This is probably the most important segment to read of our whole trip if you are planning on visiting this area of Bali. We pondered back and forth on visiting the Gili islands, or Nusa Penida, but ultimately decided we didn’t have time for the Gili islands. They are a little farther away, and an overnight would be required. So let’s dive right into this crazy place called NUSA PENIDA!!

Getting there. Thats the first step. There is no real easy way. You must get on a ferry in Sanur, and Sanur is about 30-40 minutes away from any of the places you would be staying. Because I highly doubt anyone is staying in Sanur. Most routes take you through Denpasar the capitol city, and there is just a lot of traffic always. Hiring a driver is my best suggestion, however we rode our scooter the whole 45 minutes because it was, believe it or not the fastest way to get there. You want to be on one of the first ferries over to the island, so this means zipping through traffic. I would not suggest riding a scooter for that long. It was painful ha! But alas it was quicker.

Once you get to Sanur there are several ferries. I honestly don’t remember which one we ended up taking, but they were all around $50 total for both of us to get over there. Then the ferry ride takes about 30 minutes itself. Just be prepared for a long day. When you walk off the ferry you are handed a map. Its a terribly sketched version of the island, but keep it, because cell service is spotty, and you might need it. You now have the choice of transportation. I would definitely hire a driver, this is something you would want to arrange ahead of time. You could chose a tour with all the stops you want to see, but then you are at the mercy of other people’s schedules. There is just way too much to see on this island. You are going to want to be calling the shots. The worst thing would be to get to a beach you may never see in your life again and have someone tell you sorry, we can’t stop! NO WAY!! But like dummies, we rented a scooter. I guess we just thought we were true Balinese, but NO…….

Here is why renting a scooter is a bad idea on this island. Some of the roads are paved, most are gravel and some are sand. No matter how good of a driver you are, you will spin out, slip, and fall. AND you are climbing a mountain, so you have to go down eventually. There were so many roads where I literally thought we might summersault over and die. I actually cried for our lives a few times. Even Brooks was scared. So, just don’t do it.

You can chose to do the east side or the west side. You most likely won’t have time to do both in a day trip. I actually suggest staying on the island if you want to explore a little more. This would give you a chance to have some relaxing beach time. And if you’ve been staying in Canggu you might be ready to chill on the beach with a cocktail. We decided to start with the site furthest away and work our way back to the port. So Kling Kling beach was our first stop.

The thing I did not realize when getting to the island is that everything is far far away. It looks so close on the map, but this a remote place. There is no easy way around. You have to weave in and out of things. It takes two hours from the port to Kling Kling one way!!! This eats up a big chunk of time. But, it is a must see!!!! We finally got there, saw the beach from above and were blown away. It’s just like the picture. We deicded to trek down, but not all the way down to the private beach. Here are the reasons why. We had already spent 2 hours driving to the beach, then the hike halfway down takes at least another hour and it would of been yet another hour to make it to the beach. I had read that the second portion of the hike is very broken and straight down. There is also no shade. NONE! And that Bali sun is no joke. A couple of bloggers said they got heat stroke on the way back up and then couldn’t enjoy the rest of their day. The beach would of been amazing, but even the people that made it all the way down that day said it wasn’t worth it. It was hard for Brooks to see the finish line, and not cross it, but I convinced him we had gone far enough and that there was more to see.

Next stop was Angel’s billabong and broken beach. An hour drive from Kling Kling to this spot and more beating sun. We snagged some lunch from a vendor at the top of the hill and a Bintang with a view. The food was nothing to write home about so I opted for French fries. #whenindoubt Then we headed down the cliff. There are some days when the tide is just right that you can actually swim in a little section of angel’s billabong. This particular day was too dry. We snapped some photos at the top of the rock, check our watch and noticed the day was really getting away from us. We decided to skip broken beach because we knew our next spot was still an hour away and we were anxious to get the life threatening gravel road ride over with.

Crystal Bay. This is the area Brooks was most excited for. A snorkeling haven. It was pretty incredible, and the biggest reason I decided to get scuba certified. There was a beautiful bright colored reef just feet from the shore here. We grabbed our snorkel gear and swam about 50 feet out and boom. Some of the coolest fish I’ve ever seen. Once we were done snorkeling I realized that we wouldn’t be able to make it to diamond beach or Nusa Lembongan so we decided to grab a few beers and post up on the beach to end the day. I was a little sad, to be missing some of the spots I so badly wanted to see, but then I looked around at my surroundings and instantly that feeling went away.

Other places to see.

Diamond beach

Manta Point

Nusa Lembongan

Nusa Ceningan

Stay at the famous treehouse

I will talk more about all the swings in Bali on my next post about Ubud. But my suggestion is to definitely find a swing on Nusa Penida!! So unique. And as far as the treehouse goes, you have to book well in advance (up to a year)

Read this blog for great suggestions on places to eat and stay on Nusa Penida. Or you could also stay on Nusa Lembongan, which would be my suggestion. I mean of course if you happened to snag a night in the famous Nusa Penida tree house, do it!!!

**Things to keep in mind. This island is very remote. You will pay to use the restroom, there aren’t many places to stop and get food or water, and the people here don’t speak English as well as on Bali. You will most likely lose cell service several times. Hiring a driver is the best thing you can do here!!

Nusa Penida is one of those places you must see!! The sites are unreal, and its guaranteed to change year by year. This place is fairly new and mostly uninhabited but that will quickly change. It. is becoming a tourist hot spot. Get to Nusa Penida NOW!!!