By Steeve
Quick read: Bali has hundreds of surf camps. These four stand out for different reasons. Pick yours by region (Uluwatu reefs vs Canggu beach + reef mix), level, and style. Prices from €75/night. Real prices, verified reviews.
| Camp | Region | Style | Best for | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CARI Surf Camp | Uluwatu | Boutique surf-house | Intermediate to advanced; couples | €95/night |
| In Da Surf Bali | Canggu | Family villas, half-board | Families with kids 8-14 | €75/night |
| Mondo Surf Village | Canggu (Berawa) | Social camp village | Solo travellers, couples 22-35 | €100/night |
| Soleia Surf Canggu | Canggu | Mid-range surf-house | Couples, small groups 25-40 | €90/night |
Bali isn’t one place. It’s at least two: Canggu, the rice-paddy-meets-beach-club hub on the south coast where most people land for their first Bali trip, and Uluwatu, the cliffside reef zone 30 minutes south on the Bukit Peninsula where the surf gets serious. Picking a camp means picking which Bali you want.
We work with four partner camps that cover the spread. One sits in Uluwatu for surfers who want the reef life and Single Fin sunsets within walking distance. The other three are in Canggu, but each has its own personality: a family villa setup with private pools, a social camp village built for solo travellers, and a mid-range surf-house for couples who want quiet without going boutique. Read all four below, then jump to the decision framework at the bottom if you just want a quick pick.
CARI is the only one of our four camps that puts you on the Bukit Peninsula, which is the whole point. From the camp you’re a short scooter ride to Padang Padang, Bingin, Impossibles and Uluwatu itself, and within walking distance of Single Fin for the Sunday afternoon cliffside sunset session that every Bali surfer ends up at eventually. The vibe is small and intimate: not a sprawling camp, more a surf-house with a handful of rooms and people who know each other’s names by day three.
The signature room is the Mezzanine Studio, a loft setup where you climb a small staircase to the bed and have a lounge area below. It looks better than it sounds and is what most return guests book. Standard private rooms work too, with a quiet pool, simple breakfast, and the kind of in-house surf guide who actually knows which spot will work tomorrow at low tide.
This is a couples and intermediate-to-advanced camp. The reefs around Uluwatu aren’t beginner-friendly: they’re shallow at low tide, the takeoffs are steep, and the crowd is real. If you’ve never surfed before, you’ll have a much better first week in Canggu (see the next three picks) and then maybe come back for Bali round two when you’re ready for the Bukit.
Best for: Intermediate and advanced surfers, couples, anyone who wants the surf-culture side of Bali rather than the smoothie-bowl side. Not for: First-time surfers, families with small kids, the party crowd (the Bukit shuts down early).
If you’re travelling with kids, In Da Surf is the easy answer. The setup is private villas (each with its own pool) priced per person rather than per villa, which means a family of four pays for four people, not for renting the whole property. That single pricing decision makes it 30-40% cheaper than the boutique villa rentals you’ll find on Airbnb in Canggu, and it comes with breakfast and dinner included.
The location is Canggu’s quieter end, set back from the busy beach roads but close enough to ride scooters or walk to Berawa beach in 10 minutes. Kids get their own surf school program (board, instructor, beginner-friendly waves at Berawa or Old Man’s), parents get to actually surf during the day, and everyone meets at the pool around sunset. Half-board means you don’t have to round up four hungry kids for a restaurant search at 7pm, which any parent who has tried that in Canggu traffic will appreciate.
The trade-off is the social vibe, or lack of it. This isn’t a place where solo travellers find their tribe at the long table. It’s quiet, it’s family-shaped, and the rhythm of the day is set by parents with small kids, not by 26-year-olds heading to Old Man’s for sunset beers. If that’s what you want, great. If you wanted the camp-village experience, look at Mondo below.
Best for: Families with kids 8-14, multi-generational trips, anyone wanting longer stays (7-14 nights) at a fair price. Not for: Solo travellers looking for new friends, the 22-30 party crowd, anyone wanting a single-room booking with a social camp feel.
Mondo is what people picture when they imagine a surf camp: 25-40 guests on rotating week-long stays, daily lessons, video coaching where someone with a long lens films you wiping out and then explains why on a TV screen that evening, group dinners, and the kind of week where you arrive on Saturday not knowing anyone and leave on Saturday with five people on your WhatsApp. The camp runs Saturday-to-Saturday changeovers in peak season, which sounds rigid but actually works in your favour: you arrive when everyone arrives, and the whole week’s social rhythm is in sync.
Location-wise it’s on the Berawa side of Canggu, the slightly quieter half. You’re a 5-minute scooter to Berawa beach, 10 minutes to Old Man’s and Echo Beach, and walking distance to Drifter Surf Shop, which is essentially the local surf-culture HQ for the neighbourhood. Lessons happen at beginner-to-intermediate beach breaks (Berawa, Old Man’s, Batu Bolong depending on the swell), and the coaching is genuinely useful: this is the camp on our list where someone is actually going to tell you what you’re doing wrong.
The vibe skews 22-35, mostly solo travellers and couples on their first or second Bali trip. Group dinners are at the camp three or four nights a week, with the rest left open for you to roam Canggu’s restaurant scene. It’s social without being a party camp: nobody’s pouring shots at 11pm, but you’ll end up at La Brisa for sunset by Wednesday anyway.
