The Nusa Islands are a tropical trio just a quick forty minute ferry ride from Bali - consisting of Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Penida, and Nusa Ceningan. Despite their proximity to Bali, they are far less crowded and filled with so much beauty. For these reasons and more, consider making a trip to the Nusa Islands on your next trip to Bali.
This 2 day guide will help you plan your trip to the Nusa Islands, or what some call, 'The Maldives of Bali'.
If you have the time, I suggest that you spread this itinerary across 3 - 5 days. I quickly learned that since there are 3 islands and Nusa Penida is so big, having more time would be ideal.
Below is a map of the islands to get a better understanding of what they look like.
HOW TO GET TO THE ISLAND TRIO?
Boats leave from Sanur Harbour, which is about 30 minutes from Canggu and 15 minutes from Denpensar. You can arrive to the harbour by scooter or hire a driver to drop you there. If you go by scooter, parking costs 2000 IDR. Once you arrive, walk over to where all of the booths are and you can start to ask for availability, time, price, etc.
After a little bargaining, we managed to pay 200,000 IDR round trip per person. Once you book your trip, simply wait for your boat to be ready.
Something to keep in mind is that the boats are small, at least ours was. The windows were kept closed because otherwise too much water would splash in. If you are prone to sea sickness, I recommend doing some research (perhaps there are bigger boats). Otherwise, prepare yourself as best!
WHERE TO STAY?
When planning where to stay, consider your time frame and how much you want to see. We decided to stay in Nusa Lembongan and explore all 3 islands from there. As with most things in life, there were a few pros and cons of staying in Nusa Lembongan. Pros: We got to see all of the islands. Cons: We had to skip a lot of destinations (especially on Nusa Penida) because of time constraints. If I did it again, I would probably skip Nusa Lembongan & Nusa Ceningan and just spend 2 nights in Nusa Penida. However, this is entirely up to you! No matter what, you will not be disappointed with all that there is to explore.
If you choose to stay in Nusa Lembongan, I recommend Mega Cottages. Once you arrive by boat, this accommodation is just a short 7 minute walk. The cottage is big, clean and cozy. The owner can help you arrange motorbike rentals and boat trips to the other islands.
WHAT TO DO & HOW TO GET AROUND?
Below I have included what we did on each day and about how much time it took us. I hope this will help you plan your adventure!
DAY 1 ITINERARY:
1. Boat from Sanur Harbour to Nusa Lembongan. We got to Sanur harbour at 11:00 am. Our boat left at 11:30 am and we arrived at Nusa Lembongan around 12:15 pm. We walked approximately 7 minutes to Mega Cottages, where we booked our stay.
2. Rent a motorbike. After checking in, we rented a motorbike for 50,000 IDR and set out to explore. First, we stopped for lunch at Bali Eco Deli, a place recommended by a good friend. He was right, there are many vegetarian and vegan options, the food is fresh and delicious. If you go here - try the purple power smoothie and the tempeh/tofu + pineapple & peanut veggies with Japanese noodles - so good! Also, hence the name, Bali Eco Deli is a conscious cafe and their mission is one to certainly support - you won't find any plastic straws here.
3. Take the 'Yellow Bridge' to Nusa Ceningan. Feeling renewed, we set out to the Yellow Bridge which took us only about 10-15 minutes on the motorbike. We crossed over to Nusa Ceningan, which is the smallest of the 3 islands.
Before long, we found the Blue Lagoon, a popular spot for cliff jumping. However, when we arrived we saw a sign that said to enter at your own risk...
We carefully trekked to the cliffs and saw that the water was extremely rough and the conditions were not safe at all! With this in mind, I would still recommend going here, however it might not necessarily be safe to cliff jump depending on the day and conditions.
Across the way is another popular spot called Mahana Point where you can jump as well. However, we didn't see anyone cliff jumping here either, so perhaps we were just there on the wrong day. Nonetheless, you won't miss a lovely spot where a bar is built into the cliff on Mahana Point. We stayed here and enjoyed two cold Bintangs before venturing back to Nusa Lembongan to see Devil's Tears for sunset.
