Five top kayaking spots in Bali

With large lengths of coast exposed to the Indian Ocean, Bali is known for year-round waves and as a top global surfing destination. These same attributes make it unsafe for kayaking — unless you know exactly where to find calm flat waters and the small number of businesses that hire kayaks. Here are my top 5 spots for kayaking on the Island of the Gods.

PERJARAKAN BAY

A large flat body of turquoise water set between the Prapat Peninsula and the north-west coast of Bali, Pejarakan Bay is a kayaker’s dream with very little boating activity, big schools of dolphins, colourful coral and white sand beaches. There are no kayak rental shops but there are three resorts on the bay that offer kayaks exclusively to their guests. They include NusaBay Menjangan on the west coast of Pergerakan Bay, The Menjangan Beach Villas and Menjangan Dynasty Resort, which sits inside a protected inlet just east of the bay.

PERANCAK RIVER

A caramel-coloured waterway that cuts a path through 2.5km of mangrove forest before melting into an estuary on Bali’s little-visited far-west coast, kayaking down the Perancak River is like paddling back in time. Village kids chase crabs on mudflats and angle for fish from banks peppered with Hindu temples and lean-to huts. The best time to go for a paddle here is late afternoon when the heat of the tropics dissipates, and colourful wooden fishing boats motor out to sea to hunt for squid and shrimp. You can rent a single-person kayak for only $1 from Lesehan Taman Pesisir, a cheap and cheerful seafood restaurant near the mouth of the river at Perankak Village. To replace the calories you lost, ask the owner Anita to grill you up a whole fresh caught snapper. Served with steamed rice, veggies, fried tofu and tempe, it’s a steal for $10.

JIMBARAN BAY

A 2km long curve of yellow sand on the isthmus or land bridge connecting central Bali to the Bukit peninsula, Jimbaran Bay is the only harboured beach suitable for kayaking on the south-west coast where most of Bali’s coastal tourist hotspots are found. The only way to go for a paddle here is as a guest of the Four Seasons Resort on the southern headland of the beach, which has a water sports centre with single and double kayaks. But you can hire a stand-up paddle board from Priority SUP on the north end of the bay. They also offer introductory stand-up paddle board lessons for $45 per person in groups of four or $65 for a one-on-one one-and-a-half-hour class. prioritysup.com

SANUR

On the south-east coast, Sanur is Bali’s original tourist precinct. In the 1920s and 1930s, luxury European cruise liners would drop anchor just shy of the offshore reefs and ferry passengers onto land in rowboats to experience the island in her prime. Today Sanur is a rapidly gentrifying beach resort popular among families, grey nomads and water sports enthusiasts. There are four or five small businesses on the beach that will rent you a kayak for around $10 to explore the marine lagoon inside the reef, though the official Rip Curl Surf School is the only place that offers free insurance. The best time to kayak in Sanur is between 7am and 9am when the sea is still calm, though the afternoons during the dry season between May and November can also be sublime at Sanur. ripcurlschoolofsurf.com

NUSA LEMBONGAN

One of three satellite islands reachable via a 40-minute speedboat ride from Sanur, Nusa Lembongan has the most awesome kayaking in Bali. In the mornings you get incredible views of the Mount Agung volcano across the Badung Strait in east Bali before it disappears behind the clouds for the remainder of the day. However, kayaking at dusk at Lembongan is equally mind-blowing. There are two places I know of on Nusa Lembongan where you can rent kayaks: a shack next door to Ohana’s Beach Club & Resort on Jungutbatu Beach on the east coast, which charges $10 per hour for singles or $20 for double kayaks; or from one of the huts at Mangrove Point near the mouth of the Lembongan River on the north coast of the island.