Changes On The Horizon At Bali’s Busiest Tourist Fast Boat Port

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Bali’s Sanur Port is the busiest commercial boat harbor in Bali.

Every day, the harbour sees thousands of passengers travel between iconic Indonesian travel hotspots, including Nusa Penida, Lombok, and the Gili Islands. Now the harbor could be about to be under new management. 

The Denpasar Transportation Agency (Dishub) is calling for the central government to hand over management of Sanur Port to the Denpasar City Government. The Head of the Denpasar Transportation Agency, Ketut Sriawan, told reporters that he wants this transition to happen as soon as possible. 

Sriawan explained, “We will do it as soon as possible. The target is, if possible, before Transportation Day. We hope it will be September 17th, which is Transportation Day. Hopefully, the Minister of Transportation can submit it at that time in accordance with the Director General’s suggestion.”

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The move to transition the management from the central government to the local government has been on the cards for some time. Since the beginning of the construction of the new Sanur Port, it was planned that the Denpasar City Government and the Bali Provincial Government would eventually take over full management of the site. However, according to Sriawan, the new Indonesian Minister of Transportation, Dudy Purwagandhi, has not approached the subject. 

Sriawan told reporters, “We just met with the Director General a few days ago, and he will continue to convey this to the Minister. God willing, the initial development plan will be realised.”

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One of the key reasons why the Denpasar City Government and Bali Provincial Government wish to take over management of the Sanur Port area is to help better integrate the management of the harbour with the both Sanur and Denpasar City infrastructure, helping to reduce traffic congestion and improve the flow of passengers and tourists through the whole area, and to integrate the facility better with the newly established Sanur Special Economic Zone for Health, Medical and Wellness Tourism.

Sriawan told reporters, “If we look at the current movement, there are automatically multiple effects from the port. Traditional villages are developing, creating economic activity in the area. In terms of spatial planning, it has become a transit-oriented development. 

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Sriawan noted that once the port management has been handed over to the Denpasar City Government that the local authorities will be able to better regulate the movement of ships and boats in the area, regulate sea traffic especially between Bali and the Nusa Islands, and help reorganise traffic flow within Sanur, Denpasar and the surrounding area, in turn reducing traffic congestion for tourist and holidaymakers. 

He explained that he and his team would seek to reorganize boat departure and arrival times to coordinate with peak and low-traffic times on land.

Sriawan shared, “How do we facilitate these tourists leaving in the morning, and returning in the afternoon? Hopefully, we can manage ship departures and arrivals while also implementing landslide measures to reduce traffic congestion.”

In the meantime, tourists traveling to Sanur and through Sanur Port are advised that normal order and services are in place. As the high season in Bali rolls on, tourists are once again reminded to leave more than enough time to travel between destinations, especially when traveling to catch flights and boats.

While the majority of tourists traveling to Nusa Penida, Nusa Ceningan, Nusa Lembongan, the Gili Islands, and Lombok from Bali choose to depart from Sanur, it is also worth exploring whether crossings from Serangan or Padangbai are viable options to avoid crowds and traffic congestion.

Over the next few months and into 2026, tourists will see more fast boat services and ocean taxi services becoming available in Bali as leaders seek to reduce traffic congestion on land and offer tourists quicker and more affordable ways to travel throughout the province.

Just this week, Bali launched a new direct boat service between Denpasar and Banyuwangi in East Java, connecting the two provinces in a whole new way for tourists.