Some of the beaches in Indonesia are fantastic, but they tend to be underrated because the really good ones are hiding in remote places without easy access. On the bright side, that means you’re more likely to have them to yourself!
In Bali, for example, the most spectacular beaches are on the nearby Nusa islands, not the mainland. The same thing is true in other places like Java, Sulawesi, and Sumatra — if you really want to see the best beaches in Indonesia, you usually have to get off the beaten path and do some island hopping.
With some exploring, what you’ll find are the most amazing white sand beaches, dazzling pink beaches, and black volcanic beaches, along with top quality surf spots, and occasionally some very photogenic cliffs, boulders, and shipwrecks.
Here’s my complete Indonesia beach guide with a list of our favorites!
Sulawesi Beaches
1. Pasir Panjang Beach
Labengki is a remote, beautiful island off the east coast of Sulawesi, and it has some of the best beaches in Indonesia.
Long Sand Beach (Pantai Pasir Panjang) is Labengki’s longest beach, hence the name. It’s a perfect stretch of white sand with a palm forest and calm blue water. This might just be the best Indonesia beach!
To top it off, there is beach hut accommodation in Labengki island that is located just a short walk from this beach.
Read More: Labengki Island
2. Pasir Merah Beach
The Indonesian name for this beach is Pantai Pasir Merah and it means Red Sand Beach — a name that comes from the reddish-orange color of the sand.
The giant cliffs and bent palm trees on this beach are picture perfect. It was hands-down my favorite beach in Labengki, and has to be one of the best beaches in Indonesia!
There is no accommodation on this beach, and it’s still wild. However, you can visit it on a day trip by boat from Labengki island.
Read More: Labengki Island
3. Mahoro Beach
Mahoro is a remote island near Manado, the capital of north Sulawesi.
To get there, you have to first fly to Siau Island or take the 4 hour fast ferry from Manado city, then take a small speedboat from Siau on an island hopping tour of Mahoro and the nearby islands.
The travel time is worth it, because you’re rewarded with one of the best white sand beaches in Indonesia! It’s a private beach with views of the active Karangetang volcano in the distance.
Read More: Siau Island
Mahoro Island
Drone views
Unspoiled paradise at Mahoro Island. Is this the best white sand beach Indonesia has to offer?
4. Mandel Beach
Mandel Beach is a white sand beach more than a kilometer long, and it’s one of the most beautiful beaches in the Banggai islands of central Sulawesi.
This beach is located on Peleng island in Banggai. To get there, you have to fly to Luwuk in central Sulawesi, take the public ferry to Salakan, and then rent a motorbike or hire a driver to take you to the beach.
Mandel Beach has extremely white sand and turquoise water. It’s like you’re swimming in a sea of cool mint Listerine.
Read More: Banggai Islands
No crowds! No people!
5. Tanjung Gundul
Tanjung Gundul is probably one of the most unique beaches in Indonesia, with white pebbles instead of sand, and a giant rock arch that’s been carved out of limestone by the wind and waves. It reminded me of the white pebble beaches in Kefalonia, Greece.
This little beach is located in Banggai Laut. To get there, you have to fly to Luwuk, take the ferry to Banggai Laut, and then take a small speedboat to Tanjung Gundul. Yes, it’s remote, but the Banggai area has lots of other great things to see and do while you’re there.
Read More: Banggai Islands
Komodo Beaches
6. Pink Sand Beach
The Komodo National Park in eastern Indonesia is home to several pink sand beaches! The color comes from tiny organisms in the coral called foraminifera.
Pink beaches are very rare, and there are only a handful of them worldwide. These unique beaches are a must see when you’re visiting the Komodo islands.
Read More: Pink Beach Indonesia
A heart shaped coral
7. Padar Island
This one’s not really a beach per se, but actually a scenic spot where you can see a bunch of beaches.
Komodo’s most famous viewpoint is on the small island of Padar. This island has a giant X shape, with three bays where you can see a white beach, black beach, and pink beach.
Each of those sand colors is pretty special in itself, but to see all of them in one place is crazy. This is probably the only place in the world where you can witness that!
Read More: Padar Island
Beaches in all directions!
