Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan have some of the most beautiful beaches that we have seen in all of our travels.
The Nusa Islands are a group of 3 small islands just off the south-eastern coast of Bali, Indonesia. They consist of Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Ceningan, and Nusa Penida. All have become very popular for tourism, and it is easy to understand why!
We didn’t make it to Nusa Ceningan, but we had the pleasure of spending 3 nights on Nusa Penida, renting a motorbike, and exploring all the beautiful places the island has to offer. Then, we spent a day seeing the sights on the island of Nusa Lembongan.
There are many beautiful beaches and picturesque destinations on these islands, and Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan easily became our favorite places that we visited in Bali! From the famous Kelingking (T-Rex) Beach, to cliffside views, cave temples, and vivid blue waters, there is so much to see and do.
How to Get There
There are literally tons of fast ferry options at Sanur Beach in Bali that will take visitors to Nusa Penida everyday! We drove our scooter to Sanur Beach, and instead of walking right out to the beach, you turn left and there are all the fast ferry kiosks where you can buy your ferry ticket directly.
We had initially planned to take the public ferry to save some money, but there isn’t much information online about it, and they do not have a website. Our host we booked our stay with on Nusa Penida ended up letting us know that the public ferry was broken down (which we wouldn’t have known until we drove there), and he helped us get our fast ferry ticket lined up with Axe Stone Fast Cruise.
We had an easy 30 minute boat ride to Nusa Penida. The fast ferries are a great option because they are much quicker than the public ferry (which is about a 2 hour ride) and there are almost infinite options that you are almost guaranteed to get a ticket on any given day.
Where to Stay
We stayed at Kampuak Cottages and loved our stay! Wayan, our host, was very helpful from helping us with our ferry tickets, picking us up at the port after our arrival to Nusa Penida, renting one of his scooters to us, giving us helpful tips about where to go, and even booking our snorkeling trip for us!
If Wayan’s place is booked out, there are plenty of other great options through Booking.com too!
Best Things to do on Nusa Penida
Kelingking Beach
Kelingking Beach is definitely the most touristy location (thanks to Instagram), but it is so unbelievably beautiful that you can look past all the other people! You may have heard of this beach referred to as the T-Rex beach because the rock formation resembles a T-Rex. The water here is such a rich blue that it doesn’t even look real!
First, you will come to a beautiful overlook of the beach and the rock formation. If you are up for it, there is a steep hike down to the beach. They have made wooden steps that go all the way down to the beach, but it is more like rock climbing in parts than walking down steps.
Upon seeing the beach below, we knew that we had to go down though, because it is quite literally the most amazing beach we’ve seen. It did not disappoint!
Tip: Make sure you wear tennis shoes because we mistakenly only wore flip flops and it made for a bit of a dangerous and difficult climb down at points. On the way back up, Jake ended up ditching his flip flops and going barefoot for better traction.
Diamond Beach
Diamond Beach ranks right up there with Kelingking Beach. Another place that is so beautiful, that it looks unrealistic! Similar to Kelingking, you first walk up to an overlook of the beautiful beach below, then you have the option of taking some steep stairs down and enjoying the beach. Though the stairs are still steep here, Jacob and I both agreed that it was an easier feat than the stairs at Kelingking.
Seriously, after seeing the beach you are going to want to go down! It looked like it was straight out of a movie scene.
Tip: Wear tennis shoes here too!
Thousand Islands Viewpoint
After enjoying your morning at Diamond Beach, be sure to head to the Thousand Islands Viewpoint. A thousand islands is a little bit of an exaggeration, but you get another view of Diamond Beach, and it is just as beautiful as it is from the other side.
This is also an Instagram famous location where people take a photo with a treehouse with Diamond Beach behind it. It’s not as exciting as it looks because people actually just wait in a long line to pay to take a photo with the treehouse. We said no thanks to that.
Snorkel with the Manta Rays
You cannot go to Nusa Penida and miss the opportunity to snorkel with the Manta Rays. We only ended up spotting two quick glimpses of the Manta Rays, but there are still beautiful corals and fish in each of the snorkeling spots.
