Padangbai is a small coastal town in the Karangasem Regency, in south-eastern Bali, Indonesia. It serves as a ferry port for travel to Lembar on Lombok, The Gilis and other Lesser Sunda Islands.
thumb|center|The port: main harbour at the back, landing jetty for the fast boats on the right.
Location
Padang Bai is in Manggis District, off the road that follows the south-east coast of Bali. It sits
north-east of Denpasar Airport (1 hour 19 minutes drive in fluid traffic),
north-east of Sanur Beach (1 hour fluid drive),
east of Ubud (some 62 minutes fluid drive),
west of Candidasa, and
east of Semarapura. which have become part of a Marine Protected Area in 2017 along with Bias Tugal Beach.
Most of them require particular attention to the currents: these can become strong during tide change and at the new moon.
; Main Beach
Immediately East of the port, this long narrow beach is bordered by the main street, Jl. Silayukti.
; Blue Lagoon Beach
Also known as Padang Kurungan or Padang Bai Beach. Here are some of the sites:<br>
The Temple site is a shallow (5 to 9 metres) in front of the small temple built into the lava cliffs. It is rather well protected from the currents. Beyond the sand, the reef edge follows along the sandy slope to a depth of 24 metres.
thumb|Bias Tugal Beach
; Bias Tugal Beach
Also known as Pantai Kecil, Little Beach, Secret Beach or White Sand Beach, it is close to the market - but reaching it means a 1.4 km detour by road. It is about 130 m long. <br>
Diving: The entire bay has a flat bottom (9 metres) covered with soft coral and several boulders bearing hard coral. At about 50 metres from the beach, the seafloor makes a 45 degree angle sloping down, with a horizontal ledge at 20 metres.
Temples
thumb|Silayukti temple
The following temples are located at Padangbai:
- Pura Silayukti (o Luhur Silayukti This Mpu Kuturan is also linked to Uluwatu Temple on Bukit Peninsula, southernmost point of Bali (south of Denpasar); and to another temple. who introduced the caste system to Bali in the 11th century, is said to have lived there. Its name is an association of the words sila meaning "basis", and yukti meaning " right" or "what is true"; the combinaison signifies that those who pray there uphold the true religious teachings.
- Pura Tanjung Sari, immediately south of Silayukti temple.
- Pura Pesamuhan, west end of Jl Silayukti.
- Pura Penataran Agung, west of the harbour Dating back to the 16th century, it is believed to have been built by the high priest Dang Hyang Nirartha during his missions to Bali.
- Pura Mumbul, south of the harbour
Salt mining
Kusamba, a village by the stretch of black sand south-west of Padangbai, traditionally harvests salt right on the beach near the Goa Lawah temple.
First, a salt-concentrated brine is made by collecting seawater in buckets and pouring it slowly into wooden basins or vats filled with the black sand from the beach. The water that comes out is collected and the process is repeated a few times. Then the salt-laden water is left to rest in a second set of vats made of coconut tree wood, for some days up to a couple of weeks; some of the water evaporates there. Filtering rakes are used at some point of these operations. The next operation transfers that water to dug-out coconut trunkswhere it evaporates under the sun, leaving the salt to be carefully scraped from the hollowed trunks.
This arduous process gives a salt with a unique and distinct flavor which is slowly getting recognized as a typical Balinese product and becoming known around Bali. Well-established restaurants have started using it and it is sold in shops around Bali.
About 10 to 12 tons of Kusamba sea salt are produced per month during the dry season.
Gallery
<gallery mode="packed" heights="140">
File:Silayukti-Temple-Padangbai-Ceremony.jpg|Ceremony at Silayukti temple
File:A Balinese Temple - panoramio.jpg|Pura Penataran Agung
File:Padangbai Secret Beach 1.jpg|Bias Tugal Beach
File:Street Art in Padangbai, Bali, Indonesia, 2005.png|Street art
File:Lombok Strait - panoramio.jpg|View east from the hill on the western side of the port: Candidasa over the wider bay, and the rock of Gili Bia jutting out in the Lombok Strait
</gallery>