You may be thinking, what is special about this island ‘Nusa Penida’? As you may have heard, Nusa Lembongan is more fascinating to see compared to Penida.
Nusa Lembongan probably has many options for accommodation and also has many options for restaurants.
Even in Lembongan there is a place where you can enjoy having dinner on the cliff-restaurant facing the ocean.
But, Lembongan has less option for adventuring compared to Nusa Penida, because Nusa Penida has more places to see, more exciting and more challenging.
Do you know that there is an incredible, special and rare fish that lives in Penida’s sea? And, rarely come up to the surface when the water is cold to catch the sun to clean up its body from bacteria.
Yes, the fish is called Mola-mola fish or also known as Sunfish, and you can see it directly in Nusa Penida.
Nusa Penida is latest known as Bali’s tourism destination, and that makes this island less touristy, calmer, authentic, and special.
If you are tired of city buzzing and need of a little fresh air from vehicles mufflers that pass by on the busy road of Bali, then this island is the perfect escape for you.
There are many interesting places to see in Nusa Penida. White sand beaches, panoramic cliff view, diving with the magnificent manta ray, snorkeling to beautiful underwater paradise, and many more.
Before you jump to the list of places that you will visit in Nusa Penida, I will share with you some tips about how to get to Nusa Penida from Bali.
To get to Nusa Penida you definitely need to cross the sea; not by swimming because it is too far and definitely not by plane because there is no airport there, so you need a boat to get there.
There are 3 harbors to Penida, the closest one from Denpasar is from Sanur harbor and the furthest one is from Padang Bai.
But, if you want to bring your own transportation directly from Bali you need to go to Padang Bai, there is a ferry that is able to carry public vehicles there.
There are options for boat and more flexible time as well if you decide to reach Penida from Sanur harbor.
The first boat departs at 7:30 AM and the latest boat departs at 3:30 PM.
The price of the boat ticket ranges from 120.000.- till 200.000.- depend on the company.
My suggestion is, it is better if you book online, compared to buy the ticket directly at the harbor, because usually thru booking online the price is included with picking up and dropping off.
If you decide to go to Nusa Penida with your own vehicle, you need to go to Padang Bai harbor. The schedule of the ferry is at 10:30 AM.
Even though the boat departs late, it’s still better to be there on time. Usually, it takes 1:30 minutes to reach Nusa Penida.
The price of the ticket depends on the vehicle that you use, with motorbike the ticket is 120.000.- rupiah, that includes you and your motorbike. If you use a car the price is 300.000.- rupiah.
The schedule of the ferry back to Padang Bai can be tricky, there is no specific depart time, it depends on the departure of the ferry from Padang Bai.
Now, let’s jump to the list of interesting places that you will see in Nusa Penida.
There are 6 Awesome Spot that you can find in East side of Nusa Penida
1. Goa Giri Putri Temple
If you drive to the East through Suana Street along the coast, you will find this unique temple on the right side of the street.
Pura Goa Giri Putri is a holy temple perch midway up to huge limestone rock. To get to the entrance you need to step on a steep winding staircase.
You will be surprised by the size of the entrance, it’s a small hole that is only accessible by a person at a time, but once you are inside you will be stun by the size of the hall in the cave.
2. Atuh Beach
Atuh Beach is a stunning white sand beach surrounded by the huge cliffs and remarkable rock formations. From the shore you will see an arch sitting directly from the distance.
It has beautiful white sand beach, quite and facing to the sunrise, makes it the perfect location for camping.
There is a valley with coconut trees around, and if you walk inside the valley, you will find a holy well. It said that the water inside the well is never dried even in the long dry season.
3. Diamond Beach
Diamond Beach’s location is close to Atuh Beach. An epic spot you will stumble upon and a very pretty view. So, if you are near Atuh Beach don’t miss to check this out.
There are stairs down to the cliff to go to the beach. As you lay on the untouched sand you will see a huge cliffs tower over you. There is a diamond-shaped rock in the shallows of the water and the beach is named after this diamond-shaped rock.
4. Nusa Penida Tree House
The Tree House or Rumah Pohon on Nusa Penida is something you need to check out as well, it is located close to the the Diamond Beach and perched up on a mountain. It has an insane view of a cliff and blue open sea.
5. Thousand Island or Pulau Seribu
There are several viewpoints at this location with fences for the benefit of everyone. There are huge drop-offs at the location, so the fences are to keep everyone safe.
