When coming to Bali or Lombok, spending a day in Nusa Penida is a must and will definitely be a highlight of your trip. The landscapes are unmatched and breathtaking.
In this article, I’ll detail how to get there, how to tour the island and the best things to see.
Note : We were there mid April, which is the low season in Bali, so bear in mind that between May to September there will be way more people than you can see on my pictures.
- To get to Nusa Penida from Bali : The easiest way is to get to Sanur Port and take a ferry. The other port is Kusamba, but there are less ferries from there.
Price : 6-7€ per person
Ferry journey duration : 20-30 minutes from Sanur
- To get to Nusa Penida from Lombok : You will have to take a ferry from Bangsal Pier.
Price : 15-17€ per person
Ferry journey duration : 2 to 3 hours depending on the boats (some will do different stops before)
Where to book : You can book those online on 12GoAsia.com. This website will have the most option available at the best price. Plus, you can pay by card on the site and book in advance in a few minutes only. It is also possible to get a ticket at the port, but it’s in cash and will depend on the remaining seats available.
There are three main ways of visiting the island as a tourist :
- You can either rent a scooter at the pier when you arrive,
- Book a group day tour,
- Or book a private driver for the day because you cannot rent a car in Nusa Penida
As we wanted to explore the island on our way and not with a group AND didn’t want to drive a motorbike because the roads are famously known to be in very bad shape, we opted for the third option.
From 2pm to sunset, the driver took us to all the spots we wanted to explore, and drove us back to our hotel at the end.
All of that for a fair price of 40€, or 20€ per person. Plus, the driver was very kind and helpful so I would absolutely recommend him if you need a driver in Nusa Penida. If you need to contact him, here’s his WhatsApp number :
I would suggest at least a full day on the island, more if you want to see the same viewpoints at different times of day.
We arrived in the morning and booked a 2 hours snorkelling tour to see the underwater world and get a chance to see some manta rays.
We booked this activity through GetYourGuide and it was around 17€ per person.
We didn’t see any manta rays but a little stingray and so many beautiful fish !
I would say the downside was at that the first two stops, there were too many boats and it was more stressful than anything to snorkel there, but the other spots were amazing :
We had lunch at the Sunny Café near the port of Nusa Penida and had one of the best meals of our entire stay in Indonesia ! The Adam Sambal Matah (grilled chicken with raw shallots, chilli and lemongrass) was so tasty, as well as the Pad Thai :
After this great meal, the driver met us in front of the restaurant and our little road trip began.
We started with Diamond Beach, named after the diamond-shaped rock on the beach. This is the most stunning viewpoint of the island in my opinion :
There is a path to go to the beach but the view was the best from the top, and it was quite steep. Plus, it was too hot for this that day !
If you keep going on the path after Diamond Beach, you will arrive at Atuh Beach, which is as impressive :
Entrance fee was 35 000 IDR per person or 2€ which covers both viewpoints, and you get a water bottle with your ticket so it’s basically free !
Second stop was the Thousand Islands viewpoint. This is a hilltop spot with panoramic island views. Here the entrance fee was 25 000 IDR per person or 1,4€ and you also got a water bottle.
This viewpoint has been made famous for its little treehouse that makes for great pictures with the view on the background.
However there is an additional fee if you want pictures there, which was neither interesting nor worth it in our opinion. The view at the end of the stairs is way better :
Next stop if THE most famous viewpoint in Nusa Penida and Bali : Kelingking beach. We were there around 5 pm and there were approximately 15-20 other people at most. It is possible to go down the beach but the view is better from up there and swimming is dangerous on the island.
Entrance fee was 10 000 IDR for the both of us, which is 0,5€.
Last stop of the day was Broken Beach and the Angel’s billabong right next to it. Entrance fee was also 10 000 IDR for the both of us, which is 0,5€.
We got there for the sunset and we were almost completely alone.
Broken Beach is this beautiful enclosed beach that you can see from above, but is not accessible :
Whereas Angel’s Billabong is this little beautiful natural pool :
We had booked a hotel on the island for the night, mainly to not be rushed during our little exploration day, but also to get to see a sunset and a sunrise. Indeed, speedboats departure are not that early in the morning (first one around 6:30am), and not very late in the afternoon (5:10pm for the last one), so a day on the island won’t allow you to see the fiery sky.
So after a nice diner and a good night sleep, we got up for a sunrise on Nusa Penida and then took a ferry to Lombok.
I would 100% recommend coming to Nusa Penida if you plan on visiting Bali or Lombok, the viewpoint are truly out of this world.
But I also believe that doing a full day and spending at least a night on the island makes the experience much more enjoyable than hoping on the island for a few hours with a group tour.
Booking private driver made the day stress free and more relaxing than driving a scooter on terrible roads by +30°C.
However, if we had more time we would have loved to see the manta rays at Manta Point but it was quite far away (3h hour boat one way).
That’s it for my day in Nusa Penida !
If you need more inspiration you can check out my one week itinerary in Bali or the best places to eat in Bali. I also made an article about everything to know before going to Indonesia.
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