The Kelingking Beach elevator: halted, ordered down, now in court

The Nusa Penida elevator project reached the cliff face at Kelingking Beach, in Klungkung. The authorities described a 182-meter glass elevator, which was to be linked to a 64-meter bridge once finished.^1,2 Before the halt the investor had built a ticket counter, a flyover connecting it to the elevator and a glass elevator with a restaurant and foundation, across three areas of Bunga Mekar Village.⁷

The project owner's version, reported alongside the suspension, was that the development was legally permitted in 2023 and supported by a Chinese investor who put in Rp200 billion, of which Rp60 billion was allocated for the elevator.⁸ The owner also said it respected the provincial suspension and would compile the documents and permits needed.⁸ That is the developer's account, and the government's account differs.

Land and sea ownership is part of the problem. The elevator project spans three areas, with the ticket counter at the top under Klungkung authority, ravine land that is state-owned and needs central or provincial approval, and a beach and coastal waters at the base that fall under the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries and the Bali provincial government.⁷ A cliff with three kinds of owner needs three kinds of permit.

The deadline did not end the matter. On Wednesday 15 April 2026 detikBali reported that the glass lift had not yet been dismantled as the governor instructed, even though the developer had been given six months from November 2025.^9,10 The head of the Bali provincial legal bureau said the project was in a disputed legal status and could not be touched until there was a final court decision.¹⁶

He added that the demolition letters from the municipal police, and the order to restore the cliffs, were on hold because a court process was still running.¹⁹ A month later, on 23 May 2026, the Bali government said the glass lift was in status quo while a court tested the warning letter: it may neither be demolished nor operated until the court rules.⁵ That is the most recent report on the lift itself that we hold.

So the honest answer to whether the elevator exists is that a structure stands in legal limbo and cannot be used. Nothing we found says it has been demolished, and nothing says it can carry a visitor. If you read a later claim, look for a court ruling or a government statement behind it, and treat the date of the page you read as part of the claim.