Tips for the Most Beautiful Places on Nusa Penida, Bali Tips for the Most Beautiful Places on Nusa Penida, Bali

Tips for the Most Beautiful Places on Nusa Penida, Bali

Nusa Penida island, a small paradise off the East Coast of Bali. The limestone island offers incredible white sand beaches and 200-meter high cliff drops. Penida island is just 30 minutes from Bali by boat and can be fully explored in a 3 day Nusa Penida trip. It is also a great option to do a Nusa Penida Tour day trip from Bali where you can either explore the east or west coast.

How to spend 3 days on Nusa Penida

Penida island has loads of things to see and do. All over the island, you will find cassava and corn farms. In the center of the island, there are windmills that generate power for all three Nusa Islands. Here is how to see the island in 3 days.

Day 1 – North and East

Catch the first ferry at 8 AM from the Sanur harbor to Nusa Penida. After a 35-minute ride, you can either rent a motorbike or jump into the car to explore Penida. Learn all about a Nusa Penida Tour here.

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Drop your stuff at your accommodation and make your way to the northeast of the island. Visit the Goa Giri Putri Temple, a sacred underground temple for the people all over Bali.

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Tips for the Most Beautiful Places on Nusa Penida, Bali

Follow the road for a good 30-min towards the lesser-known east coast on Penida island. 

nusa penida trip diamond beach viewpoint

Atuh Beach is a white-sand beach that is great for a swim. On top of the cliff is the view on probably the most beautiful beach in the whole of Bali: Diamond Beach.

This is one of those beaches you will only see on postcards. Good to know is that it’s not recommended for swimming. There is a strong current with a lot of rocks and coral in the waves.

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nusa penida trip diamond beach drone

Finish the day at the Thousand Islands Viewpoint. The viewpoint is overlooking Diamond Beach and many limestone formations in the ocean.

nusa penida trip Thousand Islands Viewpoint

Looking for a unique accommodation on Nusa Penida? For about 30 USD you can stay at Rumah Pohon Treehouse. The sunrise from your balcony will be like no other. 

Summary of day 1 – Nusa Penida Trip

  1. Goa Giri Putri
  2. Atuh Beach
  3. Diamond Beach
  4. Thousand Islands Viewpoint
  5. Rumah Pohon Treehouse

Day 2 – West Coast

Today is all about the popular west coast on Penida. Head out first to Kelingking viewpoint and Kelingking Beach. We recommend visiting from 7 to 9 AM. The first tourists coming by boat on a Nusa Penida Tour, will start to arrive here from 9 AM.

nusa penida trip kelingking

From there, Angel’s Billabong and Broken Beach are close and easier to visit. Angel’s Billabong is a natural infinity pool. Please be careful at the edge as strong waves will come over.

During lunchtime, get a great lunch at one of the restaurants on Penida island. We can recommend Penida Colada or Ogix Warung.

For the rest of the afternoon grab a snorkel or coconut at Crystal Bay. This is a beautiful area to experience the Penida sunset. (Don’t forget to take a picture at the beautiful palm road.)

Summary of day 2 – Nusa Penida Trip

  1. Kelingking
  2. Broken Beach
  3. Angel’s Billabong
  4. Crystal Bay
crystal bay nusa penida bali

Extra: Snorkeling at Manta Point in Nusa Penida

The Nusa Islands have some fantastic points to snorkel or dive with Manta Rays. Manta Point is the best spot and if you can, plan an extra day on Penida Island to snorkel or dive with Manta Rays.

Loads of diving resorts are opening their doors. Some Bali visitors actually spend more time on the Nusa Islands than on Bali itself.

Book a local driver or tour Contact our friend Yande with his Bali Friend Tour team. We've done countless incredible trips with him in the last 6 years!
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Day 3 – Lesser-known Penida

The last day of exploring Penida island will be to a few lesser-known spots. Start at Peguyanan waterfall. A blue staircase on the side of a cliff runs all the way down to a temple and tiny waterfall.

