No trip to Bali is complete without visiting Nusa Penida for the stunning viewpoints, such as the T-rex rock formation. If you have more than seven days in Bali, then Nusa Penida is a must-visit spot. Nusa Penida is the largest of 3 islands located east of Uluwatu- the other two being Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. Most backpackers I met had Nusa Penida at the top of their bucket list but skipped Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan if they were short on time. I visited all three islands and highly recommend other travellers do the same. However, Nusa Penida has the most bucket-list experiences, such as Diamond Beach and the Manta Dive.
How to get to Nusa Penida
There are many ferry options to get to Nusa Penida, arriving at the island’s main pier. If you’re coming from Nusa Lembongan or Nusa Ceningan, you will arrive via longboat on the beach as opposed to the pier (and your feet do get wet, so take care). For full information on how to catch ferries in Indonesia and where to book, read my transport guide here. You can book all transport online at 12GOAsia.
How to get to Nusa Penida from Canggu, Uluwatu, Seminyak or Kuta
Sanur port is ideal if coming from Canggu, Uluwatu, Seminyak or Kuta and also can be reached from Ubud. A few companies operate direct ferries from Sanur to Nusa Penida, such as D’Camel Fast Ferry, Arthamas Express, Angel Billabong, Maruti Fast Boat, Scoot Cruise and Rocky Fast Cruise. Ferries take approximately 30 minutes. The first ferry departs Sanur at 7:30 am, and the last ferry leaves at 5 pm. The ferry (not including land transfer) will cost you 150k Indonesian Rupiah ($10 USD).
How to get to Nusa Penida from Ubud, Sidemen or Amed
Padangbai is a convenient port if you are coming from Ubud, Sidemen, Amed or the east of Bali. Eka Jaya, Semaya One and D’Prabu Fast Boat all run direct ferries from Padangbai twice daily, departing between 9 am and 2:30 pm. The ferry takes 90 minutes and will cost around 200k Indonesian Rupiah ($13 USD).
How to get to Nusa Penida from Nusa Lembongan
A local boat runs between Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan daily on demand. Depending on how many people are already waiting for the boat, you may wait anywhere between 5 minutes and 60 minutes for the boat to fill up. To avoid too long of a wait, I recommend either getting there first thing in the morning (9 am) or later in the afternoon for the last boat (4-4:30 pm). The boat is only 50k Indonesian Rupiah ($3 USD) and takes 10 minutes. The boat is a small longboat and does not pull into the pier. So you may get your feet wet, embarking and disembarking.
How to get to Nusa Penida from Lombok
Several ferry companies operate the route between Lombok and Nusa Penida, such as Eka Jaya, Semaya One and Sunfish Fast Boats. The journey can take anywhere between 1.5 hours to 3 hours, depending on which company you decide on. Expect to pay between 240k-533k Indonesian Rupiah ($15-$35 USD). If you are coming from the Gili Islands, you must get a local boat to Bangsal Port on Lombok to catch a ferry to Nusa Penida.
How many days to spend in Nusa Penida
Three days is the perfect amount of time to spend on Nusa Penida. You can extend your time on Nusa Penida to scuba dive (the Manta Dive looks unreal!). Or if you can access a scooter and want to revisit some famous spots such as Diamond Beach.
How to get around Nusa Penida
The first thing I’ll say about Nusa Penida is that it is not walking-friendly. As someone who loves to go exploring on foot and walk around and get a feel for a place, the lack of walkability of Nusa Penida was a little bit disappointing. Even though you can’t walk anywhere, don’t be disheartened because there are plenty of other ways to get around.
Getting around Nusa Penida by Scooter
If you feel confident driving a scooter, renting a scooter can be a great way to see the island. Scooter rental is generally about 70k-100k Indonesian Rupiah per day ($4.70-$6.70 USD). However, be warned that the roads are pretty gnarly as it is incredibly hilly, with many potholes in the streets. I met a few people in Nusa Penida who had crashed their scooters and were pretty beaten up. On the other hand, I met plenty of people who rode scooters in Penida and were fine (some even enjoyed the adventure).
Getting around Nusa Penida by car
Hiring a driver for the day to explore Nusa Penida is affordable and a great (and safe) way to see all the sights the island has to offer. Some drivers have cars with seven seats, and others have a standard sedan with five seats. Depending on your negotiating skills, you can hire a driver to take you wherever you want for as low as 400k Indonesian Rupiah ($26 USD) for an 8-hour day. While this may seem a lot for one person, if you can get a group together from your hostel, it only ends up being 100k Indonesian Rupiah ($6.70 USD) per person for the whole day, which is super affordable! I hired a driver for the east and west coast tours and found getting a group together at the hostel easy.
One of the main benefits of having a driver is the chance to chat with a local between stops and get some local history of the island. Our driver Putu told us about life on the island during Covid, and he even hiked to Diamond Beach with us to ensure we didn’t fall on the dicey stairs.
