Is it even possible to visit Bali without taking a day trip to Nusa Penida? Our answer is definitely no!
The island of Nusa Penida has a lot to offer. Whether we are talking about beautiful beaches, breathtaking views or beautiful nature. Among other things, you’ll find a large number of great restaurants offering traditional Balinese cuisine, but also international specialities.
The ideal time spent on this island is therefore 2 or 3 nights. It also depends on what type of traveller you are. If you like relaxation and want to visit max 1-2 places per day, we definitely recommend at least 3 nights. If you don’t mind a busy schedule and frequent transfers, 2 nights will be the perfect choice for you.
How to get there?
Nusa Penida Island is located on the southeast coast of Bali and can be reached in 30-45 minutes by boat. The boat departs several times a day and the fastest connection is from the port of Sanur Bali. We recommend to buy tickets online in advance at bookaway.com. You’ll find offers from all the companies, so just pick a time and date that suits you and off you go on your next adventure.
In this article you will read about the most beautiful places that you should definitely not miss and the things you should be prepared for.
Where to stay in Nusa Penida?
Despite the fact that you can get from one side of the island to the other in 1 hour if the traffic is good, there are several areas to live.
Toya Pakeh harbour area
During our stay on Nusa Penida, we stayed just 300 metres from Toya Pakeh harbour. The great advantage of this area was that we could get from the port to our accommodation very quickly and easily without a taxi.
Another advantage was the many restaurants, shops and cafes that were located there. It was the perfect starting point for us to explore this beautiful island. We stayed at Ari La Casa and paid 15€ per night for two (without breakfast). The accommodation was modest, but it was clean, had air-conditioning and the sweetest owner! We also rented a scooter from him, so we highly recommend it.
Ped area
Located just a few minutes by scooter from the marina. It stretches along the coast, so you’ll find plenty of beach bars and restaurants with a view.
Sampalan & Batununggul area
Sampalan is one of the largest towns on the island, which is the main point for all ferry boats coming to Nusa Penida. Overall, the Sampalan and Batununggul area has many accommodation options as well as restaurants and bars for tourists. It is an ideal place for couples, but also for families with children.
Crystal Bay
If you want to visit the most beautiful spots on the island and you don’t want to move around too much, the Crystal Bay area might be the perfect place for you. This is because it is really close to the most famous place Kelingking Beach. From here you can also enjoy beautiful sunsets.
4 things you should know before arriving in Nusa Penida:
- When entering Nusa Penida you will pay an entrance fee of 1,5€ per person. So you need to have cash ready.
- Prepare for roads in bad condition and heavy traffic! The roads on the island are very narrow and as there are countless cars and minibuses driving there every day, getting from point A to point B is very tiring and lengthy, even though it is a relatively small island. If you want to avoid this, we definitely recommend visiting the most famous spots early in the morning or then just before sunset.
- If you want to experience a real adventure and adrenaline rush, we definitely recommend climbing down to the most famous beaches such as Kelingking Beach or Diamond Beach. Sandals and flip-flops are definitely not the right choice, so it is advisable to bring sports shoes.
- There is no Uber, Grab or Gojek on the island. However, you can book a local taxi, of which there are plenty. Many people book a driver to take them to the most beautiful places throughout the day. We rented a scooter for 5€ per day and explored the island on our own. For us, definitely the best alternative.
Many other useful and necessary information you need to know can be found in our e-book.
Well, let’s go to the most beautiful things this island has to offer. We bring you the TOP 8 most beautiful places you must see.
Kelingking Beach – T-Rex
Definitely the most beautiful and most famous place on the whole island is Kelingking Beach, also known as T-Rex. There is no entrance fee for this place, you only pay 0,3€ for parking when you arrive.
The views that this place offers are truly indescribably beautiful! It’s also called a T-Rex because the giant rock resembles a Tyrannosaurus rex with its mouth open.
In addition to the magnificent view, there is also a beach, but it is quite hard to get there. In order to enjoy the almost empty beach you will have to climb over a few steps and rocks. The trip down takes approximately 35-45 minutes (depending on fitness).
However, you need to be very careful as the trail is quite steep and slippery. So we definitely recommend bringing appropriate footwear, which as always we didn’t have. However, after a few meters we found out that it was really hard to walk in sandals and flip-flops, so we took off our shoes 😀 If you forget to wear appropriate footwear, it’s not undoable, but we recommend going barefoot.
There is also a small shop on the beach, which of course has extremely high surcharges and you will pay 5€ for a bottle of water there 😀 However, those who bring their own water will be willing to pay anything after the hike.
The sea on the beach is very rough, so be prepared for very strong currents and huge waves. But it was a lot of fun. The way up, however, is really hard – it was one of the biggest challenges during our travels.
