No, you cannot ride it, and you will not be able to any time soon. The 182-metre glass lift beside the Kelingking staircase on Nusa Penida was never finished and has never carried a passenger. Work was stopped at the end of October 2025, and on 23 November 2025 the governor of Bali ordered it demolished within six months. The developer sued. On 3 September 2026 the administrative court in Denpasar ruled in the developer's favour, and on 16 September 2026 Bali's enforcement agency filed an appeal. The tower stays where it is, unfinished, while the case goes to the higher court. The way down to the beach is still the staircase, about 45 minutes down and up to an hour back, and the view from the top is still free.
By Alex Moskvin, Founder of SB Excursions · Published 23 September 2026 · Updated 16 October 2026
Tour on this route: Nusa Penida West Tour — From $49 per car, full day.
Is there a lift down to Kelingking Beach?
No. A 182-metre glass lift was built beside the staircase but never finished, and it has never carried a passenger. Work stopped at the end of October 2025, the governor ordered it demolished in November 2025, and the case is now in the courts. The only way down is the staircase, about 45 minutes down and up to an hour back.
This guide also answers:
- Will the Kelingking glass lift be demolished?
- Who built the Kelingking lift?
- How long does it take to walk down to Kelingking Beach?
Top picks from this guide
#1
Kelingking viewpoint
The famous headland is visible from the clifftop, a short walk from where the cars park, and the view costs nothing. From here you also see the lift tower pinned to the cliff beside the staircase. Most visitors photograph from the top and move on, and that is a reasonable choice.
#2
The staircase down
The only way to the sand: roughly 45 minutes down and up to an hour back up, steep and exposed. Bali Portal News reported in March 2026 that a renovation of the steps had been completed, with stronger treads, handrails and rest points. Swimming at the bottom is unsafe.
#3
Broken Beach and Angel's Billabong
A collapsed sea cave with a rock arch, and a tidal pool next door. Both are for looking, not swimming: swimming at Angel's Billabong has been prohibited since 2023 after deaths from rogue waves, and Broken Beach has no way down to the water.
#4
Crystal Bay
A proper beach with calm mornings and good snorkelling close in, which is why the west route ends here. From July to October the ocean sunfish season can drop the water to 18-20°C. This is where to get in the sea, not below Kelingking.
#5
Diamond Beach
White sand under limestone cliffs, reached by steps carved into the rock. Steep but manageable for most fit adults, and noticeably less crowded than the west. It sits on the east route, from $75.
#6
Manta Point
If the point of going down to Kelingking was the water, the manta cleaning station is the better use of the time. The private day with manta snorkelling is from $60 and pairs it with the west-coast viewpoints.
Is the Kelingking glass lift open?
No. The structure on the cliff is a steel and glass tower of about 182 metres, built to carry visitors from the clifftop to the sand in place of the staircase. It was promoted as the Glass Viewing Platform, and The Bali Sun put its footprint at 846 m². It was never completed, it has never carried a single passenger, and nothing has been built on it since work stopped at the end of October 2025. You will see it from the viewpoint; you cannot use it.
The developer is PT Indonesia Kaishi Tourism Property Investment Development Group, a company with Chinese investors. Honeycombers reported the project's value at IDR 200 billion, of which IDR 60 billion was the lift itself. Those are reported figures, not audited ones.
Why was the lift ordered demolished?
Work was stopped at the end of October 2025, after Bali's provincial parliament found spatial planning violations on site. On 23 November 2025 the governor, Wayan Koster, announced the decision at a press conference in Denpasar: stop all construction, demolish the tower within six months, and restore the land within three months after that. The Bali Sun listed five kinds of violation, covering spatial planning, the environment, licensing, marine spatial planning and cultural tourism standards.
The governor framed it as a question of what Bali should look like: as ABC reported him, if everything is made easy, eventually even climbing Mount Agung will need lifts. The six-month deadline ran out on 23 May 2026 with nothing removed: by then the province had decided to wait for a final court ruling before touching the tower.
What did the court decide in September 2026?
The developer took the demolition order to the administrative court in Denpasar in February 2026, and on 9 April 2026 refiled its case with Bali's enforcement agency, Satpol PP, as the defendant. On 3 September 2026 the court granted the developer's suit in full in case 17/G/2026/PTUN.DPS: it rejected the agency's objection, ordered it to withdraw its enforcement letter of late November 2025, and to pay about IDR 11.99 million in court costs.
Governor Koster called the ruling strange and said the province would appeal. On 16 September 2026 the head of Satpol PP Bali, I Dewa Nyoman Rai Dharmadi, filed the appeal, and it was recorded in the court's case system, Bali Post reported on 21 September. The case now moves to the higher administrative court.
Could the lift open after the court case?