Next up is a natural sweet water pool hidden inside the jungle called Tembeling. A 5-minute walk from the pool is a secluded white sand beach. You can only get here by motorbike, either on the back of a local or driving yourself.

Nusa Penida trip Tembeling natural pool

Close off your Nusa Penida trip at Banah Cliff Point. Head back to Bali by boat at 16:00 PM or 17:00 PM. These two times are the last ferry boats.

Summary of day 3 – Nusa Penida Trip

  1. Peguyanan waterfall
  2. Tembeling natural pool
  3. Tembeling beach
  4. Banah Cliff Point

Getting from Bali to Nusa Penida

The ferry from Bali to Nusa Penida leaves 4 times a day: 8 AM, 9 AM, 10:30 AM, 16 PM, and 17 PM. The ferry takes 30 – 40 minutes, depending on how wild the water is.

There is no pier at Nusa Penida; you have to get on and off the boat walking through the water so it is advised to wear removable shoes. The boat staff will help you with your big pieces of luggage.

Book a local driver or tour Contact our friend Yande with his Bali Friend Tour team. We've done countless incredible trips with him in the last 6 years!
Contact on Whatsapp
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nusa penida trip ferry

From one of the other Nusa Islands like Lembongan or Ceningan, it is a super short 15-minute boat ride. It is best to arrange a private boat from Mushroom Bay.

Getting around Nusa Penida

The distances to drive on Nusa Penida are maximum 60 to 90 minutes, which is doable by motorbike. However, since the construction of the new roads in 2018, we don’t recommend it anymore to drive a motorbike. The narrow roads don’t fit two cars, and with their crazy driving, accidents with motorbikes happen every day.

By car
Exploring the island is most relaxed and comfortable by car. You could do one day return to Bali or spend one night on Penida, where you see West and East. For the exact prices, check out our Nusa Penida Tour article. 

Book a local driver or tour Contact our friend Yande with his Bali Friend Tour team. We've done countless incredible trips with him in the last 6 years!
Contact on Whatsapp
yande bali friend tour

By motorbike
That having said, if you are a very experienced driver, exploring by motorbike is definitely the most beautiful way. You can rent a motorbike at the harbor starting at 60.000 IDR (4 USD) a day.

Wifi or a 3G connection isn’t always available on Nusa Penida so download offline Google Maps to always find your way back to your accommodation. Getting around by car is a lot safer and more comfortable with these new roads. You can rent a driver for a few days that takes you around the island.

Good to know before going on a Nusa Penida Trip

Nusa Penida’s breathtaking nature is getting noticed all over the world, which is why tourism is increasing rapidly. New gravel roads have been constructed all around Penida island, and the first two ATMs (see locations) opened up. However, the new roads are very narrow and busy, so it is not recommended to drive a motorbike if you haven’t had a lot of driving experience.

nusa penida trip accomodation

Best Nusa Penida accommodation

Most accommodations on Nusa Penida are located in the west and north. We recommend picking one accommodation for all the days since you can get from one side of the island to the other in 60 minutes.

The accommodations on Nusa Penida change from homestays, guesthouses to beautiful bungalows. Prices are a little higher compared to Bali because of the high demand. We recommend booking accommodation in advance. 

13/04/2023 https://www.saltinourhair.com/bali/nusa-penida/
Blog comments (18)

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  • Victoria at Guide your Travel

    Love this post! Wish I had read this before I went to Nusa Penida for the first time. Makes me really miss the island now that we can’t travel. It’s one of my favourite places in the world and really helped me start blogging and travel writing. It’s just so inspiring. Thanks for sharing this post, it’s really helpful! I love the pictures so much

    • Salt in our Hair

      Thanks Victoria! It’s definitely up there as one of our fave destinations too :) Let’s hope we can all get back there soon…

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