Where Is Sanur?
First things first — where is Sanur located?
Sanur (pronounced sah-noor) is located in the southeast corner of Bali island, across from Denpasar and the main city center.
The Sanur area primarily includes the beach and the main street (Jalan Danau Tamblingan), as well as the Ngurah Rai Bypass and a chunk of land west of the Bypass.
The main tourist area is concentrated east of the Bypass. This is where most tourists stay, and it has most (but not all) of the hotels, restaurants, attractions, and activities in Sanur.
Most tourists here don’t venture into the area west of the Bypass at all, although it does have some hidden gems, including a few nice restaurants and rice paddies. I’m sure this area will become more important as tourism continues to expand.
Best Things To Do In Sanur Bali
1. Sanur Beach Sunrise
Sanur Beach may not rank up there with some of the best beaches in Bali, but it certainly shines (no pun intended) as one of the best sunrise spots on the island.
The combination of a cool morning breeze, birds chirping, fishermen wading out on the reef, the Mount Agung volcano in the distance, and the overall sunrise display here is just plain magic. Sometimes you can even see the distant outline of Mount Rinjani in Lombok.
2. Sanur Boardwalk
Sanur Beach has a very long coastline (around 7 kilometers) and there’s a paved foot path all the way, so it’s perfect for a morning walk, jog, or bicycle ride.
It’s a nice scenic path lined with fishing boats, hotel gardens, and beach restaurants, and you can occasionally get views of the Mount Agung volcano in the distance.
If you’re looking for what to do in Sanur, the boardwalk is a great place to start! The whole public beach area is free to enter, and sunbeds or bicycles can usually be rented for around 25k Rupiah per day.
The best place to rent bicycles is at Warung Sports in Jalan Pantai Sindhu, otherwise you can find other places to rent them along the Sanur boardwalk.
For yoga lovers, there’s also a free morning yoga class every day at Pantai Karang. It starts at 7:30 AM and everyone is welcome, just join in with a mat or towel.
Since 2023, the whole walking path at the beach has been renovated to make it wider. This is welcome news because the boardwalk can get pretty busy in the mornings.
3. Sanur Beach
To be honest, Sanur beach can’t compete with the nicest beaches in Bali, because there’s just too much seaweed along the shore and the sand is not really white or special.
There are a few exceptions, but most parts of the beach are just average. However, Sanur is great for families, and that’s why so many expats and Balinese locals like to come to the beach here.
Calm sea waves and shallow water make it an ideal place for kids to swim, and there’s a fantastic breeze in the summer months (May through August).
4. Sanur Festivals
The Sanur area is home to a number of fun seasonal festivals in Bali. These are free to visit and it can be a great activity for families and anyone wanting to see Balinese arts and culture.
Here are the main festivals in Sanur you should check out:
- Bali Kite Festival (July/August). This is a yearly festival held in Sanur where hundreds of creative kites fly the skies in a fun sort of competition. During the dry season in Indonesia (May through September), Bali gets nice strong winds from the east, so Sanur has perfect weather for kite flying. The main event of the festival is usually held in July or August, and you can see all kinds of gigantic and quirky kites, sometimes up to 100 meters long!
- Sanur Village Festival (July/August). This is another yearly festival celebrated in Sanur Beach since 2006, featuring Balinese arts, food, and culture. There’s even a traditional boat show and competition with the colorful ‘jukung’ fishing boats.
- Bali Arts Festival (June/July). Also known as PKB or Pesta Kesenian Bali, this is Indonesia’s longest-running arts festival, which started in 1979. It’s celebrated yearly, and the festival lasts for an entire month in Denpasar city, just a 10 minute drive from Sanur. The highlight of this festival is the big parade on the opening day of the festival, which features all kinds of amazing Balinese costumes and music.
5. Sea Turtle Release
Olive ridley sea turtles still like to lay their eggs at Sanur and the other Bali beaches from time to time, so they have to be picked up to keep them safe from predators and people walking on the beach.
When the babies hatch, you can release them to the ocean with a donation. It’s a fun activity for families, and it benefits sea turtle conservation, which is important in Bali.
This activity comes from the Turtle Conservation and Education Center (TCEC) on nearby Serangan island, which is supported by the WWF and has been working on sea turtle repopulation and education in Bali since 2006.
There are usually batches of baby sea turtles released somewhere on Sanur Beach at least once or twice a month. Turtle releases are more common during the mid summer months (June through August), but they can happen at any time of year.
If you want to join, your best bet is to ask around with Genius Cafe or Byrdhouse, and they can probably tell you when the next turtle release is happening in Sanur.