Best for: Solo travellers, couples 22-35, first-time Bali surfers, anyone who wants lessons and coaching as part of the package. Not for: Families, ultra-quiet vacations, advanced surfers chasing reef breaks (you’d need to commute to Uluwatu).
Soleia is the camp you book when you want Canggu without committing to either extreme. It’s smaller and quieter than Mondo (no big group dinners, no Saturday changeover, no 30-person guest list) but more social and surf-focused than booking a random villa on your own. Picture a surf-house with a mix of private and shared rooms, a quiet pool, a daily surf-guide service that takes you to the right spot for your level, and a kitchen people actually cook in.
The pricing structure is more flexible than Mondo too. You can book 4 nights or 10 nights, you can pick just accommodation or add a Surf Coaching or Surf Guiding package on top, and the per-surf-day pricing means short stays don’t get overcharged for a 7-day package you can’t use. There’s a 15% early-access discount on June and July bookings if you book ahead, which is worth knowing.
The location is mid-Canggu, walkable to Berawa and a short scooter to Echo Beach. The crowd skews a bit older than Mondo: couples in their late 20s to late 30s, small groups of friends travelling together, returning surfers who don’t want the camp-village experience anymore but still want the surf logistics handled. If Mondo is your first Bali trip, Soleia might be your third.
Best for: Couples, small groups of friends, returning Bali surfers, flexible-stay bookings (4-14 nights), anyone wanting surf logistics handled without the full social camp setup. Not for: Solo travellers actively looking to make new friends (the social side is lighter), families with young kids.
If you read all four and still aren’t sure, run yourself through this list. It’s the same shorthand we use when partners email asking which one to recommend to a friend.
Canggu is beach + reef mix, all levels, scooters everywhere, beach clubs, smoothie bowls, social scene. It’s where most first-time Bali surfers stay. Uluwatu is reef breaks only, advanced-friendly, cliffside bars, much quieter at night, and the spiritual home of Bali surf culture (Single Fin Sundays, the Bukit lifestyle). The two are 30 minutes apart by car, so if you’re staying for two weeks you can easily do one week in Canggu, one week in Uluwatu, and get the full picture. Most of our guests on shorter trips pick one and commit.
Plan your trip: Once you know which region fits, browse all Bali surf camps with real prices, packages and verified reviews. CARI Uluwatu, In Da Surf, Mondo and Soleia (Canggu) in one place.
In Da Surf Bali starts at €75/night, which is the lowest on our list. The per-person villa pricing makes it especially good value for couples and families. Soleia comes in next at €90/night, then CARI at €95/night and Mondo at €100/night. Note that Mondo’s price includes daily lessons and video coaching, so factor that in when comparing.
For complete beginners, Mondo Surf Village in Canggu. It’s structured around lesson-and-coaching weeks at beginner-friendly beach breaks like Berawa and Old Man’s, and the Saturday changeover means the whole group is on the same learning curve. In Da Surf is also good for kids learning, but the surf school is more focused on family lessons than adult-beginner coaching.
Canggu, almost always. The beach breaks (Berawa, Old Man’s, Batu Bolong, Echo Beach) are sand-bottomed, forgiving, and work for everyone from first-timers to intermediates. Uluwatu’s reefs are shallow, sharp, and crowded with experienced surfers. Save the Bukit for trip number two, or for a day trip from Canggu mid-stay.
Yes, all four run year-round. Bali’s wet season (November to March) brings shorter swells and more onshore wind on the west coast, but the east coast (Sanur, Nusa Dua) becomes the better option, and most camps will guide you to whichever side is working. Peak surf season is May to September, when the southwest swell hits the Bukit and Canggu’s beach breaks line up.
Varies by camp. The base nightly rate at all four covers your room and breakfast. Mondo includes daily lessons or guided sessions in its package. In Da Surf includes breakfast and dinner (half-board). CARI and Soleia have add-on packages for surf coaching, guiding, and yoga that you can opt into at booking. Check the camp page for the full breakdown.
Yes. July and August are the busiest weeks of the year in Bali, especially for Mondo’s Saturday changeovers, which often sell out 2-3 months ahead. CARI is small and books fast for August. Soleia and In Da Surf have more flexibility but the best villas go first. Aim to book by April for July-August stays. Soleia also offers a 15% early-access discount on June and July dates if you book ahead.
In Da Surf Bali. The setup is private villas with their own pools, the pricing is per person rather than per villa (so kids cost less than full beds), half-board means you don’t have to organise dinner every night, and there’s a kids’ surf school for ages roughly 8-14. The other three camps don’t have a dedicated family setup.
At Soleia and CARI, yes: 4 nights is usually the minimum. In Da Surf is flexible too. Mondo runs weekly Saturday-to-Saturday changeovers in peak season, so shorter stays are harder to fit in then; outside peak season it’s more open. If you want a 4 or 5-night stay in July, Soleia is the easiest fit.
Usually not in the base rate, but every camp can arrange one. Bali Denpasar airport (DPS) is roughly 30 minutes to Canggu and 35-45 minutes to Uluwatu depending on traffic. Expect to pay €15-25 for a private transfer through the camp, or grab a Grab car at the arrivals exit for slightly less. We list transfer pricing on each camp page where the partner has confirmed a fixed rate.
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