One Day Exploring Nusa Penida Island – Bali's Untouched Paradise

If you're looking to escape the hustle and bustle of city life, Nusa Penida island is the perfect destination. In addition to its lush green coastlines embracing captivating rock formations, nature has gifted this place with many stunning landscapes, enough to captivate travelers from afar. Besides, you can experience the authentic local life of the indigenous people because this place is still wild and pristine as not too many people have set foot here.

Nusa Penida is an island located west of Bali. From the central area, there are many ways to get to Sanur port. Since there are no electric trains in Bali and traffic congestion is common, we chose Klook as our travel companion. For just over 1 million VND per person, our group was assisted by Klook staff to pick us up from the hotel (in the Kuta area) to Sanur port.

Here, each ferry company has its own color and each passenger on the ferry will be issued a name tag to identify which company's ticket they have. If you happen to get lost, just follow the color of the tag. The ticket price for each one-way trip is from 100,000 IDR to 175,000 IDR depending on the company. There will be 3 departures from Sanur port and 3 returns from Sampalan port on the island each day.

From Sanur port, the boat took us to Nusa Penida island, approximately a one-hour journey. You can rent a motorbike to experience the local life on the remote island. Motorcycle rental costs around 75,000 IDR to 100,000 IDR per day, depending on your negotiation. Alternatively, you can rent a self-driving car with a driver and a local guide.

Thanks to booking a tour on Klook, we were greeted by Wayan & Kadek – two local guides – ready from the start. These two are Klook staff in Bali, so we felt quite reassured. Most roads on the island are paved, albeit narrow and with minimal traffic. The infrastructure here is still lacking, but the natural scenery is magnificent. Rows of lush coconut trees line the winding roads, with sections where you ascend and descend hills, traverse forests, cliffs, beaches, and navigate through sections of rocky terrain, providing a truly amazing and adventurous experience.

With only one day on the island, Wayan and Kadek took us to visit the main attractions such as Kelingking Beach, Angela Billabong Cliff, Broken Beach, and Crystal Bay – all part of Klook's itinerary. Most islands in Indonesia are formed by volcanoes, with strong seawater erosion carving deep into the cliffs, creating countless small bays nestled in the mountainsides. Day by day, the waves relentlessly crash against the rocky shores, creating a majestic and intriguing landscape.

The first destination that Wayan and Kadek took us to was Kelingking Beach. It took nearly an hour from Nusa Penida port to reach Kelingking Beach. Here, you can immerse yourself in the magnificent natural scenery. If you're a photography enthusiast, this place won't disappoint you. Looking down from above, you'll see the shape of a 'giant dinosaur' sticking its head into a cave, with its tail extending towards the sea. To the left of this 'dinosaur' is a small egg-shaped island, while to the right is a beach with white sand and deep blue water, with waves crashing onto the pristine white sand. This is definitely a must-visit spot when stepping foot on Nusa Penida island.

Next, Wayan and Kadek awaited us to explore the Angel Billabong Cliff. From afar, this cliff resembles a large lake because it is formed from volcanic eruption materials within the volcano. The lake sits between two cliffs, with crystal clear emerald-colored water. Occasionally, large waves from the open sea rush in, crash against the cliff, splash, and then dissipate, turning the entire lake into a pristine white color, resembling giant snow hills often seen in movies.

Not far from there is Broken Beach. Here, there's a legendary stone bridge dividing the boundary between the open sea and the deep blue natural lake inside. Day by day, seawater flows into the lake through a giant hole under the eroded mountain cliff, resembling someone breaking that rock. Perhaps that's why it's called Broken Beach?!

If you have time to stay on the island, you can walk along that stone bridge to admire the sunset. No one knows when that bridge was built, only that it's a masterpiece bestowed by nature upon the island, a must-see for anyone visiting Bali.

We had lunch at a local restaurant on the island. The price of this Klook tour includes lunch, so you don't have to worry about dining arrangements. The meal includes a dish (rice/noodles) and a complimentary drink. The restaurant's ambiance is quite luxurious, allowing you to 'live the dream' amidst the equatorial heat.

After lunch, our final stop was Crystal Bay. A destination with an extremely pristine beach possessing water as clear as crystal. However, Crystal Bay doesn't boast a white sand beach like other areas because it's impacted by volcanic ash. The waves here are quite strong, and each time they hit the shore, if you're not careful, you might get scratched by sharp pieces of rock or coral. Therefore, you should equip yourself with protective gear such as goggles/life jackets/... for swimming. Knowing our passion for photography, Wayan and Kadek enthusiastically helped us keep our belongings safe to ensure we had an unforgettable experience.

We only had one day to explore Nusa Penida, so we could only visit those destinations. If you have more leisure time, you should allocate 2-3 days to fully explore this island and other famous spots like watching the sunset at Bana Cliff Point, swimming in Temeling Forest lake, Rumah Pohon Tree House, Peguyangan Waterfall, Suwehan Beach, Atuh Beach, Bukit Teletubbies Hill, experiencing the swings at Saren Cliff Point, or diving to see corals in Gamat Bay,... If you're unsure how to get around, don't worry because Klook will assist you with everything.