We went out with Bahisnawa Snorkeling because that is who our host recommended and set us up with. They took us to 4 different snorkeling spots. Look how clear this water is!
Teletubbies Hill
Teletubbies Hill is an overlook of a bunch of grassy hills. It is a pretty spot for a photo and taking in the view, but it is just an overlook of what appears to be someone’s farm ground. We were expecting to be able to walk around the hills, but even so, it was a nice stop.
Pura Goa Giri Putri (Cave Temple)
We were told very good things about this cave temple, so we decided to go and see it for ourselves. The entrance fee was a bit high, but this Temple ended up being so cool and worth it! To enter the temple, you crawl through a tiny little opening in the rock, which then opens to a massive cave that has been transformed into a Hindu temple. We have never seen anything quite like it.
It is required to wear a sarong and cover your shoulders going into the temple. If you do not have one of your own, they will provide you with a sarong when you get there.
Broken Beach
Broken Beach was a great experience for us. It is not a beach that you can lounge on, but rather an overlook of a beautiful rock bridge formation that has been carved by the ocean.
Upon walking up to the Broken Beach overlook, I spotted a glimpse of a sea turtle swimming below! Then we walked over to the other side and saw a pod of dolphins swimming and jumping out of the water!
Crystal Bay
We were told that Crystal Bay is the best beach for swimming and catching the sunset. Unfortunately for us, it started raining right as we arrived at the beach. We decided to get a table with an umbrella and try to wait it out, but the rain only proceeded to get harder and windier. We eventually got a little bit of a window and we grabbed our things and left.
However, we did get time and returned another night for the sunset, and it really is a beautiful spot.
Day Trip to Nusa Lembongan
We had originally planned on staying the night on Nusa Lembongan, but after talking with our villa host, he said we would be able to see the island in a day trip. He helped us line up a morning boat ride over to the island. There is a stand right on the beach at the port, and we bought a two-way ticket.
It would be nice to stay on Nusa Lembongan for a chill and relaxed couple of days, but we were able to see all the sights that we wanted to see in one day.
Dream Beach
Dream Beach was our first stop after getting off the ferry and renting a motorbike. The tide was high while we were there, so there wasn’t much of a beach for lounging. The water is clear and blue, and there is a resort with a restaurant along the beach.
Devil’s Tears
The Devil’s Tears was such a cool spot that was really quite mesmerizing to watch. The ocean waves wash up with such force that the water comes shooting back out of the crevice in the rock and creates a splash or spray that reaches the top of the cliffside. If you stand at the right spot, you can see a rainbow!
The Deck Café & Bar
I found the Deck Cafe after doing a quick search for some good coffee. It was actually part of a resort, but anyone is welcome to the cafe. It has the most beautiful overlook of the ocean below. We could have sat there all day and enjoyed the view. The coffee was good too!
Mushroom Bay Beach
We wanted to make it to a beach for some relaxing and swimming, and Mushroom Bay was the perfect spot to do just that. We laid out on the beach and the waves were so calm here that even I was brave enough to go swimming.
Bali Eco Deli
Bali Eco Deli was the perfect spot for lunch. We loved that they grew most of their own ingredients in their own garden for healthy, pesticide free produce. They also started a recycling program on Nusa Lembongan, which sends hundreds of bags of recyclables over to Bali each week.
Jungutbatu Beach
Jungutbatu Beach was the beach that we were overlooking while we were at the Deck Cafe, and we had decided that we needed to go down there. The water was so blue and beautiful. Overall there were a lot of boats and it wasn’t the best beach for swimming, but it was still a great spot for relaxing and enjoying the views.
This concludes our trip to the Nusa Islands of Bali. Here are some more photos because these islands are just so magnificent!
Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan seriously have the most incredible beaches and views we have ever saw! Leave a comment below and tell me which location you would love to visit on these islands!
Below is our other content from traveling Bali for one month:
- 12 Best Restaurants in Canggu, Bali (Café & Dinner Food Guide for Canggu)
- 10 Awesome Things to do in Canggu, Bali
- Discovering the Charm of Ubud: The Ultimate Guide to Planning a Trip to Ubud, Bali
- A Guide to Uluwatu: The Best Bali Beach Destination
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