Not quickly, and possibly never. A win in the administrative court only cancels the demolition letter; it does not grant the permits the project lacked. Bali Post reported on 5 September 2026 that construction would still need environmental approval, spatial planning compliance, building and zoning permits and safety assessments for a high-risk cliff site. The governor has argued that the building permit the developer holds covers only the ticket-counter area.
There is also the appeal, and after it a possible cassation to the Supreme Court. Nobody can give a date, and anyone who does is guessing. For planning a visit in 2026 or 2027, treat the lift as scenery: an unfinished tower beside the staircase, and nothing more.
How do you get down to Kelingking Beach now?
On foot, the way everyone always has. The staircase is roughly 45 minutes down and up to an hour back up for a fit adult, steep, exposed to the sun and busy at midday. Bali Portal News reported in March 2026 that a renovation had been finished, with stronger steps built to handle extreme weather, better handrails and rest points; the climb is still a climb. Wear shoes with grip, carry water, and start early.
At the bottom, the current is strong and swimming is genuinely unsafe: this is a beach to stand on, not to swim from. Our Kelingking Beach guide covers the descent step by step, and the Nusa Penida west tour from $49 per car for up to six includes the viewpoint on its standard loop.
Does the lift change how you plan a Nusa Penida day?
Only in one way: nothing will shorten the descent, so decide before the day whether you are going down. The viewpoint takes minutes; the beach takes about two hours out of a day that already has to fit the boat both ways. If you want the beach, tell us and we set the loop around it, or take the full-day route from $75, which has room for it.
If you do not, the west loop covers Kelingking from the top, Broken Beach, Angel's Billabong and the swim at Crystal Bay in one day, and the manta day swaps a cliff climb for the water. The route choice is set out in our Nusa Penida one-day itinerary.
Where these facts come from
- ABC News, 27 November 2025 — 182 m height, the governor's demolition order and his remarks, retrieved 23 September 2026
- The Bali Sun — 23 November 2025 order, six months to demolish and three to restore, 846 m², five violations, retrieved 23 September 2026
- Honeycombers, 28 November 2025 — reported project value, retrieved 23 September 2026
- Kendari News, 3 November 2025 — work halted after the provincial parliament found spatial planning violations, retrieved 23 September 2026
- Bali Post, 16 April 2026 — the lawsuit filed in February and refiled on 9 April 2026 against Satpol PP Bali, retrieved 23 September 2026
- Bali Post, 18 May 2026 — the 23 May deadline and the province waiting for a final ruling, retrieved 23 September 2026
- Bali Discovery, 4 September 2026 and Bali Post, 5 September 2026 — the 3 September ruling and the permits still missing, retrieved 23 September 2026
- IDN Times Bali, 7 September 2026 — the governor on the ruling and the building permit, retrieved 23 September 2026
- Bali Post, 21 September 2026 — the appeal filed on 16 September 2026, case 17/G/2026/PTUN.DPS, court costs, retrieved 23 September 2026
- Bali Portal News, 26 March 2026 — staircase renovation completed, retrieved 23 September 2026
- Staircase times, safety and tour prices: our own guides and SB Excursions tour pages, September 2026
FAQ
Is there a lift down to Kelingking Beach?
No. A 182-metre glass lift was built beside the staircase but never finished, and it has never carried a passenger. Work stopped at the end of October 2025, the governor ordered it demolished in November 2025, and the case is now in the courts. The only way down is the staircase, about 45 minutes down and up to an hour back.
Will the Kelingking glass lift be demolished?
Undecided. On 3 September 2026 the administrative court in Denpasar ruled for the developer and cancelled the enforcement letter, and on 16 September 2026 Bali's Satpol PP filed an appeal. The province has said it will not demolish before a final ruling, and the court win does not give the project the permits it lacks.
Who built the Kelingking lift?
PT Indonesia Kaishi Tourism Property Investment Development Group, a developer with Chinese investors. The project was promoted as the Glass Viewing Platform. Honeycombers reported its value at IDR 200 billion, IDR 60 billion of it for the lift.
How long does it take to walk down to Kelingking Beach?
About 45 minutes down and up to an hour back up for a fit adult, so allow roughly two hours at Kelingking if you go to the sand. A renovation of the steps was reported complete in March 2026, but it is still steep and exposed. The viewpoint at the top takes minutes and costs nothing.
Can you swim at Kelingking Beach?
No. The current at the bottom is strong and swimming is genuinely unsafe. On the west route the swim stop is Crystal Bay, which has a proper beach and calm mornings.
Can I see the lift on a Nusa Penida tour?
Yes. The unfinished tower stands on the cliff beside the staircase and is in plain view from the Kelingking viewpoint, which is on our west route from $49 per car for up to six people with hotel pickup.
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