Joining a group tour on Nusa Penida
While I strongly recommend hiring a driver and getting a group together to do some sightseeing, you can always join a group tour. Prices vary, but I saw tours advertised for around 200k Indonesian Rupiah for the day ($13.50 USD). This is pricier than going with a driver. Also, one of the downsides is that you are on a fixed itinerary where you spend a set amount of time at each stop.
What to do in Nusa Penida
Ticking off all the bucket list spots has been made easy as the sights are grouped into different coasts based on their proximity. Most people will discuss doing the East Coast or West Coast sights (or both coasts if they have two full days). The Manta Dive on Nusa Penida is also hugely popular and a massive drawcard for scuba divers.
Explore the East Coast
There are four main stops on the East Coast. These are:
Teletubbies Hill (Bukit Teletubbies)
Teletubbies Hill is a viewpoint to see hills that resemble those from the Teletubbies Kids TV Show. This is the furthest stop on the East Coast Tour (if you stay on the island’s Northern part). There is no entrance fee to access the viewpoint, and most people spend 10 minutes or so here just getting some Insta-worthy pics.
Goa Giri Putri (Temple inside a cave)
Goa Giri Putri was cool but also a pretty sweaty stop on the East Coast. This is a temple, so your shoulders and knees must be covered to enter. Suppose you prefer to avoid bringing a sarong or wearing long clothes. In that case, you can rent sarongs to cover your knees and shoulders from the shop in the parking lot (sarong rental is less than a dollar).
After arriving in the parking lot, the shopkeepers will direct you to a staircase of about 100 steps to the temple entrance. There is no official entrance fee to visit the temple, but they ask for donations for its upkeep. Once you’ve reached the top of the steps, signed in and paid your donation, the adventure begins. The entrance to the temple is a small hole in the cave wall (pictured below). Once inside, it’s about a 10-minute walk to the exit on the other side of the cave. You’re free to take photos and videos but be mindful that it is a local temple, so there will be people praying. Tourists cannot enter certain temple parts (clearly signed where you cannot go).
Treehouse (also called Molenteng Hill or Thousand Island Viewpoint)
Another great photo op/ stunning viewpoint! There was no entrance fee for these viewpoints, but you do have to manage a few 100 steps. Due to the spectacular views, you’ll see a few insta photo shoots around the place. From here, you can see Diamond Beach and a nice coastline panorama. After you’ve climbed back up all the steps, there’s a warung at the entrance. Here you can sit down, relax and enjoy a refreshing iced coconut (I certainly needed it after all the steps!).
Atuh Beach & Diamond Beach
The last East Coast tour stop is for Atuh Beach and Diamond Beach, two gorgeous beaches separated by a small rocky outcrop. The entrance fee includes both beaches and is only 20k Indonesian Rupiah ($1.30 USD). Depending on how exhausted you are and what the tides are like at the time of day you are visiting, you may want to skip the hike down to Atuh beach. You can get a good view of this beach from the top and take a few pictures. When I was there, the tide was out, and you couldn’t swim at Atuh, so I opted to only hike down to Diamond Beach.
The hike, or rather rock-climb down to Diamond beach, is an adventure in itself. At first, the path is a couple of hundred well-maintained steps. After a while, it is rocks and a rope, and you must lower yourself down the cliff face. I managed it with the help of other travellers who warned us about unstable/ slippery rocks to avoid. Once you get to the beach, you can sit on the pristine white sand or rent a bean bag. Bean bag rental is 50k Indonesian Rupiah ($3.35 USD) for an hour. The beach is pretty rocky, and the waves are strong; be careful even if you are an experienced swimmer. Many people (myself included) opted to stay in the shallow section for a quick, refreshing dip.
Explore the West Coast
There are three main stops on the West Coast. These are:
Kelingking Beach (T-Rex Rock Formation)
Probably the most famous place in Nusa Penida! Everyone gets that shot for the Gram up the top of the steps (or midway down). It gets busy here during the day, so getting a picture without other people in it can be a struggle. The main attraction of this stop is the picture at the top. You may or may not want to brave the stairs (and rock climbing!) to make it to the beach. Most people I met who went all the way down said it wasn’t worth the trek. Similar to Diamond Beach, the beach isn’t swimmable due to the waves, rocks and currents. Also, be careful, as there are pretty aggressive monkeys up the top, and they will try to steal your water, snacks and sunglasses.
Broken Beach and Angel Billabong
Angel Billabong and Broken Beach are viewable from several viewpoints up the top where you enter. Broken Beach is just a viewpoint, and you can never swim here as it is unsafe. Whereas you can swim at Angel Billabong but only during low tide. It is a pretty rocky climb down if you want to swim, so many choose to just enjoy the view. Also, please check with locals if swimming is safe before climbing down. Large waves come crashing through the billabong unexpectedly at high tide, so it is hazardous to try to swim unless it is low tide. There are also several tasty warungs with views of the billabong at the entrance, which makes it a perfect lunch or snack stop.
Crystal Bay Beach
Crystal Bay Beach is a white sand beach with many loungers and tables set up where you can relax and enjoy the beach with a coconut in hand. With calm waters and small waves, you can also swim here and snorkel to see marine life and many types of coral.
