fishing boat from Lombok’s Tawun Harbour.

Appearing like a shimmering mirage from turquoise waters and spangled with uninhabited islets, Belitung Island in East Sumatra is a wonder to behold. Giving the best Indonesian islands with volcanoes a run for their money, Belitung Island swaps calderas for abandoned quartz sand and clay mines, such as the white basin of Kaolin Lake, now filled with aquamarine waters, just 10 minutes outside of the island’s main hub. With all its white features and elaborate rock formations, Belitung Island is a good home for a number of Sumatra Indonesia best beaches, such as Tanjung Tinggi where rock scrambling and diving are the top activities.

While visiting Belitung, you can also try an island-hopping tour to stop at Lengkuas Island’s Dutch lighthouse, the rock-strewn tiddler of Batu Berlayar and the photogenic Coral Island (Pulau Karang).