Uluwatu & Suluban

This is the original Uluwatu: the clifftop around Suluban beach, where steps lead down through a cave to the famous reef break that put Bali on the surf map in the 1970s. The cliff above is lined with bars and cafés where you can watch surfers and the sunset at the same time.

A short drive south is Pura Luhur Uluwatu, one of Bali's six key sea temples, perched seventy metres above the ocean. The Kecak fire dance is performed there at sunset every evening. Monkeys are notorious here for snatching sunglasses and phones, so put loose items away.

Accommodation ranges from surf guesthouses to some of the island's most dramatic clifftop resorts. The Uluwatu break is for experienced surfers only: it is powerful, crowded and breaks over sharp reef.