Bali Trip 2018 : Guide to Nusa Penida, Bali, Indonesia.

In case you haven’t heard of it, there are three Nusa Islands located southeast of Bali: Nusa Penida, Nusa Ceningan, and Nusa Lembongan. Nusa Penida is the largest and most exotic of the three islands, while Nusa Lembongan is the closest to Bali mainland and is connected to Nusa Ceningan by a beautiful yellow bridge.

On my second day in Bali, I visited Nusa Penida, which was one of my favorite destinations on the island. If you haven’t discovered this little slice of paradise yet, you’re missing out! To visit Nusa Penida, you have two options: You can arrange your own trip or you can deal with a tour guide (known as Supir in Bali) to arrange everything for you. Like me, I asked my Supir; Pak Yanto, to arrange it for me. I knew he would do his best to make it a smooth and hassle-free experience for me, as I prefer everything to be ready when I travel.

How to go?

You need to take a speedboat from the port located in Sanur. Leave your hotel early in the morning to ensure that you arrive at the port by 7:00 a.m. The port in Sanur is usually very busy with many tourists, and there are many ticket counters. That’s why I don’t recommend my readers to buy tickets online, especially if they find prices that are too good to be true, as you don’t know the condition and safety of the boat. If you want to buy tickets, go to the counters on the day you want to go to Nusa Penida. See for yourself before buying.

As I mentioned above, Pak Yanto arranged everything for me (boat transfer, Nusa Penida tour, and lunch). When I arrived in Sanur, my driver bought the speedboat ticket from the counter and escorted me to the boat. The journey to Nusa Penida takes about 40 minutes.

The price of the speedboat includes insurance. There is insurance available at local prices (cheap) and tourist prices (recommended). Choose the speedboat company wisely. Overall, the speedboat company that Yanto selected was very good, and the boat smelled nice too!

What to wear?

You can wear anything you want, but make sure not to wear shoes. Bring your shoes but put them in a bag. You can change into shoes when you arrive at Nusa Penida. From the Sanur port, just wear slippers because you will have to wade through seawater to reach the speedboat. All passengers need to place their slippers in the buckets provided on the beach before boarding the speedboat. When you arrive at Nusa Penida, you need to find your slippers in the buckets. So, be sure to remember where you placed them.

Nusa Penida Tour.

When I arrived at Nusa Penida, my tour guide, Madi, was already waiting at the port. Madi is a local Nusa Penida resident; young, helpful, friendly and he’s quite muscular. Hehe. Pak Yanto had booked my day tour with him in advance. Madi even jokingly called me a celebrity. The day tour includes lunch (either nasi goreng or mee goreng). Just so you know, the Nusa Penida day tour only covers the western part of the island. At first, I was considering doing the Nusa Penida and Nusa Ceningan tour, but my schedule was too packed, so I opted for the Nusa Penida day tour. If you want to do the Nusa Islands tour, Pak Yanto can arrange it for you too, but you need to prepare extra money. Anyway, these are the places in Nusa Penida that I visited:

Kelingking Beach.
The most photogenic spot in Nusa Penida is Kelingking Beach. Madi suggested that I walk downhill to get the best view for my photos. Honestly, it was quite difficult and dangerous. The path is narrow, slippery, and very steep, and the safety measures are poor, with only bamboo canes and ropes securing it. Everyone was helping each other along the way. However, I am glad that I managed to walk halfway down and take in the stunning view of Kelingking Beach.

Angel’s Billabong & Broken Beach.
From Kelingking beach, it takes around 45 minutes by car to reach Angel’s Billabong. This beautiful rugged natural infinity pool is framed by craggy limestone cliffs. Similarly, Broken Beach is a stunning round lagoon that has eroded into the weather-beaten shoreline, connecting to the sea via a limestone arch. These two amazing natural wonders are within an easy walk from each other. At Broken Beach, you can find food and refreshments if you need to take a pit stop.

Crystal Bay.
It’s a perfect spot to finish off your Nusa Penida tour. The name “Crystal Bay” is because of the crystal clear water and it comes together with a nice beach surrounded by palm trees. People who love sea activities such as snorkeling and diving have to visit this place. When I was here, I didn’t have a chance to swim since the waves were too strong for me to swim.

Overall, Madi was a very good tour guide. He took care of me and helped me to take photos with his own camera. He transferred the photos to my phone via dual USB pendrive before I left Nusa Penida. He is friendly and speaks English very well.

How Much Does It Cost?

900,000.00 IDR/person – This price includes boat transfer, Nusa Penida tour, and lunch. You can skip lunch and bring your own snacks. If you want to explore Nusa Penida without a guide, you can rent a motorbike. However, I have already been there and seen with my own eyes how bad the roads were, so I would not recommend doing that.

What To Expect?

Hot weather: Make sure to wear appropriate clothing and bring sunscreen to protect yourself from the sun.
Too many tourists. Take some time for yourself to take good photos without other people in the background.
Bumpy and narrow roads: The roads in Nusa Penida can be bumpy and narrow, so be prepared for a potentially uncomfortable ride.
Motorcyclists. Since the road here is bumpy and narrow (it’s pretty bad, seriously), you need to be extra careful.
A lot of walking: There is a fair amount of walking involved in exploring Nusa Penida, so make sure to wear comfortable shoes.
Bad toilets: Be mindful that toilet facilities may not be up to standard in some places, so it’s best to be prepared.
Entrance fee: There may be an entrance fee for parking at certain sites, so be prepared to pay.
Thirsty: Bring plenty of water with you as it can get hot and everything can be expensive, including bottled water.
Everything here is expensive even a bottle of mineral water.
Bring your sneakers if you plan to walk downhill at Kelingking Beach.