Denpasar - An American man convicted of drugs charges who escaped Bali's notorious Kerobokan jail has been recaptured on a neighbouring island after five days on the run, police said on Monday.

Christian Beasley made a break from the Indonesian resort island's main prison with a fellow inmate after cutting a hole in the roof with a hacksaw, authorities have said.

The 32-year-old, who is awaiting sentencing after being caught in August with five grams of hashish, was caught by police on Lombok, another popular holiday destination.

"He tried to change his appearance by cutting off his hair but we finally caught him on Saturday," local chief detective Made Pramestia told AFP.

"We knew he would not go far because he did not have proper documents and enough money on him."

Beasley escaped last Monday along with Paul Anthony Hoffman, 57.

Hoffman, who is serving a 20-month sentence for robbing a number of convenience stores at knifepoint, was immediately recaptured, while Beasley managed to catch a ferry to Lombok before hiding out for a few days.

Police said Beasley's attempt to flee may see him handed a harsher prison sentence.

It was not immediately clear how much jail time he was facing, but Indonesia has some of the world's toughest drugs laws, with the death penalty available in some trafficking cases.

Bali police chief Petrus Reinhard Golose said he was investigating how Beasley, whose name was previously reported as Chrishan Beasley, managed to escape.

"We will question the relevant officials why there are so many incidents like this, maybe there are some procedures they have ignored," Golose told journalists on Monday.

Jailbreaks are common in Indonesia, where inmates are often held in unsanitary conditions at overcrowded and poorly guarded prisons.

In May, more than 200 inmates staged a mass breakout from an overcrowded prison on Sumatra island.