Manta Snorkel and Manta Dive
Other than the East and West Coast Tours, the other main activity on Nusa Penida is the infamous Manta ray Snorkel or Manta Dive. Despite some of the rave reviews of snorkelling with Manta rays, I’m not sure that this is something I would recommend. It was my least favourite thing on Nusa Penida, and I felt a little ick about it. However, I’ve heard the Manta Dive is much better and more ethical if you are looking to see Mantas on Nusa Penida.
If you are interested in the Manta Snorkel, tours run daily from 8 am-10 am. I paid 300k Indonesian Rupiah ($20 USD), including snorkel rental and hostel pick up and drop off. You spend 1-1.5 hours in the boat, cruising around spots popular with Manta Rays and snorkelling.
A cautionary word on the Manta Snorkel
I’m unsure whether I would 100% recommend it based on my experience. You sail around for ages waiting for the boat driver to spot even 1 Manta Ray. When the boat driver spots one, he yells “Manta” and drives the boat directly to the spot, which usually attracts other boats to do the same. Then everyone hurriedly gets their fins and snorkels on and jumps off the boat as fast as possible for a slim chance to get a photo with the Manta. Not only is this dangerous getting off the boat (I slipped and smacked my head on one of the seats in the chaos), but once you jump in the water, so many people are swimming toward the Manta that it becomes a bit of a collision zone.
If you’re lucky, the water will be calm and currents not too strong, creating optimum Manta Snorkel conditions. However, the experience of most travellers is attempting to snorkel in large waves and strong currents. On my tour, two girls were not strong swimmers and couldn’t let go of the boat because the conditions were so bad. Overall, it was not a pleasant experience. Nobody on my nine-person tour got decent photos of a Manta or themselves snorkelling with a Manta.
My other gripe with Manta Snorkelling in Nusa Penida is that dozens of boats chase the poor Mantas. They also anchor the boats as close to the Mantas as possible and let everyone get close to them (I’ve even heard of people touching them). While it is certainly not as bad as other animal tourism in Asia (elephant riding and the tiger sanctuaries- I’m talking about you). It did not seem like the most ethical way to see Mantas in the wild. Please note, this is based on the Manta Snorkel, not the Manta Dive which is much more ethical from what I’ve heard from divers on Nusa Penida.
Where to Stay on Nusa Penida
There are a few hostel options for Nusa Penida, but they are all pretty rustic, and most are family-run hostels. Regarding the hostel location, as nothing is walkable, there is no central or ideal location. You can rent a scooter from anywhere, and all the tours will pick you up from all hostels, so it doesn’t matter much about the hostel’s location. You can book all accommodations here.
Nuansa Penida
I stayed at Nuansa Penida Hostel, which was a great social hostel! The hostel offers bungalow-style 4-bed dorms with AC and an outdoor ensuite/ bathroom. They make a basic complimentary breakfast and have two pools with comfy beach loungers and bean bags for relaxing. As a solo traveller, meeting people at Nuansa Penida Hostel and getting groups together to rent a car and see the sights was super easy! The mix of people at the hostel was pretty diverse, with a lot of backpackers, digital nomads and those doing the Manta Dive and other scuba courses on Nusa Penida.
Where to eat on Nusa Penida
With breakfast included at most hostels, there was minimal brunch culture in Nusa Penida. With most of the day trips, I opted to stop at small warungs on the beach for lunch. Where Nusa Penida’s food culture shines is the sunset restaurants and bars! Depending on how early you finish your day tours, we often stopped at a sunset restaurant to end the day. Then, our driver would drop us off at the hostel around 7 or 8 pm.
Penida Colada
Hands down my favourite sunset restaurant/bar in Nusa Penida! Depending on when you arrive, you may have to wait 20 mins for a seat because it is so popular. They have live music most nights, delicious cocktails and great food, mainly Western options.
Green Kubu
Another excellent option for sunset views and food! They do yummy local Indonesian foods as well as Western foods.
Secret Penida
Secret Penida tends to be quieter than the three sunset restaurants, so you are more likely to get a prime sunset viewing table. Great Indonesian and Western food options- as well as tasty cocktails!
Nightlife
Despite Nusa Penida’s popularity with backpackers, the island has few nightlife options. Most people head to the sunset bars for dinner and drinks and then head back to the hostel at around 10 pm latest. Nuansa Penida Hostel sometimes had groups sitting by the pool having beers after 10 pm. However, that was the extent of the nightlife, and most people in my dorm were asleep by 9 or 10 pm, to be rested for a full day of sightseeing early the next morning. Also, a lot of travellers get up early for the Manta Dive or other scuba diving, so they are not partaking in any nightlife on Nusa Penida.
Did you find this blog post helpful? Want to see more travel tips and recommendations? Join me on Tik Tok and Instagram for daily travel content!
This blog is a free and independent source of information for all things travel and backpacking. If you benefitted from the information on this blog, please consider using the affiliate links to book hostels/activities etc. This will be at no extra cost to you but helps subsidise the cost of running a free travel blog.
