Nusa Penida is Bali’s little sister on the East side. It is surprising, that Nusa Penida is fairly unknown considering the closeness to Bali. You can even spot the island from Bali’s East coast. However, it is even more surprising that the astonishing beauty of Nusa Penida is still unrevealed.
I experienced one day filled with wooooooooowwwww’s, because I have never seen so much beauty in such a small area! It felt almost surreal! Stop! Before you scroll down to see the proof that Nusa Penida is a dreamlike paradise, I wanna give you some basic info about this awe-inspiring island!
How to get there
You can reach Nusa Penida only by boat. Boats take off in Sanur and Padang Bai on a daily basis.
You can choose from different services, which vary in the price (local boats, fast boats, Perama).
If you already are on Nusa Lembongan, you can also take a boat from there (150,000 IDR per person – great bargainers will get a better price). The boats leave at the Yellow Bridge. Just go there and negotiate a price, or ask tour guides in the city for a trip.
How to get around
If you are keen in riding a moped, you can rent one right at the beach, where you arrive.
The cost varies somewhere in-between 70.000 and 120.000 IDR. Here you need ice-cold bargaining skills.
Before you decide in taking a moped, I want to warn you though! The streets on Nusa Penida are super bad in some parts! I would love to show you a photo of it to prove that I am not just an afraid little girl, but I was too focused on not falling off the moped.
When I read somewhere else, that the streets were bad, I was like “Pff, they probably don’t know what bad streets look like!” Turned out, they knew better! So if you are not a good driver, who can hold balance very good: Get a driver for your own safety! You will not be able to go to the viewpoints etc. without a moped, because at least the last 2-6 miles of the way to the viewpoint have really bad roads.
Planning a day trip
If you are only doing a day trip, you should choose only one area.
We had time from 9am to 4pm and we could only do the North-West. We were not rushing, because we wanted relaxation too.
The bad street conditions will slow you down, so that you sometimes need approx. 10-20 min for 1 mile. So plan your day trip wisely!
For example, I really wanted to go to the Atuh beach in the South, but we couldn’t without skipping some viewpoints or the Angel’s Billabong. That’s what I also didn’t want. So we stuck to one little area that kept us busy the whole day.
During that day trip, I noticed that one day is not enough to soak in and enjoy all this astonishing beauty in Nusa Penida. I would go back for sure and stay for a week or even longer. This place is just magical and stole my heart!
Enough words – it’s time for some pictures! Ready?! Here are my awe-inspiring photos of this paradise called Nusa Penida:
