Its sister beach, Bira Beach, is where most people head when looking for an escape from the hot, traffic filled, dusty city of Makassar. That’s what drove us out that way as well after two months of a much needed escape.
Bira is known for its ship ‘building yard’ where the massive Buginese traditional wooden cargo ships, Phinisi, are built along the coast line.
Bira is known for its ship ‘building yard’ where the massive Buginese traditional wooden cargo ships, Phinisi, are built along the coast line.
And although a great place to spend an hour and admire the huge ships, don't fall into Bira's trap. Bira has a few restaurants and convenience stores, all close to the shore, that make it seem like a good place to hunker down for a few days, however, when looking for a true escape, and a place to enjoy the beautiful coast, one needs to look a little farther to Bara Beach.
This secluded strip of beach is home to only two formal accommodations: Mangga Lodge (a diving resort) and Cosmos Bungalows. A beautiful green forest meets up with the buttery white sand of Bara at various gradients of steepness. The area seems about to burst with an endless row of land for sale or lease signs along the narrow single lane carved through the trees that gets you there.
This secluded strip of beach is home to only two formal accommodations: Mangga Lodge (a diving resort) and Cosmos Bungalows. A beautiful green forest meets up with the buttery white sand of Bara at various gradients of steepness. The area seems about to burst with an endless row of land for sale or lease signs along the narrow single lane carved through the trees that gets you there.
Myself and colleagues stayed a weekend at Cosmos Bungalows. This is a beautiful set of four wooden and raised cabins staggered down the hillside; all overlooking the ocean for the most spectacular views of sunset from front porch hammocks. Cosmos is a new establishment, it was not even officially opened yet when we were fortunate enough to hear of and find it through a friend of a friend.
Bara offered what very few breath taking places like it can, complete solitude. The beach is your own. We saw 4 other people over the whole weekend it seemed. And the ocean was great for swimming, the current wasn’t overpowering and even at low tide you could comfortably wade in the water. We joked our team bonded that weekend over a shared bath as we all floated along for hours watching the beautiful sky lit up with ever hue of red, purple, orange and yellow while the sun set before us.
Bara Beach was a real touch of paradise for us and incomparable to any other beach I’ve been too, set above the others, by the true peaceful seclusion it has to offer. Get there quick before more people find out about it!
Bara Beach was a real touch of paradise for us and incomparable to any other beach I’ve been too, set above the others, by the true peaceful seclusion it has to offer. Get there quick before more people find out about it!
For some logistics of the trip, a cabin at Cosmos’ costs 300,00 IRP (Sleeps Two). The drive to Bara is about 5 hours and takes you through small villages, beautiful landscapes, and past large salt-harvesting fields. You can hire a driver in Makassar to take you there for about 1.5 million (this will cover getting there, our car could fit 7 passengers, as well as accommodation and food for the driver if you are hoping to have him wait to take you back. To get from Bira to Bara, continue past Bira, go through the park entrance and make a right, going upward onto the higher hilltop road (Jalan Bara). Follow this narrow winding path until you see a small handmade sign for cosmos. They’ve got cold Bintangs and fed us a beautiful communal meal of nasi putih, grilled fish, and veggies for only 25,000 a person AND breakfast was included.