Maluku Beaches
8. Ora Beach
Ora beach is a secluded beach and private resort in Seram island, Maluku.
To get there, you first have to fly to Ambon (AMQ), then take a 2 hour fast ferry from Tulehu to Amahai, and then a 2 hour drive to Ora bay. Once there, you can stay at the Ora Beach Resort, or there are several homestays in the nearby Saleman village.
This might be the most beautiful beach in Indonesia. It has views like Bora Bora, and the coral is good for snorkeling too.
Read More: Ora Beach
Swinging on the beach
Sumatra Beaches
9. Tanjung Tinggi Beach
Belitung is a scenic island off south Sumatra with lots of white sand beaches.
Tanjung Tinggi is possibly the most photogenic spot on the island (and also one of the best beaches in Sumatra Indonesia), with perfect blue-green water and giant boulders. It’s a nice place for sunset too.
This is easily one of the best Indonesia beaches we’ve seen, and it really deserves to be more well known.
Read More: Tanjung Tinggi Beach
10. Lengkuas Island
This small island is one of the highlights of a Belitung island hopping tour.
It’s home to an iconic Dutch lighthouse from the 1800s, and you can still climb to the top today! From the 18th story balcony you get views of the granite rocks and blue water below.
Last, but not least, Lengkuas has some of the best Sumatra beaches and snorkeling spots!
Read More: Belitung Island Hopping
11. Batu Berlayar Island
This was one of our favorite mini-islands in Belitung.
It’s a small circle shaped sand island, with rocks and boulders scattered across it. Kind of like a messy, natural Stonehenge on the ocean.
There’s even a little cave you can walk through to pass between the main boulders in the center of the island.
Read More: Belitung Island Hopping
Hiding in the boulders
12. Banyak Islands
The Banyak Islands are a group of barely inhabited paradise islands northwest of Sumatra.
For accommodation, you have a basic bungalow on an almost private island, with white sand beaches and crystal clear water in all directions.
If you’re looking for the Robinson Crusoe lifestyle, it doesn’t get much better than this! Pulau Palambak, for example, has one of the best beaches in Sumatra Indonesia.
Read More: Banyak Islands
13. Coral Island (Pulau Karang)
Coral Island, known by locals as Pulau Karang, is a hidden gem in North Sumatra with perfect white sand and photogenic palm trees that hang over the turquoise water like a postcard.
You can circle the whole island in 1 hour walking, but the absolute best scenery is on the western beaches leading to the lighthouse. There are lots of bent palm trees that are perfect for photo ops (and climbable), and the sand is softer than powder.
This may be a little island, but it has one of the best Sumatra beaches we’ve seen!
Read More: Pulau Karang
Bali Beaches
14. Kuta Beach
This is Bali’s original beach! It’s a classic, so I had to mention it.
You won’t find peace and quiet here, but it’s still worth a visit. Shop at the Beachwalk Mall, go surfing, or watch the sunset with a Bintang.
15. Bingin Beach
Bingin is a photogenic beach with exotic boulders and seaweed covered rocks. It’s great for photos or surfing, and it’s less crowded than some of the other beaches in the area.
There’s a bit of trash and rubble lately from hotel construction, but some high quality accommodation and restaurants are starting to spring up here.
16. Nunggalan Beach
This is one of the longest white sand beaches in southern Bali. The walk down and back up is a bit of a killer, but you’re rewarded with a huge private beach and a cool wooden shipwreck for pictures!
The photogenic shipwreck at Nunggalan Beach
17. Padang Padang Beach
Padang Padang is a neat little beach tucked into the cliffs in south Bali. To get to it, you have to squeeze through a narrow passage in the rocks and then walk down some steps.
This beach is a popular spot for surfing, or you can just sip a fresh coconut and hang out on the white sand with the monkeys.
18. Thomas Beach
This is one of the nicest beaches in south Bali. It has a long strip of white sand scattered with boulders, and not too many people.
19. Melasti Beach
Melasti is a highly developed beach in southern Bali with a road carved into the tall limestone cliffs, giving it a stunning background.
