Things to do — Canggu

The signature activity in Canggu is surfing, and the destination has earned its reputation. Echo Beach (north of the village) delivers a consistent left and right break with hollow sections suited to intermediate-to-advanced surfers. The bottom is rocky and partly coral in places — reef boots are recommended for less seasoned feet. Batu Bolong Beach is slightly more forgiving, with smaller waves and several surf schools offering lessons for every level (150,000-300,000 IDR for a two-hour lesson with board, USD 10-20). Most lessons run in the morning (7am-11am) when offshore winds are clean and the conditions are at their best. Multi-day surf camps from a long weekend to a full week offer a fast-track way to progress.

Beyond the surf, the coffee and food scene in Canggu rewards proper exploration. The village is dense with specialty coffee shops serving roasts of a quality that often surprises visitors — a happy outcome in Indonesia, one of the world's largest coffee producers. Restaurants on Jalan Batu Bolong cover an unusually broad culinary range for a village of this size: Mexican, Japanese, Indian, Italian, plus an extensive vegan and vegetarian roster. The Canggu Sunday market in Berawa pulls in local producers, artisans and food trucks in a relaxed weekend setting.

Yoga is the second pillar of Canggu life after surf. Dozens of studios run morning and evening classes, often in open-air spaces opening onto rice fields or lush gardens. The classic Canggu rhythm — surf in the morning, yoga at sunset — is the routine adopted by most travellers who settle in for a few weeks. Sunsets from Echo Beach or the beach bars along the coast are the other key moment of the day: from 6pm onwards, terraces fill up with travellers and locals watching the sun drop behind the Indian Ocean horizon in shades of orange and purple. Bring sunglasses, find a beanbag, order a Bintang. It is Canggu at its best.