Kelingking Beach 2026 update

Is there an entrance fee at Kelingking Beach now?

Yes. A ticket booth opened at the entrance on 23 October 2026, and visitors pay IDR 25,000 per person for the viewpoint and the trail. Parking is extra: IDR 5,000 for a scooter and IDR 10,000 for a car.

The booth is part of the wider change Klungkung Regency brought in on 1 September 2026, when attractions on the island started charging their own tickets under Regency Regulation No. 4 of 2026. Kelingking was named in the regency's planning for the scheme from the start, and the booth made it real at the gate. The full picture of who pays what is in our post on the September fees.

On a tour, check what is covered before you go. The east and west day trip lists Kelingking entry as included, and so do the all-inclusive day and the yacht day. With the private car you pay entry and parking yourself unless you pick its ticket option.

What is the new Kelingking stairway?

A permanent stairway from the clifftop to the beach, announced by Klungkung Regency on 23 October 2026 with a groundbreaking the same day. It is worth about IDR 3.2 billion, paid by a private company rather than the regency's budget, and the target is about six months.

Local reports put the length at about 570 meters, which is the whole descent, not just the top. Bali.live reported that the money comes from a company's corporate social responsibility budget, the same sponsor that paid for the new ticket post. The stairway replaces the existing path. It has nothing to do with the lift, which is a separate project and a separate dispute.

The trail stays open during the works. Expect a building site on parts of the ridge for the coming months, and maybe a slower descent where crews are working. If the timetable holds, the finished stairway would be in place around April or May 2027. Building on a 180-meter cliff rarely keeps to schedule, though, so we would not plan a trip around that date.

What happened to the Kelingking glass lift?

It is stopped and not in service. Works were suspended and the site sealed on 31 October 2025; the investor won its case in the Denpasar administrative court on 3 September 2026, but the province is appealing and no work has restarted.

The lift was meant to carry visitors down the cliff in a glass car. A provincial committee found it inside a disaster-mitigation zone and without complete permits, the governor asked for the structure to be dismantled, and the Bali Civil Service Police Unit issued a stop-work and dismantling notice on 27 November 2025. The investor took the province to court and won: decision 17/G/2026/PTUN.DPS declared the notice invalid.

A court win is not a building permit. Members of the Bali parliament committee on spatial planning said after the ruling that the approvals missing in 2025 are still missing, and until the appeal runs its course the ruling is not final. On the ground nothing has moved. The unfinished shaft is still fixed to the cliff and the crane still stands on the clifftop. In June 2026 videos of crews at work went round social media; the Klungkung authorities said the footage showed the court's own site inspection.

Can you swim at Kelingking Beach?

No. Swimming has been officially banned since February 2023, after a visitor drowned trying to help another swimmer caught in the shore break.

The water looks calm from 180 meters up. Down on the sand it is a different beach: heavy waves break right on the shore and the current pulls out. There is no lifeguard, no phone signal and no quick way back up the cliff. Walk the sand, take the photo from the cave at the far end if you like, and keep your feet dry.

If a swim is part of the plan, Crystal Bay on the west coast and Atuh Beach on the east are the usual choices on the tours, when the sea allows. One guest on the east and west day trip summed it up in November 2026:

★★★★★

Mostly are cliff, only at atuh beach if you wish to swim. But be prepared for some hikes at atuh beach and kelingking beach.

Is the path down to Kelingking Beach safe?

Safe enough with care, proper shoes and water. The first 156 steps are built; below them the trail is steep rock with a low bamboo handrail, and the climb back up is the hard part.

Plan on about 20 minutes down and up to 30 minutes back, per nusapenida.org, plus time on the sand. In the midday sun that climb is tough, and guests say so even when they loved it:

★★★★★

We visited Kelingking Beach, and while the trek down (and back up!) was incredibly challenging and intense in the heat(we did it in October) the breathtaking views on the way made every single step worth it. Just make sure to bring plenty of water (1 liter per person) and wear good shoes for trek/hike !

The clifftop is the other risk. The railings stop at the viewpoint, and the edge beyond them is unfenced. On 12 September 2026 a 29-year-old Australian visitor died in a fall after leaving the path to get closer to the edge, according to the rescue team. Stay behind the railings for photos and on the marked trail below. No picture is worth stepping past them.

Skip the walk-down if you have knee trouble, small children or flip-flops only. The ridge offers quieter viewpoints a short way along the top. More on the path and the roads is in our safety guide.

When is the best time to visit Kelingking on a day trip?

Early. Day trips that start on the west coast reach Kelingking in the morning, ahead of the 11:00 to 15:00 peak, and the beach itself sits in the cliff's shadow until later in the day.

The east and west day trip opens its island day at Kelingking, which is the right call: you get the viewpoint before most of the crowd arrives from the later boats. On a one-day trip the walk-down is the thing that eats your time. A reviewer on the all-inclusive day found Diamond Beach and the Kelingking descent did not both fit, and we agree: pick one of the two beach climbs, and do the other side from the top.

If you want both climbs, both coasts and no rush, the 2-day trip gives you a car for ten hours a day and a night on the island. The day trip guide sets out how each version of the day runs.

Kelingking at the start of the day, then Broken Beach, Angel's Billabong, Diamond and Atuh, with the boat and three entry tickets included.

★ 4.7 · 8 to 10 hours · from $32

Explore the east and west day trip → Tour details

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