Pasut Beach: Guide to Bali's Prettiest Black Sand Beach

If you’ve not heard of Pasut Beach (Pantai Pasut), you’re not the only one. This beautiful black sand beach in West Bali remains somewhat of a hidden gem, despite being just 45 minutes north of busy Canggu.

We recently discovered Pasut Beach for ourselves and fell in love with its deep black hues, peaceful atmosphere, and stunning palm tree forest. In this beach guide, we’ll tell you exactly why Pasut is worth visiting.

Quick Review: Is Pasut Beach Worth Visiting?

Pasut Beach is one of Bali’s most underrated beaches and easily one of the most beautiful black sand beaches we’ve visited. Backed by a forest of towering palm trees, it feels surprisingly untouched and makes for incredible photos, especially at sunset.

The beach has a few unique features too, including a leaning palm tree you can climb, a cool rope swing, and sand so densely packed that vehicles can drive right onto it. We skipped taking our little Scoopy onto the beach, but watched plenty of people having fun on motorbikes, 4x4s, and quad bikes.

There are no public facilities here, which only adds to its wild, unspoiled charm. If you need food or a drink, Lilly by the Sea is the only restaurant on the beach and a great spot to relax with views over the sand.

We loved Pasut Beach so much that we decided to come back and stay for longer at the beautiful Amarta Beach Retreat, which directly overlooks the beach and was perfect for a couple of days of quiet relaxation by the ocean.

How To Get To Pasut Beach

Pasut Beach is around a 45-minute drive from central Canggu and 30 minutes from the famous Tanah Lot Temple.

There is no dedicated parking area for the beach, but you can park along the roadside near the entrance.

Can you get online taxis?

Online taxis such as Grab and Gojek can drop off at Pasut Beach. However, getting a ride back is more challenging.

The beach is in a quiet, remote area, so there aren't often drivers waiting around nearby. At busier times (like sunset), the local banjar (community police) may also stop online taxis from picking up, forcing you to take a more expensive local taxi instead.

If you don't have your own transport, it may be better to get a taxi or private driver to take you to the beach and wait to bring you back. It costs a little more, but it's better than getting stranded here.

If you do get stuck at Pasut Beach, head to Amarta Beach Retreat (the one hotel on the beach) and ask for reception to help call you a taxi.

Why is Pasut Beach Unique?

The "Coconut Park" palm tree forest

One of our favourite things about Pasut is the gorgeous palm tree forest that lines the back of the beach. Known as "Coconut Park," the rows of towering coconut palms make a lovely spot for a peaceful stroll and for some stunning photos.

There's even a rope swing hanging between two of the trees. It gets quite busy around sunset with people taking photos. But when we visited in the middle of the day, it was super quiet, so we got to swing and enjoy the view for as long as we wanted!

The palm forest is privately owned by a local family, but visitors are welcome. They now ask for a small 10,000 IDR donation (cash only) to visit and take photos. If you want to do a professional photo shoot with a photographer, it's 150,000 IDR ⓘ.

The entrance to the palm forest is to the left of the beach as you arrive (here is a Google Maps pin).

The wonky palm tree

On the right of the entrance as you first enter the beach, away from the coconut forest, there's another oddly shaped palm tree that's worth finding.

The "wonky palm tree," as it’s fittingly known, leans over the beach at a dramatic angle, stretching out towards the ocean. You can climb up it, if you’re brave enough, and get some fantastic photos! Here’s a Google Maps pin for the tree.

Driving bikes on Pasut Beach

Another unique feature of Pasut Beach is that the tightly packed black sand is so firm and dense that you can actually drive vehicles on it. This has made it a popular spot for riding motorbikes along the coastline, with crashing waves on one side and swaying palms on the other.

While most people we saw were riding motorbikes and dirt bikes on the beach, we did spot a few locals cruising around the sand on smaller scooters too.

We decided against taking our little Scoopy onto the beach - its weight and narrow tires could sink into the sand and make it hard to control. But it's up to you what you feel comfortable with.

If you don't have your own bike, there are a couple of local companies that offer dirt bike adventures in the area, which include riding across the black sand beach.

