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NUSA ISLANDS TOUR GUIDE: LEMBONGAN, CENINGAN & PENIDA

Updated: May 30

After spending our first month in Indonesia in Canggu we decided to move on and seek a little more adventure. Our options were rather limited due to the rainy season so that ruled out most of North Bali. Instead, we decided to run away from the rain and explore some of the beautiful Nusa islands nearby. We did this in around 10-12 days total, but the bulk of our time was spent in Nusa Penida.


With so much to see in these amazing places, we wanted to share our guide to these beautiful islands so you don't miss a thing!


Nusa Lembongan & Nusa Ceningan

There is a reason I am combining these two islands into one section. They are joined by a bridge, which gives it a feeling that it's one slightly larger island. Anyone looking to party the night away may want to look elsewhere until the pandemic eases up, as they were both incredibly quiet. It wasn't always the easiest thing to find somewhere to eat, but we never worried about where our next meal may come from. We just had to drive around for a little while before stumbling upon somewhere. With limited options, we found a few great spots and just continued revisiting them.


Bars and restaurants might close, but natural wonders are always alive and kicking! Here are still a few places you won't want to miss out on.


THE DEVILS TEARS

A great place to sit and enjoy a coconut from a nearby seller, but be careful getting too close to the edge! The ocean can be incredibly powerful here and waves can reach well up and over the cliffs. During our visit they were tame, but you could still see the power of the ocean in full effect. Many years of erosion have caused coves to form in the jagged rockface. When the powerful water enters these crevices it causes pressurised water to spurt out in a cloud of mist. It's an incredible sight!


You can visit this point any time of day, but it makes for an especially great sunset.

A young man is sitting on some rocks looking out at the ocean. The ocean is dark blue, which suggests it is very deep and the waves are crashing against the cliffs around. The man is wearing only black swim shorts, he has short dark brown hair an a tattoo on his left shoulder.
A great place to sit and watch the ocean

MANGROVE FORREST

You can hire a kayak here and spend a few hours floating and rowing through the amazing mangrove forest. Try to remember your directions as best you can as the cuttings snake through the forest all over the place, but you shouldn't find it too difficult to navigate through. There are some great sights, and you'll feel completely alone with nature the whole time. There are a few monitor lizards, which we only found about after we'd finished up! We were told they don't grow too big here though.


YELLOW BRIDGE POINT

This is the connecting bridge between Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. It's an interesting one to ride across, and if there are few people about you may get a great snap on the bridge. It's bright yellow so it's impossible to miss it!


BLUE LAGOON

If you're looking for a little adventure then this part of Nusa Ceningan is for you, as there is a cliff jumping spot here. There are 2 jumping platforms, with the first being as soon as you walk out on the cliffside. That's about 13m high, and the next one drops a few meters so it probably sits around 8m. It's scary and difficult to get out afterwards, so only the most bravest should attempt it! The amazing views here will satisfy anyone not too keen on jumping in.

This image is a young couple sat high on some cliffs and overlooking the wonderfully blue lagoon below them. The woman is on the right of the image and she is seated with light blue denim shorts on as well as a black biki top. Her blonde hair is tied in a low bun and she has sun glasses sat on top of her head. The man to her left has black swim shorts on, short dark brown hair and black sunglasses on his face. The rocks they are sitting on have some greenery either side of them, and they are both sitting very close to the edge which is a sheer drop to the beach below. The beach is peppered with rocks of various sizes, some of which go out into the lagoon in a line that divides it in two. The crystal clear blue waters below look very calm, and they are surrounded on all sides by very high cliffs covered in grass and, plants and trees.
Ceningan was a tiny island with some amazing views

 

NUSA PENIDA

This was our favourite island of the three, and possibly our favourite place in Bali so far. While approaching the island by boat it immediately reminded us of something straight out of Jurassic Park. It's a big island with lots to see, but be prepared for some serious trekking! Here are our favourite places...


KELINGKING

This incredible place is one of the most popular destinations in the world for people to visit for pictures, but it's so much more than a place for a quick snap. You may find the usual spot people want pictures from is taken up by tour groups, so instead take a short walk down the steps and the crowd disappears pretty quickly. The view is just as good and you'll get all the time you want to get the best picture possible! From here you can keep going down the long route to the beach below. A very small percentage of people take this journey. It's tough, and at times you have to essentially rock climb to get down, but the beach is incredible, to say the least.


Be careful if you want to go in for a dip, the currents are very strong.

