Nusa Penida - Bali's Hidden Gem

A trip to Bali wouldn’t be complete without going to its nicest beaches. In my opinion, those are located on the island of Nusa Penida, which is a 30-min boat ride from Sanur. There are daily departures from different towns, so pick the closest to your location in Bali. A one-way ticket should cost you something between 100,000 and 150,000 IDR. During high season, I would suggest booking in advance as boats aren’t that big and they tend to fill up very quickly, however if you’re travelling during low season, you can just show up at the port and buy your ticket on the spot.

*Update: there are now boats travelling from the Gilis to Nusa Penida and vice versa, but I wasn’t able to find them online, I had to ask our local driver.

Teletubbies Hills Nusa Penida - Bali - Indonesia — Nusa Penida

My Top 5 Places To Visit

How long do you need in Nusa Penida?

At least 2 full days/3 nights. If you’re taking a day-trip there, you won’t be able to see all the main spots, and chances are you’ll be surrounded by crowds of tourists everywhere you go. Ideally, spending 3 or 4 full days there is better.

How to get around the island?

The roads on Nusa Penida are the worst I’ve ever experienced. They are full of potholes and bumps, and it is quite an adventure to drive around the island. For that reason, if you don’t feel comfortable being on your own, I highly suggest hiring a private driver. The cost is 550,000 IDR for a day. You can also rent scooters which is a much cheaper option, but I’d say you need at least some experience otherwise it will be quite a challenge.

What to do in Nusa Penida?

There are so many gorgeous locations on the island, but they are all located pretty far from each other. That’s why my main advice would be to plan to stay at least 2 full days, otherwise you won’t be able to see everything. It is best to separate locations and visit the North West on the first day, and the South East on the second day (or vice versa). We obviously didn’t even follow our own advice and tried visiting everything within one day and a half, and the truth is it was exhausting. We also ended up skipping Crystal Bay, which I heard is very beautiful. Now here is what I preferred.

Alam Beach Club

This place is located on the North coast, not too far from the port. We went there on our first day to see the sunset based on our driver’s recommendation. I’m really glad we did; we were literally alone at the bar and enjoyed an incredible view while sipping our drinks.

Rumah Pohon Tree House

If you’re motivated enough, then you should wake up before sunrise and drive to these treetop houses. This place is in fact a cute Hostel/Airbnb that you can book via Booking.com. It is not easy to get there, especially if you’re travelling with a big suitcase, but the view is sooo worth it. The cool thing is you can visit even if you’re not a hotel guest; you’ll have to pay a very small entry fee though.

Diamond Beach / Atuh Beach

This place has got to be my favourite on the whole island, and probably all of Bali. Diamond Beach and Atuh Beach are both accessible from the same parking spot; Diamond is on the right side, and Atuh on the left. We personally didn’t go down to Atuh Beach as it didn’t look as good as Diamond Beach, but if you’re looking for a place with restaurants and small bars, then you should definitely check it out. Instead, we decided to hike down Diamond Beach and spent a few hours there. This place doesn’t have any restaurant, only a tiny shop where you can buy snacks and drinks as well as pay to use the swing that they recently built on the beach. Try to go there when the tide is low, otherwise the water levels can be really high and the place a little dangerous.

KelingKing

The world’s famous T-Rex beach! Getting there is quite a challenge, but the view will reward you that’s for sure. We arrived there mid-day which was literally the worst timing possible, but we had no other choice. Be patient, and you’ll still be able to get a few shots with no one in them. I’d suggest climbing up to the right of the cliffs to get some nicer views with less people. Otherwise you can also hike down to the beach, but the path is quite long and challenging, and the heat is real! Don’t forget to bring some water!

Manta Point

We stopped there on our way to KelingKing after leaving Diamond Beach. Like all other places in Nusa Penida, the road to get there is awful, but chances are you’ll be by yourself once you arrive. We were very pleased to discover what looked like a new empty temple not too far from where we parked the car. You’ll have to go around it and walk towards the edge of the cliff to get to the viewpoint, and from there you will likely see manta rays swimming around.

Some other places to visit on the island include: Angel’s Billabong, Broken Beach, Diamond Bay, Peguyangan Waterfall & Teletubbies Hills. My advice is to only do those if you have more time to explore, as they aren’t as impressive as the ones I listed above.