Canggu proper is a small village on the beach about 20 minutes north of Seminyak, half way to Tanah Lot. Canggu is widely used though to refer to a large coastal stretch of about 8 km, running north from the village of Berawa (just north of Seminyak) to the village of Cemagi (just south of Tanah Lot) taking in “Batu Bolong Beach”, Echo Beach, “”Nelayan Beach””, Pererenan Beach, Selasih Beach, Seseh Beach and Mengening Beach along the way. It was once a largely rural area away from the beaches, but was being developed fast and is now a traffic clogged suburb of Denpasar.

Nelayan Beach (Fisherman Beach) is where you can still get fresh fish, lobsters, prawns etc every early morning. Five minutes walk between Berawa Beach and Batu Bolong Beach.

The beaches have dark grey or black sand and are not prized by tourists for swimming and sunbathing, but offer some renowned and challenging surfing spots. The area remains popular with surfers, the breaks are inviting, the water is clean and the beaches are not as littered with plastic as Kuta and Seminyak.

The area is popular with many expatriates who choose to live here, and a large number of the villas owned by overseas nationals are located here. Some areas still feature quietly undulating terrain with the rice paddies that typify much of south central Bali.