Ungasan
The southern Bukit village with the giant GWK statue, Melasti and Green Bowl beaches and three padel clubs.
About Ungasan
Ungasan is one of the two main villages on Bali's Bukit Peninsula, the limestone headland south of the airport. It suits people who want Melasti and Green Bowl beaches on the doorstep and don't mind driving to Uluwatu's surf breaks and Jimbaran's seafood. Pecatu, home of Uluwatu Temple, is the other.
It's a big desa: almost 15 km² and about 13,000 residents in 2016, in the South Kuta district of Badung. The Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue, 121 m from base to tip, stands inside its boundaries and is visible across much of southern Bali.
Getting there
The airport is about 13 km by road. Getting off the Bukit means one road. The Jalan Bypass is the only link to the rest of Bali, so everything funnels onto it. The 4pm to 7pm rush can double a journey time, and Uluwatu-side congestion has got worse since the Sterling shortcut closed in February 2026.
Ungasan has three of the Bukit's padel clubs. Oasis Padel has six indoor courts plus sauna, ice bath and jacuzzi. Kanana Padel Club mixes indoor and outdoor courts at Bali Kencana Resort.
Highlights of Ungasan
- Garuda Wisnu Kencana. A 121 m copper and brass statue of Vishnu riding Garuda, finished in 2018 after work that began in 1993.
- Melasti Beach. Broad white sand at the bottom of a switchback road cut through the cliffs. No stairs, and it's the Bukit's best swimming beach when the sea is calm. Beach clubs have moved in.
- Green Bowl. A small cove below Pura Batu Pageh, with limestone caves and clear water. You get there on a long, steep stairway, and the climb back up is the hard part.
Travel tips for Ungasan
- Ride, or book a driver. Grab and Gojek work on the Bukit, but some drivers won't take jobs to the southwest, and pickups are restricted at several Uluwatu beaches.
- Take the hills slowly. Bukit roads have steep hills, blind corners and loose gravel.
- Wear proper shoes for the stairs. Green Bowl and Nyang Nyang are both long, steep descents. Bring water.
- Leave before 3pm. If you're heading north to the airport or Seminyak, go before the evening jam on the Bypass.
Things to do in Ungasan
Beach-hop the south coast
Melasti and Green Bowl are in Ungasan. Nyang Nyang, one of the least developed long beaches on the Bukit, is a steep walk down, further west towards Uluwatu.
Padel
OLA Socials runs an academy and community sessions on Jalan Raya Uluwatu. The Uluwatu padel guide covers the rest of the Bukit's clubs.
Kanana Padel Club
Six padel courts at Kanana Village in Ungasan, four fully indoor and two outdoor, next to a gym,…
Oasis Padel
Six indoor padel courts on Jalan Dharmawangsa in Ungasan, with coaching, a jacuzzi, sauna and ic…
OLA Socials
Four indoor padel courts on Jalan Raya Uluwatu in Ungasan, next to Nourish, with Spanish-led coa…
Best time to visit Ungasan
April to October is dry, and southeast trade winds blow offshore on the Bukit's west-facing reefs, so it's surf season too. July and August bring the biggest swells and the biggest crowds. November to March is the wet season, with the heaviest rain from December, and the northwest winds of those months blow some of the west-facing breaks out completely. Details checked October 2026.
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