Bali's Abandoned Plane

The abandoned plane. Instagram user @wejusttravel

Down in southern Bali sits an abandoned Boeing 737. It’s not at an airport or an airplane boneyard. Instead, it sits in a field near some kind of limestone quarry, and no one quite knows how it got there.

The abandoned plane is located near the southern coast of the Bukit Peninsula in Bali. It’s just off the Raya Nusa Dua Selatan Highway and only five minutes from the popular and picturesque Pandawa beach. In other words, it’s not exactly hidden away from the world.

What makes it even stranger is that no one seems to know how it got there. You’d think someone would notice the arrival of a Boeing 737 in a field near a fairly major road, but…no.

Some locals say that the plane, which has no livery or notable insignia, was destined to be converted into a tourist-friendly restaurant. Apparently, however, the owner ran out of money and left his Boeing 737 to slowly rust surrounded by a shabby hut and a few shipping containers.

Apart from that, little is known about abandoned aircraft. It may have been purchased and reassembled where it now stands, which would explain, at least in part, why no one saw it arrive.

The plane has now become a tourist attraction in its own right. And, strangely, it’s not the only abandoned plane you can visit on the Indonesian island. About five miles north sits another abandoned Boeing 737, right next to a Dunkin’ Donuts.

In mid-2018, the plane was opened as an event venue.

As of October 21, 2021, (if you have Google Earth Pro), you can see that this aircraft, and at least one other, are being dismantled as many parts have been removed and the fuselage has been moved to a different location closer to the road.

Know Before You Go

The abandoned Boeing 737 in the south of the Bukit Peninsula is easy enough to reach, as long as you can spot it from the road. The view of the plane is obstructed from the highway, so you need to keep your eyes open, or you could easily miss it. When you come across a wall of sea containers on the side of the road, you are have arrived. You can see the plane by climbing up onto the containers that surround it. Or, for a better view, head slightly further down the road where you’ll find a path that leads up above the plane. You’ll have to pay a small fee to enter, as the plane is on private property.