About the post: When I first discovered this small island near the bigger and more famous Bali island of Indonesia, I couldn’t believe my eyes. You have to go yourself and just stand there and experience the grandeur of this place. In this post, I will take you on a virtual tour of Nusa Penida and guide you to some of the best places that you can visit if you are heading there.
I truly love Indonesia as a travel destination. Being one of the most diverse countries in South East Asia it has something to offer for every kind of traveler. Beaches, mountains, waterfalls, volcanoes, temples…you name it.
This was my second time in this country and my brother joined me this time from Singapore. This was going to be the first trip that only the two of us were traveling on! We had a week in our hands and decided to spend most of our time in Nusa Penida.
We stayed in the island for 3 days and 3 nights and tried to explore as much as we can. This island is still not as developed as its neighboring Bali and you realize that as soon as you start driving on the roads here. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the whole trip from the core of our hearts and it presented us with the most beautiful vistas that we’ve ever experienced till date.
I have penned down a list of all the places that we explored and I am sure this post will surely make you decide quickly on your next travel destination. For helpful information on how to reach this island and where to stay, keep reading till the end!
Let me take you on a tour of this hidden paradise!
EAST COAST
Our first encounter with the immaculate beauty of Nusa Penida island.
From the place where we parked our motorbikes, it was a tricky way down to the beach. We had to take help of our hands in the process, as the trail was just made by cutting the side of the cliff. Later though, we realised there was an easier way to reach there from the other side of the beach.
The beach is kind of hidden with two cliffs on its sides creating a small bay area. The views of the white sand below and the impressive rock formations in the middle of the ocean urged us to quickly reach there.
We both had seen photos online but experiencing it with our own eyes was something else!
The beach has a perfect setup of having your own time with yourself. Grab a beer, sit back and enjoy the cool wind on your face. We couldn’t resist our urge of going for a swim and spent some time dancing with the waves.
We already had a taste of what the whole trip was going to be!
Hands down the best beach I’ve seen in South East Asia till date!
I have lived in Thailand for more than 3 years and traveled to quite a few places in this part of the world, but none of them had struck me the way this beach did. It is hard to put it into words. You get an idea of what paradise may look like if it exists. The most picturesque beach ever!
The color of the water, the diamond shaped smaller islands, the towering palm trees – everything about this place exuded a certain aura. The white waves cruising like some sea creatures with the turquoise water in background painted a wonderful picture.
The way down to this beach is also similar to the previous one. The whole coastline of Nusa Penida island is actually much above sea level. So, to reach the beaches everywhere you have to traverse a path along the side of cliffs. You have to be careful in these routes and also it can be a daunting task of coming back up every time; but I can assure you it is worth all that.
A short hike from Diamond Beach and your eyes will drift into nothingness.
We took a path meandering along the edge of a cliff with a sheer drop into the water on one side and mountain grass fields and trees on the other. Every time we stopped for a breath the views took our breath away! It was so difficult not to marvel at the exceptional beauty that lay in front of our eyes.
We walked and we savored the time. The strong ocean wind filled our soul.
When we reached the viewpoint itself, we understood why it is named like that. As the ocean stretched far into what might be the edge of the world, the vastness of all that was dotted with small jewels of rocks and island tips. A thousand islands!
As you gaze at the expansive and boundless landscape in front, you will get this feeling that how small and insignificant we are in the grand scheme of things. We stood there blanketed in all these thoughts and discussed them. We stayed here for some time and took in all the flavours.
WEST COAST
Ready for a refreshing bath in a natural mineral water pool?
On the second day we ventured into the south west side of the island. We rode our bikes on broken roads and maneuvered a whole lot of potholes before we reached the entrance of Tembeling forest. From there it’s a tricky path going down before you reach a small temple. After that, the usual routine of covering lot of steps and reaching the sea level.
There are two natural pools with transparent blue water to have a swim in. The whole setup was magical. The first pool was kind of hidden inside and surrounded by cliffs where you can jump from. The second one was by a small beach with clear views of the ocean. It was perfect for a cool dip and relaxation for some time.
On the other side of the cove there was a small cave with rocks that had been stacked by people to make nice stone pyramids. A nice little shell to stand back and watch the ocean going about its business of roaring and splashing.
The surrounding jungle and cliffs made this place look like a hidden secret. We totally loved the natural feel of it and the refreshing water that comforted our heart.
Another viewpoint that is less visited and therefore worth going. We actually had this whole place to ourselves the whole time! Spectacular views and craziest wind!
This is known as one of the best sunset spots in the island and is quite easy to reach from Tembeling. We walked the final section for 1km to reach the viewpoint. It was quite sunny but the strong ocean wind complemented that.
This viewpoint offers unbeatable views – almost 180degree views of the west coast and high cliffs standing over untouched pristine beaches. Adding to that, unique rock formations and distant island tops made the picture majestic. It needs time to take all that in.
We didn’t stay till sunset but fulfilled our eyes and mind well.
The place that put Nusa Penida on the global map for travelers all over the world.
The view of this place is absolutely mind-blowing! From high above standing on the edge you can look down to the limestone formations around, the incredibly blue ocean and the white sand beach that looks like a small part of a tropical paradise. It is really popular because of the unique cliff that looks like the side view of the head of a T-rex dinosaur!
You can reach Kelingkling beach down there nestled perfectly within the cliffs by walking down a worn path supported by wooden railings. This can be very hard and quite dangerous to reach the beach. Not following what others were doing, we walked towards more right of the viewpoint and found a few spots all to ourselves.
The ocean water especially provided stunning views from above with its waves playfully wreaking havoc down at the beach. We stared in awe at the scene that was unfolding before us.
On our final day we wanted to just lazily spend some time at the beach. We found a small hidden beach nearby Crystal Bay, which is a more popular spot for sunset. From the main beach we climbed over a cliff and hiked for 10-15 minutes to reach the secret Pandan beach.
This was a very pretty beach and we were the first ones to arrive there! With a few bottles of beer, we sat at the beach and just watched the waves coming in.
Minutes passed by, the sea beckoned us, peace and tranquility prevailed and we said our final goodbyes to Nusa Penida.
WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Reaching there: We reached Nusa Penida from mainland Bali by fast boat. There are many companies offering tickets for Nusa Penida and neighbouring Nusa Lembongan islands. Most of them leave from Sanur beach in Bali and you can book tickets online as well. We booked with Elrey Junior and both way journey was pleasant and hassle free.
Staying there: Nusa Penida can be visited as a day tour from Bali with lot of agencies offering day tour options. But we preferred staying in the island for a few days as that gives you a chance of exploring the island better.
We stayed at two different places as we had plans for both east and west coast. I can highly recommend The Somayan Bungalows situated at the east coast offering great views of the ocean from the balcony of the rooms. We also stayed at Warung Bagia Bungalows at the centre of the island and had a great overall stay with them.
Getting around: The island can be explored on motorbikes or by car. If you are in a group of people maybe hiring a car and driver is a good option. The roads are quite bad in most of the areas so ride a motorbike only if you are confident enough. There are no forms of public transportation inside the island.
Best time to go: Taking weather into account, July-October is a really good time to visit Bali and Nusa Penida as it stays dry at that time. We went in July and it didn’t rain at all. However, there will be more crowd as good weather means peak season in Indonesia.