Nusa Penida Travel Guide - What You Need to Know Before You Go
Sharing today my top tips for planning the perfect Nusa Penida trip!
If you’re looking for something new to do in Bali and you love a good adventure, then why not add Nusa Penida onto your itinerary! Situated just a 30 minute ferry ride from Sanur in Bali, Nusa Penida is the largest of the three islands that make up the Nusa Penida district and is a real off-the-beaten-path destination for Bali lovers.
1. HIRE A DRIVER
I highly recommend hiring a driver for the days that you are there so that you can easily find and reach all the places you are going to. Plus, drivers have the insider knowledge and local tips and can take you to delicious warungs as well along the way. If you need a driver, we found ours via Klook here. The roads on Nusa Penida are extremely bumpy so we wouldn’t recommend hiring a motorbike.
2. Double check ferry details
If you’ve pre-booked a ferry, make sure to note which company’s ferry you have booked. There are numerous ferry companies that operate between Sanur boat pier and Nusa Penida harbour so be sure you arrive at the correct ticket counter for your ferry. Also, if you have a connecting flight or somewhere else to be, be sure to allocate extra time for catching the ferry as sometimes there are departure delays due to tides. When catching the ferry, it’s recommended to wear shorts and flip flops/thongs as you will have to wade in knee-deep water on both ends.
3. Consider a 3-island Adventure
If you love adventure and the idea of visiting smaller islands, then you may want to consider checking out the other two islands in the Nusa Penida District as well - Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. We didn’t have the time to, however if you did I’m sure you could spend a good week checking out all three islands.
4. Plan your food stops
Nusa Penida is not as built up as Bali - it reminds me of when we visited Lombok 5 years ago (which I heard has changed so much since). There aren’t restaurants dotted in every street that you can simply just walk to, which is why it’s convenient to have a driver to drive you around. However, there are plenty of places to eat at most of the tourist attractions. E.g. Kelingking Beach, Broken Beach all had numerous warungs right outside the attractions. So with that in mind, plan your food stops accordingly. We chose to have breakfast and dinner at our accommodation Batan Sabo cottage every day and lunch out-and-about.
5. STAY AT ONE ACCOMMODATION FOR YOUR WHOLE TIME ON THE ISLAND
As Nusa Penida isn’t that big, it’s best to choose just one accommodation for your whole time on the island and to drive around to get about. It’s only around one-hour drive to most places max, so it’s better to save the hassle. I would recommend staying on either the west or east side, so that you have good access to one side, and can do the other side as a day trip.
6. BREAK YOUR ITINERARY INTO WEST & EAST SIDES
Most attractions are on the west side or east side, so break up your itinerary accordingly or follow our Two Day Nusa Penida Itinerary here. Some basic suggestions to keep in mind when planning your itinerary is that the sun sets in the west, so the west side beaches are normally more popular in the afternoon for sunset viewing, and the sun rises in the east, so the east side attractions are normally more popular for sunrise viewing.
7. GENERAL BEARINGS
The west side of Nusa Penida contains places like Kelingking Beach, Broken Beach, Angel’s Billabong, Crystal Bay & Tembeling Beach and Forest. The east side of Nusa Penida offers Diamond Beach, Atuh Beach, Rumah Pohon Treehouse, Thousand Island Viewpoint and Teletubbies Hill. The north side of Nusa Penida is where the harbour is, as well as the main town where you can find lots of warungs and other eateries. There is only one main road that goes around the entire boundary of the island, you can’t drive ‘across’ the island through the middle, you have to go around.
8. SAFETY FIRST
The magic in Nusa Penida lies in its natural, untouched beauty. There are plenty of places that we visited in Nusa Penida where I felt like it seemed to have a little less safety infrastructure as expected. With the growing number of tourists visiting Nusa Penida, I think the island has struggled to keep up with the safety measures to manage the crowds. There are plenty of cliff sides without fencing which seem dangerous if there are lots of crowds and accidental pushing and there are no lifeguards at any of the beaches, so be sure to bring your common sense with you and look out for each other. Don’t risk anything you’re not comfortable with.
9. TAKE YOUR RUBBISH WITH YOU
Lastly, there is way too much rubbish dotting the streets of Nusa Penida. I’m sure all our readers already know this but a gentle reminder to please don’t litter and take your rubbish with you to preserve the island’s beauty for years to come.