Nusa Penida Miniguide

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Where is Nusa Penida and how to get there?

The island of Nusa Penida is part of the Klungkung regency of Bali and is located in the southeast of Bali. Nusa Penida is the largest island of the three that make up the small Nusa archipelago and it is more visited by tourists than the others (Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan).

In Nusa Penida, there is a wide variety of activities and many spectacular sites to visit. From paradisiacal beaches, cliffs, waterfalls and natural pools, you won't be short of things to see. Additionally, like Bali, Nusa Penida is a Hindu island, so you can also visit some of its temples.

Nusa Penida doesn't have an airport; therefore, the way to reach the island is through a ferry or speedboat. The journey by speedboat takes approximately 30-45 minutes, depending on the sea conditions. There are many companies that operate the route from Bali to Nusa Penida daily from Sanur Beach port. If you are staying in Ubud, Canggu, Seminyak or any southern area of the island, many of the companies can also offer a shuttle service from your hotel. The price of a speedboat ride ranges between 6-8€. You can find the daily schedules on the 12go.

In our case we did a one day tour with a Bali-based tour company because we didn't have a lot of time (we booked it through Viator here, it was more expensive but so worth it as only a few include both snorkeling and inland tour).

If you want to check other options, Get your Guide offers quite a wide range of tours to visit Nusa Penida, check it here.

So if you travel to Bali with enough time, we do recommend to spend one night in the island of Nusa Penida to visit better all the things the island offer, because the roads are still very rough and narrow, so going from one place to another can take even hours driving around. We also recommend to rent a car with a driver because it is safer and more confortable, because they are used to drive around all the hills and blind turns (such an experience).

MUST see PLACES in Nusa Penida

KELINGKING BEACH

And how not start with Kelingking Beach? It is the most famous site in all of Nusa Penida and one of the most iconic places. It's an incredible rock with the shape of a T-Rex dinosaur head, surrounded by turquoise waters. We promise you won't forget those views in your life! Even after seeing a thousand photos of that place, we were extremely impressed to see it in reality.

You'll notice there's a path that goes all the way down to the beach. After reading many reviews, we decided not to attempt it, as the conditions of the path are not good, and it's quite dangerous. Besides, when you reach the bottom, swimming is not recommended due to the strong waves that are usually present on the beach. However, we do recommend the first part of the path if you want to get closer for some additional photos.

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BROKEN BEACH

Another super famous spot: Broken Beach. This beach is a true work of art by nature. It consists of a stone tunnel that allows water to flow in and out. We were told that this hole, through which you can walk all around, originated due to the high volcanic activity in the area. Water seeped through, eroding the terrain until it collapsed, creating this opening that resembles a natural pool. The challenging condition of the path to get there is totally worth it when you see this place.

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ANGEL'S BILLABONG

Very close to Broken Beach, you can find Angel's Billabong, a beautiful natural pool with crystal-clear waters. The best viewpoint is from the top of the steps that lead down in case you want to swim there. We recommend following your guide's instructions or asking if it's safe if you're going on your own, as the waves break against the pool, and there have been some incidents with swimmers caught in strong currents.

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SNORKELING

Snorkeling, a mandatory activity to experience in Nusa Penida, so you can also discover the underwater paradise it offers. One of the most well-known and recommended sites is Manta Point, where you can swim with majestic manta rays. These incredible animals gather daily in that area to feed on plankton. The best time to visit is during the dry season (from April to October), as visibility and conditions to see them are generally better. However, as you can see, we don't have any photos of that area because despite traveling in September, the strong waves made it impossible for us to jump into the water, even though we could see mantas in the area. These photos are taken at the other star diving destination: Crystal Bay, and at another snorkeling spot where the boat stopped. As you can see, the visibility was very good, and it was full of beautiful corals and fish of all shapes and colors.

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OTHER PLACES TO VISIT IN NUSA PENIDA

Diamond Beach, for us a must that we couldn't visit despite wanting. It is an incredible place to visit with breathtaking views. If you want to go down to the beach, the situation is quite similar to Kelingking Beach, the first part of the stairs is in good conditions, but then things get pretty complicated. If you have vertigo, don't bother going down.

Next to Diamond Beach, you can find Atuh Beach. Of course it is not as beautiful as the first one but the access to the beach is much easier and you can find som hammocks and bars to grab something to recharge and overcome the heat, so perfect for a little relaxation on the beach.

Have you seen thousands of photos in a treehouse of Nusa Penida? I am talking about the famous treehouse known locally as Rumah Pothon, and you can climb the ladder up a tree trunk to take the perfect pic while you enjoy a panoramic view of the island. To reach this viewpoint you need to pay 15k rupiah.

You can also visit one of the most important temples of Nusa Penida: Goa Giri Putri Temple. If you want to visit it, take into account that it has a difficult and narrow entrance (once inside, the inside is quite a big cave), a donation is mandatory and you must wear a sarong (they rent them at the entrance if needed).

And the last recommendation is Teletubbies Hill, a different place to visit where you will find some very green hills with a beautiful landscape with hardly any people. It's good to see some part of the island without many visitors, but don't expect anything extraordinary.

Where to stay and where to eat?

If you want to spend one or more nights in the island, you need to know something: forget the luxury hotels you can find in Bali and the chic beach clubs that are along the coast, because Nusa Penida is more about authentic, humble and raw beauty.

You can look for accommodation next to Toyapakeh area, where the harbour is, as the infrastructure there is more developed, and you will find plenty of restaurants and bars.

Another option is searching accommodation next to Crystal Bay, on the west part of the island. You will be so close to the best snorkeling spots and the places to snorkel with mantarrays. It is also close to two main attractions: Angel's Billabong and Kelingking Beach.

If you are going to stay more than one night (because it is the furthest part and the roads there are quite uncomfortable), we would recommend you to look for accommodation next to Diamond Beach, in the south east part of the island. It would be the most quiet and remote place to stay, however, close to sandy and crystal clear waters.

In our case, as we went on an organized tour, they took us to Greenkubu. Normally, we're not big fans of the restaurants that tours take us to because they often rely more on local agreements than on actual quality. However, Greenkubu surprised us a lot. The food was very good, it looked high-quality, and besides, it features an infinity pool with beautiful sea views and these doors where you can take some cool photos.

Nusa Penida restaurant. Where to eat in Nusa Penida.

If you are looking for budget friendly restaurants, you can also check Warung Forest, Ogix Warung, Warung J Pudak or Waring Tu Panda. If you are more on fine dining, you can check Cactus Nusa Penida.

Find all the places mentioned

* We would like to point out that no company, hotel or restaurant has paid us to mention them in this blog. We simply recommend what we booked and paid for ourselves, considering that we enjoyed it enough to recommend it.