The Nusa Islands
The Nusa Islands are a stunning tropical oasis filled with pretty white beaches and beautiful viewpoints , a world away from the hustle and bustle of Bali. Here you will experience a more relaxed island life, be able to soak up the sun, and swim in pristine blue waters. Even if you only have time to do a day trip to the islands , it is definitely worth it!
How to Get There:
These 3 incredible islands are a 30 minute boat ride from Bali. We recommend taking Blue Water Express, as they offer door to door pickup and incredible service. We have taken other boat companies to the islands and they were nowhere near as comfortable or easy to coordinate as Blue Water Express was.
Blue water express goes to Nusa Lembongan, and from there you can easily take a 15 minute boat across the channel to Nusa Penida. If you want a direct ferry from Bali to Nusa Penida, Angel’s Billabong fast cruise is a good company.
Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan
Nusa Lembongan is the most developed of these islands and has the most resorts lined with white sands and blue waters. The main thing to see here is to lay on the beach, visit Devil’s Tears, a tide pool surrounded by rocks, and take a boat ride through the mangrove forest. A great place to stay is the Acala Lembongan, but there are tons of cute airbnb’s ranging from $25-$100 a night.
Nusa Ceningan is the baby of the Nusa islands and is accessible via bridge from Nusa Lembongan. Here you will find more resorts, sandy beaches, and a beautiful blue lagoon. A delicious restaurant with beautiful hammocks set up over the water is The Sand.
Nusa Penida
Nusa Penida is the biggest and least developed of the trio. We recommend staying at least 2 nights to be able to enjoy the island life in its entirety. While some of the roads are notoriously bad (think super rocky and super bumpy), they have started to pave the roads in an attempt to bring more tourists in. They are difficult to manouver, but if you are comfortable driving on a motorbike and are careful, it is manageable. Claudia was able to drive herself around and just went slow over the bumpy roads. It is possible to hire a car and driver to take you around, which costs around 1.3 million for 2 full days.
Nusa Penida is more about the experiences, as opposed to relaxing on beaches as you would on the other 2 islands. The waves around Nusa Penida tend to be too strong to actually swim in, but they are great to splash around and cool off. Nusa Penida has raw, authentic villages and really kind local people.
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Palm trees lining the roads
One of the highlights to see is Kelingkaling Beach, which is the famous T-Rex shaped beach. You can see it from the top, or hike 40 minutes down to the bottom. At the bottom you will find chickens running around, pristine sand, and incredible blue ocean. You cannot swim there because of how strong the waves and currents are. The hike is extreme as the steps down are not secure and are just held together by sticks and ropes- make sure to wear proper shoes. There is no shade the whole way up and down so make sure you have enough water and coverage from the sun.
Standing at the top of the viewpoint at Kelingkaling Beach
Close to Kelingkaling Beach is Broken Beach and Angels Billabong. These two are actually right beside each other. Broken Beach is a cove that has an incredible archway connecting it. If you look down, you will find massive waves crashing into the beach. Angels Billabong is a tidepool that also doubles as a natural infinity pool. During hightide, the waves are really strong and fill the tidepool so be sure to come during lowtide as that is when it is safe to go in and swim – don’t forget your water shoes!
One of our favourite beaches ever is Diamond Beach, a newly opened beach on the East side of Nusa Peinda. Prior to September 2018, there were no stairs leading down to the beach, so the beach is still less visited and not really developed. The road there is newly paved and comfortable to motorbike- it only becomes rocky the last 500 metres. The stairs to Diamond Beach are in good shape, and only the last 5 minutes are a bit of a challenge. There is one shop down there that sells water and snacks, and a Bali swing has recently been installed. The best time to go is low tide, and as early as possible. The waves here are very strong as well, so it’s best to just use them to splash around in and not actually go swimming.
To the right of Diamond Beach, on the other side of the cliff, is Atuh Beach, which is a more developed place with tons of food places and beach chairs for rent. You do have to climb out of Diamond Beach to get to Atuh Beach so if you only can do one, we definitely recommend Diamond Beach.
Other honourable mentions of things to do and see is to snorkel with Manta Rays, visit the most important Balinese temple- the Pura Goa Giri Putri Cave- visit Tembeling Beach and the natural pools there, the Teletubby hills, and Crystal Bay (the best beach to chill and swim in on the island).
Where to Stay and Eat
We stayed at Gus Mank Homestay, which was a cozy guesthouse with hot water and breakfast included. Other great places to stay at are Bintang Bungalows and Coco Resort. A really popular Airbnb to stay at on the island is The Treehouse (Rumah Pohon) at Thousand Island viewpoint.
Some of our favourite eats on the island were Penida Kekinian, a western style warung, Organica, Blackwood Coffee, and Penida Colada (best for sunset drinks).
Another way to see Nusa Penida is to do a day trip from Bali or stay in Nusa Lembongan and do a day trip there. But we recommend spending at least 2 nights in Nusa Penida and getting to explore the island fully.