When I was in Bali, many people encouraged me to visit Nusa Penida, an island in southeast Bali. I hadn’t heard of the place before but I trusted my friends’ advice and decided to give it a try. I still think it was one of the best experiences I’ve had in Bali.
Let’s start with the basics and tell you how you can go to Nusa Penida and where you can stay once you get there. Next I’ll tell you about my top 9 best places to visit. You’re going to be blown away!
Well, if you need to travel to an island, you’d logically need to hop on a boat. You can do that either from Sanur or from Padanbai. The boat leaving from Sanur Port will get you to Toyapakeh while the boat from Padangbai Port will get you to Sampalan.
I was in Ubud at the time so I decided to go to the nearest port. Mount Agung is near Padangbai; the active volcano was at risk of its first eruption so I decided to stay safe and head to Sanur Port.
Maruti Express was the boat transfer company I went with. I’d gladly recommend it because the boat left on time and the trip went well. The round-trip ticket cost me 550,000 rupiahs which is around $38. I think it was 400,000 rupiahs ($28) for children. This covers your minibus transportation to Sanur Port from and back to your hotel if it’s located near the following cities: Ubud, Canggu, Semiyak, Kuta, Nusa Dua and Jimbaran.
The trip lasts around 30 minutes and the boat’s departure schedule is listed below:
Sanur – Bali to Nusa Penida:
Nusa Penida – Sanur, Bali:
If you’d like to book your spot, you can do it pretty much everywhere, either at your hotel or at any traveling agency or even directly at the port.
You’ll find most of the hotels in Nusa Penida are located near the ports of Toyapakeh and Sampalan. I went for Sampalan because I found a nice little hostel there. It’s called the Dragonfly and I highly recommend it.
The staff there were very welcoming and that’s what made me feel comfortable. The Dragonfly has a soothing, traditional country style setting, with tiny gardens, nice rooms that had everything you’d possibly need, and thatched roofs (see picture above).
What’s even more convenient is that you can stay at the Dragonfly for only $10 a night, breakfast included! I recommend you stay at least 3 days in Nusa Penida to be able to see everything there is to see there.
But if you are looking for something more confortable and luxurious, go for the Coco Resort Penida and enjoy its amazing swimming pool and its charming bungalows.
Now that you know where to sleep in Nusa Penida, let’s discover the list of my top 9 favorite places to visit in Nusa Penida. To make things easier for you to organize your trip, I marked them on the map below:
By the way, I rented a motorbike to go just about everywhere in Nusa Penida. I rented it in the Toyapakeh port for 70,000 rupiahs which around $5.
This a very peculiar place to start your discovery of Nusa Penida. In fact, the Goa Giri Putri is a sacred cave that means a lot to many Balinese people. I was really impatient to visit this cave so after I climbed the endless stairs leading to the entry, I was surprised to not find anything. Well, I did see a tiny hole in the mountain but I didn’t think it was what I was looking for.
I was just about to go down the stairs when a monk came to ask if I wanted to visit the temple. I said I thought there was a cave but I didn’t see any so he showed me the tiny hole I already noticed, pointed at it and said go, go !
Apparently, that hole was the cave’s entrance so I got inside and as soon as I lifted my head up, everything was mind blowing!
The Goa Giri Putri is a really big cave and you wouldn’t expect so much just by looking at the tiny entrance. There are many altars inside, and monks will come to pour sacred water on your head to purify you. It’s an experience that sort of stays with you.
By the way, goa means cave so if you see that word written somewhere, it means there’s a cave you can visit. The Goa Gojah in Ubud for example literally means “the elephant cave” and represents this monument:
Atuh Beach is the most beautiful beach in the eastern part of the Nusa Penida island. The only downside is the fact that at some point, the road leading to the beach is kind of impassable, to say the least. That’s why it is never crowded and that’s an undeniable advantage. Use your Offline Maps, stay hydrated and drive slowly, you’ll be just fine. You’ll eventually come to a valley that leads to the beach.
You’ll have to go down a few steps before you can enjoy the beach and you’ll find small shops where you can buy stuff to eat and drink.
Atuh Beach is also known for these huge rocks that sit right in the middle of the sea.
Speaking of Sea, you need to know that heaps of Manta rays swim in the waters surrounding the Nusa Penida island so snorkeling is one of the main activities there. You can book your trip online to avoid having to pay unfairly high prices through local companies. Also, it’s snorkeling so you don’t need any expertise, really. You’ll certainly be given a few safety instructions, that’s all.
