Photos of glass lift being built on Bali’s iconic ‘dinosaur’ cliff spark outrage

A glass lift being built into one of Bali’s most photographed cliffs has triggered outrage from locals and travellers after viral photos showed construction piercing through the island’s iconic Kelingking Beach – a site often nicknamed the “T-Rex” or “dinosaur” cliff for its striking shape.

The 182-metre-high lift and adjoining 64-metre bridge are being built by Chinese developer China Kaishi Group to replace the steep and often treacherous hike down to the beach on Nusa Penida, a small island off Bali’s southeast coast. The project is valued at more than 10 million yuan (US$1.4 million).

But when images of the lift shaft cutting through the iconic ridge began circulating online this week, many Indonesians were quick to denounce the project as a violation of the island’s natural beauty.

Captioning a before and after photo of the cliff, social media user pendakilawas wrote: “Honestly, it looks so ugly, it reminds me of a foreigner who said he went to Bali or Indonesia’s natural attractions not to enjoy 5-star hotels or any luxurious facilities, but to purely enjoy the beauty of nature.”

“It’s a shame that the beautiful view of Kelingking Beach has been destroyed by the lift project,” local resident Made Sediana told the Bali Sun newspaper. “Tourists come to Nusa Penida to enjoy the beautiful panorama, not the lifts.”