WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE GOING TO CANGGU.
We spent the majority of our time in Canggu going on runs and hanging out in our villa.
I hadn’t done enough research on Canggu, CLEARLY. I knew it was a surfers haven. In my brain, that meant a beautiful beach. A beautiful beach is what you WILL NOT find in Canggu. But if you love to surf, you will LOVE Canggu.
My favorite activity during our time there was our road trip…back up to the north of Bali. Are you grasping that Canggu was not our favorite yet?
I’d say Canggu is for the 18-23 year old who wants nothing more than to be a beach bum (on a not visually appealing beach). You feel me? Not a bad thing, but not our thing.
I am being humorous; but I assure you I am here to share a few things I think you should do if you happen to hit up Canggu. As well as something I regret skipping out on to this very day.
What to do in Canggu
Hang out at your villa
The photo above is precisely why we didn’t do much outside of our villa. We’d ride our scooters over to Crate Cafe for breakfast, and then lay outside from 11-2, come undercover for the 3pm thunderstorm, get a late lunch and call it a day.
Only the bedrooms and bathrooms were indoors. The kitchen and living space were under cover but completely “outdoors.” This set up was amazing for the climate in Canggu.
We checked booking, agoda and airbnb. Airbnb seemed to be the best bet for what we wanted. But feel free to check all the places.
Budget | hostelworld
Mid range + Luxury | booking airbnb or agoda
Walk around to shops and cafes
Canggu had great food. Both in quality and options. We had everything from burgers to traditional Balinese food to fresh smoothies and beyond. It was great.
We didn’t do any shopping but there are tons of adorable shops. If you aren’t living in a backpack, I highly suggest you do some shopping.
Get all the beverages
You can find all things liquid in Canggu. Coffee, kombucha, liquor, smoothies, juices and more. One of our favorites was The Avocado Factory.
Another great place for breakfast was Crate Cafe.
The Shady Shack for smoothies, juices and kombucha. We’d go on a run, hit up the Shady Shack for a cold, healthy, refreshing beverage and then lay by the pool all day. Not a bad way to spend your time in Canggu.
Visit the Tanah Lot Temple
The temple area was PACKED with tourists. Not our favorite, but also expected because it’s very easy to see. It takes no work to see this attraction, so the number of tourists choosing to see is high.
MINI TRIP TO NUSA PENIDA
We didn’t plan anything for our Bali trip. While we spent a full three weeks there, it was VERY loose-y goose-y, play it by ear every day.
This meant that we missed out on visiting Nusa Penida. AKA “T-Rex island” or “dinosaur island.” If you know me, you know I LOVE dinosaurs. And I was itching for an adventure but the boys just weren’t down for it. To be fair Kyle had a bit of the Bali Belly and wasn’t feeling well for a decent portion of our time in Canggu.
So if you go to Canggu, I suggest taking three days (including travel days) to visit Nusa Penida. If we did go, it would have been a day trip, which sounded awful to all of us. So we skipped it. DON’T SKIP IT MY FRIEND!
That’s it! There is a reason when you search “what do to do in Canggu,” all that comes up is a bunch of beach bars, surfing and day trips out of town. Because that’s accurate. That is what you do in Canggu.
Eat good food, drink fresh concoctions, take a day trip somewhere, do some shopping and hang out by the pool, or surf – if that’s your thing.
Pin this for later (if you think Canggu is your style).
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