The Pura Puncak Mundi is a great Hindu temple lost in the middle of the forest. I’m glad I stumbled upon it; I had decided to just wander around in nature and as I was enjoying the landscape, there it was!
It looked old and not so neat but I liked the authenticity it gave off.
When I was done with my visit, I noticed I wasn’t alone. These tiny little wild monkeys had joined me.
I really enjoyed myself amidst all of this. Those simple moments were intensely fulfilling.
Crystal Bay is one of the most popular destinations in Nusa Penida but I was a bit disappointed when I got there, probably because it was a bit crowded or because there were several resorts in the area. It just felt too touristic to me. It’s still a nice spot to watch the sunset though so I recommend you go there round 7:30 PM, have a beer, chill out for a while then keep going.
Broken Beach is just something else. Like the name suggests, there’s just enough sand and water to call it a beach. Unfortunately, you can’t access it but the landscape will be quite worth the travel!
That arched tunnel in the cliffs is why they call it Broken Beach. Anyway, the whole setting was a very pleasant surprise, I wasn’t expecting such a picturesque attraction in Nusa Penida.
This place is a natural wonder! Billabong means a still body of water so Angel’s Billabong would mean something like “the pond of the angel”. The landscape does look heavenly anyway, more like giant jacuzzi.
At a low tide, you can go for a swim if you like but I wouldn’t recommend you do so at a high tide. The strong water currents could be dangerous and you could get propelled against the sharp, unforgiving cliffs. I don’t mean to scare you, just be careful and don’t ruin your vacation!
I think this could be the best spot in the entire island. It’s as gorgeous as its name is unpronounceable! You’ll swim in its water, lie down on its sand, close your eyes and wonder: Ah! Klin klin klin beach! Seriously, you need to visit this natural wonder.
The view of the cliffs is breathtaking and you’ll have access to the white sandy beach you see in the picture above… but you’ll have to get down that beast first! Let me tell you, it’s going to be tough! The steep downhill path, the high steps and the wobbly wooden fence will get your pulse going!
So yes, it’s a risky way down but you can do it if you’re careful, so go down the steps at your own pace and don’t try anything crazy! One thing is for sure, once you get there, you’ll wash your (cold) sweat in the Indian ocean! See for yourself!
Isn’t this paradise?
These waterfalls are truly magical. The view of the island’s rocky shores is breathtaking.
Doesn’t it look like the Kelingking Beach beast? It’s a different cliff though. But if going down the cliff to Kelingking Beach was hard, the way to the Seganing waterfalls was scary! Somehow, I didn’t notice that no one went further down to enjoy the waterfalls. Can you think of a good reason?
By the way, my mother proofreads my blog posts so when I think of her reading this, I can’t stop laughing! 🙂 I might need to get myself one of these some day:
So about those waterfalls, don’t go there if you don’t think you handle it, and if you do, you’ll be just as satisfied as when you finally got to Kelingking Beach. It’s quite something to see the fresh water flowing into the sea. I’ll never forget the bath I took in Seganing.
Picture a giant jacuzzi filled with fresh water in the middle of wild nature, grab your shampoo and come visit!
Let’s reach for the sky and go to Saren Cliff Point! No climbing involved this time but the road is in bad condition. Take your time and you’ll be just fine.
You’ll soon see these cliffs to your left.
The majestic landscape extends further to the right.
I’m done telling you about Nusa Penida, you need to go see the rest with your own eyes! If you’re traveling to Bali and you can devote 2 to 3 days to this beautiful island, by all means, go for it!
If you have any questions about anything I haven’t covered in this blog post, please leave me a comment and tell me about it down below. Or just come and say hi and I’ll be glad to read your comment!
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See you around, fellow travelers!
MF
View Comments
Bali is a really amazing travel destination, especially Nusa Penida. Thanks for sharing. The photos are so beautiful!
Yapp. Nusa Penida still be the favorite and popular destination right know. Glad to find this article.
We visited Nusa Penida last week and it was amazing, thank you for all of your tips ;)
Thank you for introducing Bali with the article that you wrote, Bali indeed Balinese culture and customs are indeed unique and beautiful of course so many tourists come to Bali. so let's come to Bali and enjoy the beauty of Bali and the more hit for now is Nusa Penida Island