Visiting Nusa Penida for the first time: Must-see sites, dream beaches and viewpoints

Nusa Penida is the dream island that faces the east coast of Bali and attracts more and more tourists year after year with its breathtaking views from its high limestone cliffs, its dream beaches, its lush jungle and its seabed inhabited by manta rays to be met by scuba diving or simply snorkeling.

The island of Nusa Penida has long been neglected by tourists because, for the Balinese, it houses a demon that blows all possible misfortunes on the island of the Gods. It is therefore not for nothing that the nickname of Nusa Penida is the island of demons. And yet, what natural beauties to discover in Nusa Penida!

It is in 2015 that tourism began to develop, especially thanks to Instagram, because the sites offering pure visual slaps on heavenly coves with turquoise waters are numerous from the top of the cliffs that border the island.

On the other hand, to access below the paradisiacal beaches of Nusa Penida, it is often another story. We tell you everything in this new article of our travel blog following a week of exploration of the little sister of Bali in December 2020 while the world is plunged into a health crisis without precedent.

All our tips for visiting Nusa Penida for the first time

1.1 How long to stay in Nusa Penida?

We spent 10 days exploring Nusa Penida. Most travelers stay 4 days and 3 nights but we didn’t want to settle for the most touristic spots. So we take the time to explore other treasures of the island. The most hurried travelers can make a round trip in the day from Bali but they will obviously see only 2 or 3 Instagrammable sites.

1.2 What about travel insurance for travel to Indonesia and Nusa Penida

To subscribe to a travel insurance is mandatory to travel in Indonesia. It is also necessary to have a certificate related to the Covid.

It is also better to always be alert about health costs when traveling abroad and even more so when traveling to the end of the world like Nusa Penida. We therefore advise you to check your current contracts and contact Chapka, one of the specialists in travel insurance. Chapka insures us for years and we have never had any problems with them. You can read our article on travel insurance where we detail their services. By filling out this short form, you will see in the blink of an eye which formula best suits your needs.

1.3 How to get to Nusa Penida?

Getting to Nusa Penida from Bali is really easy and the travel time is relatively short. As for all boat trips, everything depends on the swell of course.

There are 2 possible departure points and 2 possible arrival points.

You can leave from Sanur or Kusamba in Bali and arrive at Toyapakeh or Sampalan on Nusa Penida.

From Sanur, the trip takes about 30 minutes by speed boat. We leave with our feet in the water but we arrive at a pontoon in Nusa Penida. The price of the journey is 150 000 Rps/pers. We opted for the company Angel Billabong but there is plethora of maritime companies. For information, we see Nusa Lembongan during the crossing and the volcano Agung if the weather is clear enough.

2. Our itinerary to discover Nusa Penida with map

Exploration of North Nusa Penida

Day 1: Arrival in Penida from Sanur. Scooter rental on the spot and installation at the hotel. Walk to Cristal Bay and Pandan beach. Dinner at Penida Colada beach bar.
Day 2 : ½ day diving with Julia and Antoine from Purple Dive Penida. Dinner at Secret Penida Café.
Exploration of the South and East of Nusa Penida

Day 3: Departure by scooter to the south of Nusa Penida. Check-in at The Raja Lima resort & Spa.
Day 4: Discovery of more or less known viewpoints.
Day 5: Diamond beach and visit of a temple in a huge cave, Giri Putri.
Day 6: Suwehan beach and Atuh beach.