The ideal time to visit Kelingking Beach is early in the morning (before 9:00) or then before sunset. We arrived at 4:30pm and that’s when we went down to the beach and it was a real treat.
Diamond Beach
Another beautiful and very famous beach on the island is Diamond Beach. Again, we recommend visiting early in the morning to avoid the crowds and the extremely full roads, which are not in the best shape.
Entrance to Diamond Beach is 2€ per person + 0,3€ for parking. However, you also get a bottle of water with the entrance fee. There is much better terrain leading to the beach than the previous Kelingking Beach and the hike is also shorter.
You can get down to the beach in about 15-20 min. Again, we recommend bringing suitable sports shoes to help you tackle the last part of the route much easier. There is also a small buffet on the beach where you can buy a drink and a snack.
Tree house “Rumah Pohon”
Another popular spot on the island is the tree house. When we saw photos and videos from there on social media, we thought it was just another fancy place that is absolutely not worth visiting. We even read on the internet that if you go there during the day, you have to wait in line for more than an hour. When you finally get to your turn, you are limited to 3 minutes to take pictures and enjoy this famous house. Crazy, right?
So we decided to visit this place at sunrise. So we got up in the morning and arrived a little after 6:00 am. We were there first! This place was truly magical and actually looks like something out of a fairy tale.
You will pay 1,5€ per person + 0,3€ for parking. However, if you want to take a photo or video with the house, you will pay an additional 4,5€. It may happen that if there are two of you they will ask you for 2 x 4,5€, which is really a bit too much for us. We very nicely explained to them that whether there was 1 person or two in the photo it is the same and so we only paid once.
Thousand Island Viewpoint
Just a few metres from the treehouse (about a 1 minute walk) is a beautiful viewpoint called Thousand Island Viewpoint. It offers really beautiful views of the cliffs and rocks and also the famous Diamond Beach. There is no entrance fee.
Teletubbies Hill
A lesser known spot on the island that is not visited by hundreds of tourists a day is Teletubbies Hill. It is called so mainly because of the rounded hills, which are reminiscent of the hills from the children’s TV show Teletubbies. There is no entrance fee at this place – not even for parking.
Broken Beach
Broken Beach gets its name because of a specific arch that creates a beautiful lagoon with turquoise water under the arch. It is located on the southwestern edge of Nusa Penida. However, the beach itself is not open to tourists, so you can only enjoy the views from above.
You can get there in 5 minutes from the car park. To get to the parking lot, however, you will have to walk down a very unpleasant rocky road, so if you are on a scooter you need to be very careful. There is no entrance fee, you will pay 0,3€ for parking. There is also a large number of restaurants and shops nearby.
Manta Bay a Manta Point
A very popular activity that many people travel to this island for is snorkelling with the Manta Rays. On the island you will find a large number of companies that offer this kind of tour. Some go out to Manta Bay, others to Manta Point.
What is the difference between them? We asked our local owner directly about this at the accommodation. If you want to have a better chance of seeing manta rays you should definitely go to Manta Point. The chances are up to 90% (50% for Manta Bay).
Another difference is the overall condition for snorkelling. Manta Bay is located just 20 minutes from Toya Pakeh Harbour, around Broken Beach and Angel Billabong. The water there is relatively shallow, so the manta rays are very easy to see from the boat. However, you need to be prepared for a huge number of boats and tourists. Manta Point is a little further away, about 45 minutes from Toya Pakeh harbour, but the chances of seeing manta rays are much higher. However, it is necessary to prepare for deeper and colder water, i.e. more difficult conditions for snorkelling. Full body neoprene is recommended. The best season for snorkelling is May to November.
The Chill Penida
A huge surprise for us was the restaurant The Chill Penida. As well as offering a great breakfast menu and coffee, there’s a bar, sun loungers and spectacular sea views. So it’s a great place to relax. We definitely recommend smoothie bowls for breakfast – you won’t regret it!
Gastronomy on Nusa Penida
We tried quite a few restaurants on Nusa Penida. Since we stayed near the Toya Pakeh marina, our recommendations will be mainly related to restaurants in the area.
If you are looking for international cuisine such as burger or pizza, we recommend Happy Eating Penida. Sunny Cafe Penida has a very good selection of Mexican food and a great breakfast menu. Wyn’s Penida Café offers a great evening atmosphere with live music. We tried the tuna steak there and it was great. As we already mentioned, for breakfast or brunch we definitely recommend The Chill Penida, where you can easily spend a few hours.
You can buy the e-book at a special price here.
* All links in this article including accommodation through booking are affliliate. All in one place. It won’t cost you any extra money or effort, it will make your planning easier and save you time. We would be delighted if you booked your dream holiday through them 🙂