3. Sunset at Devil's Tears. Around 5:00 we headed back across the Yellow Bridge to Nusa Lembongan and drove for another 10-15 minutes to find Dream Beach and Devil's Tears. Dream Beach looked stunning, however, it does not face the sunset, so instead we walked for about 10 minutes to reach Devil's Tears.
Devil's Tears is a natural landmark where you can see the raw power of Mother Nature. I learned that it is named after the ocean spray thrown out from a cave in the limestone cliff face, producing a dramatic splash, 'Devil's Tears'. It is aggressive yet stunning, just be careful not to get too close to the edge! Overall, a must visit spot to watch the sunset from Nusa Lembongan.
DAY 2 ITINERARY:
1. Snorkel with Manta Rays. On our second day, we booked a Manta Tour from our accommodation. We paid 200,000 IDR/ person. The boat picked us up in front of our accommodation at 8:00 am. From there, we traveled to Manta Point, then Crystal Bay and Mangrove Forrest. The entire trip takes about 3 hours.
To my surprise, Manta Point was wild! The boat brings you close to the cliff, where the Mantas like to swim. However, the waves were huge and from the moment that we entered the water it was difficult to move around. Not to mention there were so many people! This made me question the experience, I am always wondering about responsible tourism and maybe it isn't so nice for the manta rays to be disturbed in their natural environment by so many tourists.
Nonetheless, we swam around and I spotted at least 3 friendly giant manta rays - a special & magical experience! These sea creatures are not to be confused with sting rays. Below I have included some some fun facts about manta rays and how they differ from sting rays:
1. With a diamond shaped body and wing spans reaching over 20’ across, Manta rays are one of the largest animals in the ocean. Their broad blanket-like bodies earned them the name 'manta' that means cloak or blanket in Spanish.
2. Manta rays are related to stingrays. Both have flattened body shapes and wide pectoral fins that are fused to the head. One of the biggest differences between manta rays and stingrays is that manta rays do NOT have a tail "stinger" or barb like stingrays. There are other differences as well, such as that stingrays dwell on the ocean bottom, but manta rays live in the open ocean.
After Manta Point, we traveled to two more snorkeling spots - Crystal Bay and Mangrove Forrest. Crystal Bay was lovely, there weren't manta rays here, but the water was calmer and the snorkeling experience was very nice. Mangrove Forrest has an underwater Buddha statue to visit. It is an interesting and beautiful underwater landmark. Similar to Manta Point, it was very crowded with tourists, but still lots of fun!
2. Boat to Nusa Penida. After we arrived home from snorkeling, we took hot showers and got changed to head back to Nusa Penida for the afternoon. We took a boat there and again we paid 200,000/ person for the round trip. We arrived to Nusa Penida at 12:00 pm and we had to be back to our boat at 5:00 pm. In my opinion, this was not enough time on the biggest island! However, we did our best to make the most of the time we had.
We rented a motorbike right away for 70,000 IDR. Then, we headed straight to Kelingking beach viewpoint (popularly known as T-Rex). The view was just as magical as I hoped it would be! I really enjoyed overlooking the crystal blue water and I wish we had time to go down and swim, but we decided to skip trekking to the beach to save some time for more adventures! We spent about 2 hours in total getting here and enjoying the view.
After visiting Kelingking viewpoint, we made our way to Crystal Bay. We arrived here around 3:00 pm. It's name certainly does it justice, as it is surrounded by crystal clear water and many people go snorkeling or diving here too. We spent some time under the palm trees and getting our feet wet. Then we left to make it back to our boat to Nusa Lembongan.
3. Sunset on Nusa Lembongan. We arrived back on Lembongan around 5:30, just in time for the sunset. We walked a short distance from where the boat dropped us and found a spot on the white sand. It was a stunning view and lovely way to end our short time on the Island Trio.
IN CONCLUSION
Whether you go to the Nusa islands for a quick trip as we did or for an extended stay, you will experience natural beauty everywhere you look.
Keep in mind that the roads are quite rocky at times, so you really have to be careful. I also don't recommend hiring a motorbike if you don't feel confident as the roads can be dangerous (especially on Nusa Penida).
Otherwise, enjoy every moment of your travels and please comment below and share your experiences with me, I would love to hear from you.
Also, if you have any questions, I am happy to help!
Until next time,
Kimberlynn
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