Driving ATVs on Pasut Beach

Another fun option for driving on Pasut Beach is to take a 4x4 off-roading adventure. There's a local company that offers both ATV (quad bikes) and UTV (buggy) tours that take you along the beach and through nearby paddy fields and forests.

We saw a couple of groups riding ATVs along the beach, and it looked like great fun! We haven't tried it ourselves yet, but we’ll definitely be back to do it sometime soon.

Pasut Beach Visitor Information

How much does it cost to visit?

There's no admission fee for Pasut Beach.

Technically, there is a small 2,000 IDR parking fee, but in our experience, there's not always someone around to collect it. Make sure to have cash just in case.

What are the crowds like?

Pasut Beach is still a relatively hidden gem in a remote area of West Bali, so it's usually very quiet during the day. At one point in the afternoon, we were the only people along the entire stretch of beach.

The beach does get quite a bit busier around sunset, especially with locals coming for an evening stroll or to play football on the sand. We also saw several Balinese couples doing pre-wedding photoshoots on the beach - they looked incredible, and it was so nice to watch!

Since our first visit a couple of years ago, we've seen Pasut become more popular among foreign visitors too, with a handful of tourists coming to ride bikes or take photos. But it's still nowhere near as busy as the beaches around Canggu.

Is Pasut Beach good for sunset?

Yes, Pasut Beach is a fantastic sunset spot. It’s a west-facing beach, so you get a great vantage point as the sun dips below the horizon.

With the palm trees in the foreground and the beautiful sunset colours in the background, it’s probably one of our favourite sunset beaches in Bali.

Can you swim at Pasut Beach?

You can paddle at Pasut Beach, but not swim. The waves close to the beach are fairly gentle, and there’s a sandy bottom along the shoreline, so it's perfect to dip your toes in or cool down in the shallows.

However, the beach slopes very gradually, and the waves further out can also get very powerful with strong currents, so swimming here is quite dangerous.

Is Pasut good for surfing or water sports?

Pasut isn't really a destination for surfing or water sports. The waves can be rough, the currents are often strong, and there are no surf schools, board rentals, or water sports operators on the beach.

During our several visits, we've only ever seen one surfer on the beach. Much better surfing spots can be found further south at Kendungu Beach or further north at Balian Beach.

Pasut Beach Amenities

Cafes, Restaurants, & Beach Clubs

There is only one place to eat along Pasut Beach, Lilly by The Sea. The restaurant is part of the beachfront hotel, Amarta Beach Retreat, but is also open to the public for walk-ins.

There's a selection of Western and Indonesian dishes on the menu. We found the food to be fairly average (the nasi goreng was the best thing we tried), but it was worth visiting just for the location and stunning view.

The restaurant has ocean-facing tables, sun loungers, a jacuzzi, and a beautiful infinity pool overlooking the beach. There's a small minimum spend of 200,000 IDR ⓘ per person to use the facilities, but it's easy to meet this with a couple of drinks and a snack.

Hotels

Amarta Beach Retreat is the main hotel on Pasut Beach. We stayed here for a few nights recently and had a fantastic time!

Our room was spacious and surprisingly affordable, with a gorgeous ocean view from the terrace and a huge bathtub. But we spent most of our stay just relaxing at the beautiful infinity pool overlooking the beach. It was the perfect spot to relax, sunbathe, and people-watch.

While it's a little out of the way, with not many attractions or amenities nearby, Amarta was perfect for a couple of nights of downtime by the ocean in a gorgeous and peaceful setting.

Other than Amarta, there are a handful of private villas also overlooking the beach, including the unusually-shaped Cloud Villa (so cool!), the beautifully traditional Villa Keong, and the highly extravagant 5-bedroom Black Beach Villa.

Other Amenities

Aside from Amarta Retreat and a couple of private villas hidden along the back of the beach, Pasut remains mostly untouched. This means that there are no toilets, showers, sun beds, or umbrellas.

If you do want to relax and sunbathe on the beach, make sure to bring a beach towel as the dark black sand can get scorching hot under the Bali sun.

There are no bars or beach clubs here. Lilly by the Sea (mentioned above) is the closest you’ll get.