This beach has a long strip of white sand, clean turquoise water, plenty of parking space, and a bunch of different fancy clubs lining the beachfront: Cattamaran, Minoo, and Palmilla. You can also reach Karma Beach Club from here by walking.
Normally I’m not a big fan of seeing once-empty beaches get so developed like this, but I think Melasti was actually done pretty well. There’s sometimes a little bit of trash, but overall it’s surprisingly clean and nice.
Melasti Beach
Nusa Penida Beaches
20. Kelingking Beach
Some of Bali’s best beaches are on the small neighboring island of Nusa Penida, which can be reached with a short boat ride.
After you’re done staring in awe at the famous T-Rex shaped Kelingking Cliff, there’s also a path to go down to the beach at the bottom. This hike is a major workout, a bit scary, and takes at least 2 hours roundtrip. Bring water!
As you can see in the picture below, the beach at the bottom is pristine and the waves are big; there’s even a little cave down there!
Read More: Kelingking Beach
See the tiny people walking on the beach?
21. Suwehan Beach
Looking for a hidden beach with perfect white sand and turquoise waves? Suwehan is one of the best hidden beaches in Penida.
There’s even a cool pointy rock that looks like a Christmas tree (or maybe an elf hat), and the locals recently built some tree houses where you can stay a night near the cliffs.
Read More: Suwehan Beach
22. Tembeling Beach
This is an awesome sea cave that opens up to a view of the huge cliffs on the Penida coast. There’s also a small natural pool near the cave that you can take a dip in.
Read More: Tembeling Beach
23. Atuh Beach
This is one of the coolest beaches on the south end of Penida island. Unlike Suwehan Beach, Atuh is not a secret and there are sunbeds, beanbags, and a couple of nice food & drink shacks.
The highlight of Atuh Beach is probably the big elephant shaped rock in the ocean (locals say it looks like a stiletto), and the huge variety of sea life that can be seen trapped in the rocks at low tide.
Read More: Atuh Beach
24. Diamond Beach
Diamond Beach, named after the pointy diamond shaped rock on the beach, is another utterly incredible “cliff beach” on the southeastern coast of Nusa Penida.
It’s newly accessible for the first time since late 2018, when a path down to the beach was carved into the side of the cliffs.
Read More: Diamond Beach
25. Nyanyad Beach
This is a mostly unknown beach on the south end of Nusa Penida, with a small temple and giant hills on both sides of the beach.
The hike to Nyanyad only takes 15 minutes, with concrete steps all the way, and the beach has perfect white sand!
Read More: Nyanyad Beach
More Beautiful Indonesia Beaches
Thanks for looking! I hope you enjoyed this list of the best beaches in Indonesia.
Again, this is not a complete list and there are many more hidden beaches waiting to be discovered in Maluku, Sulawesi, Sumatra, and other islands.
Don’t forget to check out my complete Indonesia Travel Guide for more tips on finding some of the best beaches in Indonesia!
Best Time To Visit Indonesia
The best time to visit Indonesia depends on what you’re looking for:
☁ Rainy season runs from November to April. The weather during the day can be hot and humid, at 32 to 35 °C (90 to 95 °F), but it’s less crowded during this time, and the rain is mostly at night. Skies are a bit more cloudy, and underwater visibility may not be the best. Waterfalls come alive, and the landscapes are bright green.
☀ Dry season runs from May to October. The temperatures are milder and cooler, and it’s more breezy and sunny. This is the nicest weather, and it’s perfect for hiking, island hopping, and seeing some beautiful Indonesia beaches. It’s also the high season, so it’s generally more crowded with tourists, although you’re still not likely to run into any crowds outside of Bali.
Happy travels! Regardless of when you decide to visit Wonderful Indonesia, you’re sure to see some spectacular sights!
See Also
- Most Beautiful Indonesian Islands – Best Places To Visit In Indonesia
- Best Hikes In Indonesia – Volcanoes, Jungles, & Waterfalls
- Indonesia Waterfall Guide – Best Waterfalls In Indonesia
- Bali Beach Guide – Best Beaches In Bali Indonesia
- Best Things To Do In Indonesia – What To Do In The Islands
- Indonesia Travel Guide – Tips, Info, & Photos
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