Asik Travel
Nusa Penida Ultimate Adventure 3D2N
3 days, 2 nights
- West coast viewpoints without the day-trip rush
- Snorkelling including manta sites
- Two nights on the island
$219 per person
Book this trip
Bali
Tours in Nusa Penida
Nusa Penida is the large, dry island southeast of Bali that supplies most of Bali's most-shared photographs. Kelingking Beach, the cliff shaped like a dinosaur's head, is the famous one. What the photographs do not show is the island's road network, which is rough and slow, and that is the single thing that decides whether your visit is enjoyable or a day of being thrown around a minibus between viewpoints.
Trips you can book here
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What Nusa Penida is actually good for
Kelingking Beach
The cliff viewpoint everyone comes for. The view from the top is free and takes minutes; the descent to the sand is a steep scramble on a rough path and takes an hour each way.
Angel's Billabong and Broken Beach
A natural rock pool and a collapsed sea arch, a few minutes apart on the west coast. The billabong is only safe to enter at low tide and people have been swept out at high water.
Manta Point
Reef mantas at a cleaning station off the south coast, snorkelled from a boat. This is among the most reliable manta encounters in Indonesia.
Diamond Beach and the east
A carved stairway down a cliff to white sand on the quieter east side, typically far less crowded than the west coast circuit.
Crystal Bay at the end of the day
One of the few west-facing beaches, which makes it the sunset stop, and a good snorkelling spot earlier in the day.
When to go
April to October for calm crossings and the best underwater visibility. Manta sightings are good year round but the boat trips are more often cancelled in the wet season when the swell picks up.
Getting there
Fast boats run from Sanur in Bali, taking around 30 to 45 minutes. Boats also connect from Nusa Lembongan. Once on the island, roads are rough: hire a driver rather than a scooter unless you are a confident rider.
What it costs
Cheaper than mainland Bali for accommodation and food. A 3D2N organised trip runs around $219. Day trips from Bali cost less but spend a large share of the time in transit.
Worth knowing first
- The roads are the real story. Distances are short but journeys are slow, and this is what makes day trips feel rushed.
- Angel's Billabong is dangerous at anything other than low tide. Check before you get in, and do not follow the crowd if the sea is washing over the rim.
- The Kelingking descent is genuinely steep and not a casual walk down to a beach. Many people turn back, which is fine, since the view is from the top.
- ATMs are limited and can be empty. Bring cash from Bali.
Nusa Penida questions people actually ask
Is a Nusa Penida day trip enough?
It is enough to see the west coast highlights and little else. With the boat each way and slow island roads, you get perhaps five useful hours. An overnight lets you take the east coast, hit the viewpoints before the day-trip boats land, and stop feeling hurried.
Can you swim at Kelingking Beach?
You can reach the sand by a steep, rough scramble taking roughly an hour each way, but the water there has strong currents and is often unsafe to swim. Most people go for the viewpoint at the top, which is what the photographs are of anyway.
When can I see manta rays at Nusa Penida?
Year round at the cleaning stations off the south coast, with the calmer April to October months giving better visibility and fewer cancellations. Snorkellers see them as well as divers, since the mantas come near the surface.
Scooter or driver on Nusa Penida?
A driver, unless you ride confidently. The roads are steep, narrow and broken in places, and Nusa Penida accounts for a disproportionate share of travellers' scooter injuries in the Bali area.
Elsewhere in Indonesia
Photographs by TripAdvisor (727rutht), TripAdvisor (trippingunicorn), TripAdvisor (Management).
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