Candi Dasa (Bali)

Candi Dasa is a coastal thermic site on Bali's east coast, with take-off around 100 m ASL leading up to 5-hundred-metre-plus climbs on good days — some pilots have reported flying above 800 m. Take-off faces southeast and south, and the flying land is communally owned by the village, not by any individual. A site fee ($5/day or $20/month) goes to the local community; every receipt has a stub for the seller to return to the community with the funds — insist on the official receipt. The main season is August to October. **Important:** the site was CLOSED as of September 2018 because pilots kept flying over the local temple during ceremony. Confirm current access status with the local community and the guide 'Jony Water Taxi' (contact via any beachfront hotel) BEFORE planning a trip. Crossing 'the gap' east to fly the coastal cliffs is possible but the cliffs are lower than the main site — allow at least 100 m of altitude margin each way.

Launch & conditions

The main take-off is quite low at about 100 m ASL — thermals need to start generating (typically not before 10:00 am) to get you up. After noon, thermic activity can get very strong, possibly too strong for a safe launch. Some pilots fly the late afternoon glass-off as thermic activity dies down.

Getting there & local rules

Hire a scooter in Candi Dasa for about US$5/day. Take the main road east out of Candi Dasa until a sharp left-hand bend near the end of the beachfront hotels. Do NOT go left — take the smaller right turn going straight. Follow that road nearly to the end. On the right is a steep drive up to a white house with a road barrier; park just before the barrier. From there a local guide will carry your wing up and show you the launch (for $5) and stay to help launch until you're safely airborne. Landings: the long black beach in front of take-off (safe but a longer scooter ride back — about $5 to return); or the smaller white beaches in front of the Candi Dasa hotels (Puri Bagus Hotel's end beach is the largest and closest to your scooter at the trailhead). Site fee is $5/day on top of the $5 guide fee — insist on the community receipt.

Check conditions before you fly

A forecast for the valley is not a forecast for the launch. Before heading to Candi Dasa (Bali), read the wind and thermals for the site itself, confirm the day's rules with the local club, and remember the standing rule — when in doubt, don't launch. In the free OutDare app you can open Candi Dasa (Bali) with a 7-day forecast built from high-resolution weather models, see who else has been flying, and get there with offline maps.