A couple are looking out on the very popular and famous Kelingking beach, in Nusa Penida. The man is is baby blue shorts, a white vest and has short brown hair. He is stood to the back with his right hand on the hips of the woman stood just in front of him. The young woman is wearing a flowing white dress with her blonde hair cascading down her back. The are both turned away from the camera looking at the beach and cliffs ahead and below. The light blue water surrounding the white sand beach looks amazing and the large cliff overhead is covered in all kinds of greenery. The cliff is also known as the T-Rex cliff due to its shape. It stretches out and then has a curve around the end that looks similar to the shape of the famous dinosaur. The ocean stretches around the cliffs and out into the horizon.
This place is as incredible from up high, or down below on the beach

DIAMOND BEACH

Like a lot of places in Nusa Penida, there are a lot of steps to take to get down to this beach. Try and go early in the day as the cliffs block out a lot of the sun in the afternoon, but it's a great place to get pictures up high or down below. At least the steps down to this beach are steps!


RUMAH POHON TREEHOUSE

This beautifully located place allows you to get some incredible pictures with one of the greatest backgrounds you're likely to come across. These old treehouses are a little rickety now, but there was a time you could rent and stay in one. Now they're only used for scenic snaps.

This incredible image is a young couple sitting and standing on some steps, which lead up to a secluded and quaint treehouse style bungalow. This simple place has one of the best views around as it looks out, from on high, at the incredible ocean, beaches and rocks and cliffs below. The woman is standing on the steps a few steps below where the man is sitting and she is wearing a flowing white dress with her blonde hair cascading down her back. Her left hand is placed on the mans right hand as he sits above her with dark blue shorts on and a white t-shirt. They are looking away from the camera, out at the beautiful scenery. The treehouse looks like it has seen better days, but the view more than makes up for that It has a straw roof and the wood looks a little old. The view before them has everything from beautiful blue waters, to a white sand beach and large rock formations covered in trees and plants.
Rumah Pohon is likely one of the best views we have ever seen

TEMBELING BEACH, FORREST, SPRINGS

Be very careful getting down, it's a bike ride for the confident and experienced only. The route down is similar to a rollercoaster track. It's narrow and has some pretty bad drops if you slipped. Some drivers sit at the top and bottom and will drive your scooter up or down for you for a small fee. Once you're down it's a great place to sit on the beach or visit the natural pools that have formed here.


PEGUYANGAN WATERFALL

There are around 700 steps to get here, and most are very steep while looking directly down the cliff at the water crashing on the rocks below. The scenes when you get to the natural pool at the end however are incredible. You can sit in the lagoon, swim a little and watch as the waves crash right before your eyes. Be careful and watch a few waves before getting in, as they can come up, over and into the pool itself!

This image is of a young woman in a black two piece bikini as she stands in a natural rock pool with fresh water in it that falls down from the rocks above. She is pushing herself up out of the pool with her arms as she looks out at the cliffs before her. The water in the pool is a beautiful emerald colour but you can see perfectly to the bottom and the rocks that sit there. The woman has her blonde hair tied up in a bun likely to keep it from getting wet.
We loved floating, swimming and watching the waves crash on the rocks from up close

BROKEN BEACH

Like many places in Nusa Penida, this makes for some great pictures. The natural bridge that has formed from the ocean likely over millions of years creates a nice backdrop. The beach below looks amazing from high up too.


CRYSTAL BAY

Great for scuba diving and snorkelling. The water is unbelievably clear, hence the name, and you're likely to see a few turtles swimming around. We saw them while snorkelling and scuba diving, so either should give you a great chance to see them swimming around.

This image shows a young man and woman standing on a raised platform as they gaze lovingly into each others eyes. the shot shows the whole of their bodies as they stand there, with the man on the right in nothing but black swim shorts and the woman in a white two piece bikini. The mans left hand is holding the woman's right hand and they are smiling towards each other. Around them you can see the leaves of the trees almost like a picture frame as it surrounds the pair. Ahead of them you can see the ocean which has various boats floating around and an island that sits in the middle and is perfectly placed between the middle of the pair. The sky has light cloud with spots of blue
This is where you want to be to see turtles and all other kinds of fish

MANTA POINT

Another spot we scuba dived, however, you can snorkel here too. We managed to dive with around 5 manta rays which is something we were both very eager to tick off our bucket list. You may see Sun Fish here, although that depends on the time of year. It's a great place for Scuba Diving and we recommend Tamarind in Nusa Lembongan.


WHAT ELSE IS THERE?

Unfortunately, we were unable to visit Goa Giri Putri Temple or Gammat Bay this time around. The temple is inside a cave, which you have to crawl around to get to. We've been told it's an incredible sight, and one we will aim to see next time we visit. Gammat Bay is supposed to be another incredible spot for snorkelling too.


There you have it! That covers our time across these incredible islands. Anytime we visit Indonesia we will make sure we come back and explore even more that these amazing islands have to offer. We can't wait to see them when Indonesia is bustling with backpackers once again.

 

If you're visiting Bali then make sure to check out our other blogs on Uluwatu, Ubud, Sidemen & Munduk.


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