The best spots to visit in Nusa Penida near Bali

Nusa Penida is a beautiful Indonesian island belonging to Bali and located only 45 minutes by boat. It is really easy to get there by ferry. If you are planning your next Bali vacation, don’t forget to visit Nusa Penida! It’s a must to see! This island is bigger than the other ones near Bali, it’s size is 200m2. So if you are planning to get there, you need to plan at least 2 or 3 nights to visit several spots.

Nusa Penida island is an amazing island, and full of surprises, you won’t be disappointed! If you like nature, stunning beaches of turquoise water, cliffs, points of view and haking, you will probably love Nusa Penida!

The best spots to visit in Nusa Penida island

How to get to Nusa Penida?

To visit Nusa Penida, you need first to reach Sanur Harbor in Bali and then take a ferry to Nusa Penida. It will cost you around 500 000 IDH (30$) per person for a return ticket. There are several companies and they are quite equivalent. Book your ticket online to be sure to have a place! There is only 70 places on the ferry.

Sometimes, a shuttle can pick you up at your hotel and bring you back to your hotel in a delimited perimeter. It is included in the price. To organize everything, the best is to talk with the company by what’s app.

But you need to know that the boats can be canceled because of the bad weather conditions. In this case, you will receive an email the day before and you may have to wait a few days to have another boat. It happened to us when we wanted to visit the Gili islands, so we changed our trip and we finally visit Nusa Penida first. You need to be flexible. You can also read our perfect Bali itinerary for 10 days!

How to get around in Nusa Penida?

You need to know that the roads in Nusa Penida are really bad. You can rent a scooter at a very cheap price (less than 10$/day) and the oil is cheap too but it’s quite hard to drive a scooter in Nusa Penida. It will be hard to visit by scooter, especially if you want to visit several spots. And we can not rent a car, but only take taxis and book companies for a “day tour”.

Indeed, you can book a day trip with a company that will drive you by car to different locations. The price for 3 locations is around 60$ per day. I have tried the two options but this one is for me the best one to visit Nusa Penida. We had an amazing day with the company @nusa_penida_island it was super fun!

You need to know that the harbor is in the northwest of the island. Kelingking beach is the point at the southwest and the treehouse and Diamond beach are located in the southeast.

Where are all the best spots to visit in Nusa Penida?

Diamond beach & the treehouse

These spots are located in the eastern part of the island. We have been first to the treehouse which is located near Diamond beach. We have been there really early to avoid the crowd. But obviously it was already full of other tourists! This house was insane, it is a simple house in the trees, with a gorgeous view of the sea. But it looks like an amazing place to stay.

The hike to this treehouse is quite easy (10 minutes). Did you know it is actually possible to stay there? But there is no electricity and water! And you would you stay there? If yes, here is the link! But you need to book one year in advance! There is a high demand since it became famous on social media.

Then, we have been to Diamond beach which is really close to the treehouse. (15 minutes walking). But it is hard to find when you comes from the treehouse, ask to the locals! Diamond Beach was one of my favorites places in Nusa Penida, I was not disappointed at all! The view on the turquoise water and the diamond rocks shaped was insane! We made it to the beach, the hike was pretty easy (20 minutes). The beach was beautiful! There were not so many people downside.

Travel tip: come in the morning to Diamond beach to have the beach almost to yourself and the weather will be not too hot for the hike!

Kelingking beach

Kelingking beach is located in the southwest of the island. It seriously one of the most beautiful beaches of Nusa Penida and the most famous one, so you have probably already heard of this place! What makes this spot insane is the shape of the rocks and the paradisiac beach. I can understand why people call this place “T-Rex beach”!

The hike to go down is pretty hard (45 minutes approximately to go down and 1 hour to go up). But believe me it really worth it! This beach is an absolute paradise! The sand is white and the water is turquoise. When you make it to the beach, the first thing you want to do is to go into the water!

Travel tip: To do this hike you really need a good physical condition the hike is really hard. Especially when it’s hot, it was 35° when we have been there. Don’t forget to take a hat! And be careful of the big waves. Don’t try to swim!

Where to stay in Nusa Penida?

We stayed in Nusa Penida for 3 days (2 nights), I think it is the minimum to see enough of the island. There are several beautiful spots, some of them are far from the others. And the island is quite big (200km2). At the west of the island, there is the famous Kelingking Beach and Angel Billabong. In the est, you will find Diamond beach and the treehouse.

You can easily find a good bungalow for less than 30$/night on the island. The quality-price ratio is amazing in Nusa Penida. You can stay in the west of the island if you want to be close to Kelingking beach. Or you can find one in the east of the island if you want to be close to Diamond beach. It is a less touristy and wilder area. But you need to know that the harbor is located in the northwest. So it’s way easier to stay there to be close to the harbor when you arrive and leave the island.

This is what we have done, we stayed at a cute cottage in a very simple but comfy bungalow. The breakfast was included and it was really good (pancakes and fresh fruits/juices).

Are you planning to visit Nusa Penida?

I hope this post will help you to organize your perfect adventurous trip to Nusa Penida! Let me know in the comments! If you also want to visit Bali, here you can read our complete Bali travel guide! Here you will find where are all the most beautiful waterfalls, rice terraces, beaches, cute restaurants, where to stay? luxury hotels or bungalows? and of course how to get around? And what budget to plan for a Bali trip! 😉

Don’t forget to follow our next adventures on Instagram @chiarabarrasso! We are going back to Italy in a few days and we would love to share our adventures with you! And have a beautiful day my travel FAM!