To get to the main viewpoint you need to climb down the steep stairway. Once you reach it you will feel amazed at how beautiful the view is. You could see a small little empty beach sitting at the bottom of the cliff. It is a paradise.
6. Peguyangan Natural Spring
Peguyangan Waterfall is an amazing spot on Nusa Penida. Up and down steep blue stairs is a workout with spectacular coastal cliff views along the way down to the natural pool.
The stairs will lead you down to a sacred temple. The temple is based on the water blessing. You will see shrines and trinkets spread throughout the sacred site.
At the side of the temple you will see cascading pools with clear and pure water. The pools tire down till it flows out to the ocean.
10 Awesome Spot in West-Side of Nusa Penida
1. Kelingking ‘T-Rex’
Klingking is another stunning view in Nusa Penida. It is of coastal cliff-scape which looks like a T-Rex. Down far below you can see a slow motion of crystal clear water that slowly forms into a wave before it crashes.
There is a path to go down to the beach with some part of the path steep and hard to cross.
Once your feet touch the beach, you will see how strong and fast the shore-break is. It’s a dumping break with strong rip current.
This is not a really good beach for novice swimmers as the break will dump you hard and the current will drag you out to the deep.
2. Tembelingan Natural Pools
Tembelingan Beach is a little hideaway bay. The road is challenging and accessible only by motorbike.
If you are looking for something a little off the beaten path and away from mainstream spots you may enjoy this place. A mix of riding adventures through the forest, natural pools and stunning canyon view.
There are two natural pools, the biggest one is set nicely below the large cliff wall with crystal clear water surrounded by orange and brown stones and cliffs.
You can cliff jump from a couple of ledges at this pool but check the depth and debris first before you do it.
As you walk down a bit further from the biggest pool, you will reach the second pool. This one is a bit more of a Jacuzzi.
There are small pipe fountains you can wash under and it’s a great place to hang out as you can see the beach from it.
Little walk to a tunnel at the side of the pool, you will find a canyon which is like a scene from a jungle movie with a beautiful rocky beach surrounded by a huge cliff.
3. Angel’s Billabong
Angel’s Billabong is one of the magical spots you can’t help, but marvel at. A crystal clear tide pool cascades into the ocean.
Better to visit it in low tide as in high tide you will experience a very different pool and unsafe to swim because the wave that hits the pool will drag you out to the ocean.
4. Broken Beach
This spot is an incredible little cove on Nusa Penida Island. Located very close to the Angel’s Billabong. T
he highlight of the cove and the reason it is called Broken Beach, is due to the archway that wraps around the bay allowing water to flow in and out from the ocean.
5. Manta-Ray Bay
This is the location to see the manta ray fish, and It is only a few minutes walk from Broken beach.
As you walk to the coast on your right and look down to the ocean, you will see manta ray fish cruise around and come up to the surface from time to time.
It is nicer to see them directly by snorkeling or diving.
6. Puncak Mundi
The highest point on Nusa Penida is Puncak Mundi, which is a series of traditional temples. Here also, you can see the landscape of Nusa Penida, and if you come up here early in the morning, you can see a clear view of Mount Agung from far.
7. Pandan Beach
Pandan Beach is hidden away with a pretty white sand beach.
There is a path over the hills that leads to it from crystal bay if you want to go to this location.
What you will discover here is an empty white sand beach.
8. Gamat Beach
Gamat Beach is a beautiful white sand beach with its amazing underwater paradise. Most people come to this beach by boat but you can reach it by land as well.
Remember to bring your snorkeling gear if you want to visit Gamat Beach, because you will amaze by its incredible coral structures and rock formations beneath the surface.
9. Crystal-Bay
This bay is famous for its Mola-Mola diving spot. It has black sand beach and beautiful corals, a good place for snorkeling.
Right in front of the bay, there is a small island with a temple located on top of it. And a good place to enjoy the sunset.
10. PED Village – Snorkeling Spot
There is another snorkeling spot that you can’t miss when you are in Nusa Penida, and it is located in PED village.
If you are staying near PED don’t miss the opportunity to snorkeling at the PED beach.
After you jump into the water, swim outside past the ex-seaweed farming, you will see many beautiful corals and colorful fishes out there.
Pingback: Diamond Beach Nusa Penida - ODYSSEY INDONESIA