15 Best Things to Do in Nusa Dua

Devdan Show at Bali Nusa Dua Theatre presents a 90-minute journey through the Indonesian archipelago. The performance is narrated and acted by a boy and girl who discover a magical chest filled with items representing each island and culture. Stunning choreography by skilled dancers and acrobats provide non-stop thrills, with dances reflecting the diverse cultures of Indonesia, including Bali, Sumatera, Java, Borneo and Papua. The props are also visually stunning, combined with state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems, rotating stages, pyrotechnics and artificial rain.

Pandawa Beach covers 1 km of sand that’s hidden behind limestone cliffs. The beach is around 8 km southwest of central Nusa Dua, making it a nice spot to escape the crowd. Pandawa offers impressive ocean panoramas and huge limestone cliffs with deeply carved arches sheltering large statues. Each sculpture depicts a hero from the Mahabharata epic, the Five Pandawas. Despite its rather secluded location, Pandawa Beach is lined with restaurants and water sports rental shops.

The water blow site in Nusa Dua is a point on the rocky shore where the funnelling of the waves causes the water to shoot up to 30 meters into the air. It has a purpose-built lookout deck where you can see the large waves from the Indian Ocean constantly crash against the jagged limestone edges. While it makes for a pleasant spot for photography, be sure to protect your camera gear from the unpredictable splashes and sprays. The chances of getting completely drenched at the water blow site are very high.

Nusa Dua Beach, or Pantai Mengiat, has clean white sand, calm waves, and is usually uncrowded. A 500-meter-long reef barrier protects the shore from the rough waves of the open Indian Ocean. Pantai Mengiat is where you’ll find some of Bali’s most popular luxury resorts.

There’s a paved beach path bordering the hotel grounds and the sand – joggers share this path with cyclists throughout the day. You can swim and snorkel near Pantai Mengiat’s coastline. Some of the local fishermen head out to sea from this beach with their traditional wooden boats, while tour operators offer glass-bottom boat rides and fishing trips.

Pura Geger Temple is one of Nusa Dua’s most important cultural landmarks. The clifftop temple overlooks the namesake Geger Beach. The outline of its towering shrines adds an impressive frame to the overall seascape. You can enjoy a panoramic view on clear mornings over the bay, with Mount Agung on the horizon.

The temple is closed to the public except during ceremonial events. Pilgrims frequent the temple on full and new moons, which are holidays on the Balinese calendar. Pura Geger Temple hosts major celebrations during Purnama Kanem (6th full moon).

The Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park lies about 12.5 km west of Nusa Dua Beach. The main showpiece is a gigantic statue depicting the benevolent Hindu god Vishnu riding on the back of the mythic garuda eagle. The 121-meter-tall monument stands on a pedestal that’s about 46 meters high, making it one of the tallest landmarks in Southeast Asia. Cultural performances, exhibitions, and world-class events regularly take place at Garuda Wisnu Kencana.

Museum Pasifika displays historical artifacts and art pieces by over 200 artists from 25 countries. You can see the works of Balinese painter Nyoman Gunarsa and Javanese artist Raden Saleh, both of whom are notable figures in Indonesian art.

There are 11 display rooms with different themes – rooms 1 to 5 exhibits Indonesian, Italian, Dutch, French, and Indo-European artworks, respectively. The remaining galleries host temporary exhibitions and items from Southeast Asia. Check out tapa (bark) artwork of Oceania and the Pacific, as well as exotic paintings from China and Japan.

The Bali National Golf Club covers a considerable portion on the south of the Bali Tourism Development Complex. Designed by Robin Nelson and Rodney Wright, there are 3 distinct playing environments throughout the 18-hole course. Onsite facilities include the Leadbetter Golf Academy (LGA Bali), locker rooms, and a well-stocked pro shop. The Bali National Golf Club also has a driving range with putting greens, providing a nice spot for warm-ups.

The Puja Mandala complex consists of 5 places of worships of Indonesia’s main religions. Meant to be a landmark of religious harmony, its hilltop compound has a Buddhist temple, a Hindu temple, a Catholic church, a Protestant church and a mosque.

Each religious site has its own unique feature: the mosque displays an old prayer drum and a handwritten Quran, while the Buddhist temple is ornate with sculptures of large white elephants and bodhisattvas guarding its main doors. Puja Mandala often hosts weddings and holy days of the respective faiths.

There's a wide range of spas in Nusa Dua, from luxury resorts offering wellness packages to standalone centres along Jalan By Pass Ngurah Rai Nusa Dua. Heavenly Spa by Westin has an extensive spa menu, along with modern amenities like steam rooms, Himalayan salt-saunas, hydro and cold plunge pools.

Couples may enjoy a day of pampering at The Laguna Spa, which has a couples’ villa and overnight spa suites with views over a private beach. Its signature Couples’ Romantic Spa Retreat includes a 90-minute Balinese massage, a 30-minute facial or foot massage, and a light snack of chocolate-dipped fruit skewers and a fresh mocktail after the treatment.

Surfing in Nusa Dua requires a boat ride from Geger to Sawangan, where you can enjoy some of the best swells on the island. The area between the 2 islets on the eastern side of Nusa Dua often gets crowded with surfers as the waves can produce swells of up to 4 meters. Non-professionals should be aware of the strong undertow and large distance from the beach. The best months to surf in Nusa Dua are from October to April.

The Westin Family KidsClub is located in The Westin Resort Nusa Dua’s northeast section, in a quiet garden corner shaded by tropical trees. It offers an interactive and fully-supervised environment with a range of fun games and educational activities for kids between the ages of 4 and 12. The little ones can enjoy a day of face painting, kite making, fishing, and stargazing (Mondays from 8pm to 9pm). If the weather isn’t favorable for outdoor fun, Westin Family KidsClub organizes movie nights to keep them entertained.

The temples in Nusa Dusa are impressive structures housing unique relics. Before entering Jalan Pantai Mengiat from Bualu Village, you’ll come across Pura Desa, Pura Puseh, and Catus Pata. On the coastline of Nusa Dua and Bengiat beaches, popular Hindu temples include Pura Segara Nata and Pura Dalem Segara.

If you're on the Jalan Nusa Dua Selatan Road, you’ll see a few hidden temples that are worth visiting for their peaceful atmospheres. Of course, no temple-hopping excursion in Nusa Dua is complete without a stop at Geger Temple, a clifftop shrine overlooking the Indian Ocean.