Sunrise and Surfing: Exploring the Vibe of Keramas Beach
Keramas Beach is considered to be one of the top three beaches in Gianyar. It is slowly gaining popularity ever since the Bypass has been completed, giving better access to the relatively untouched east coast.
Being on the east side of the island, the locals of Keramas beach enjoy the brilliant sunrise that illuminates the tall wave crests in the distant waters.
Some people describe Keramas beach as having a Canggu-like atmosphere, but we enjoy it for its peaceful vibe – and the serenity is simply divine. Here are a few things you can expect to see in Keramas while holidaying in Gianyar.
The Sunrise
There is something special about waiting for the sunrise, especially at Keramas beach. It is not hard to wait for the sunset – assuming that you are awake the entire day, you only need to be at the right location as the sky begins to darken.
To capture the sunrise, you must know where the sun will start its ascent – and awaken before it shines! Sunrise photographers know best when it comes to avoiding obstructions. However, when using the tele lens, they may capture and appreciate the jukung boats trespassing across the sun, like small wandering starships.
In some parts of the beach, the waves are calmer and you may capture the sea mirroring the sun’s brilliant golden light. Let us not forget about the morning surfers in the parts where the waves are tallest.
When there is enough daylight for safe surfing, these morning surfers won’t hesitate to catch the especially tall waves that are powered by the night wind and the tide.
The Surf
The stretch of beach perfect for surfers is 1.8 kilometers long, so there is plenty of room and no long line-ups.
The waves themselves are spectacular. The tall steep peaks are formed because of the deepwater reefs. It means that you can safely take off steeply and enjoy the left-dominant, long-lasting barrels that you never thought possible in low-amplitude waves.
With great opportunity to challenge the waves comes great risk of injury, not to mention facing off with aggressive pro-surfers if you do not follow surfing etiquette. If you want to surf here, you must do your research on the perfect time window for surfing (i.e. when tides are too low, you may risk crashing into reefs).
For beginner surfers, Keramas beach is not recommended. For intermediate surfers, our advice is to know your limits.
The Beach Life
You may notice that the beach is covered predominantly in black volcanic sand stretching over 10 kilometers. The further north you go, the more secluded the vibe becomes, as you will find very few small warungs that sell food. A more common view would be the coastal rice farms and grazing flocks of sheep.
The more crowded parts will have large restaurants, such as Warung Legong and Timur Kitchen. Warung Legong, despite the name, is not a warung. It offers traditional Balinese dining with a limited western menu. On the other hand, Timur Kitchen is a much larger open-air restaurant that overlooks the Lombok strait.
There are so many more things to do in Gianyar, that it’s worth finding accommodation around here.
Mara River Safari Lodge is one of the best-known accommodations in the region of Gianyar. Its African-style lodges complement well with the view of grazing herbivores found in the Savannah – zebras, rhinos and more. Learn more about our offers here.