Nusa Penida is a small island off the coast of Bali, Indonesia. It’s home to the famous Kelingking beach, also known as T-Rex beach or bay. Many people join a tour from Bali, but if you are comfortable driving a motorbike, you can easily do it yourself too. If you only have one day in Nusa Penida, follow the itinerary below and visit all the highlights in only one day.
This itinerary is also perfect for those of you who have more time to spend in Nusa Penida. That means you can take it slower and maybe at a snorkeling tour to your itinerary too.
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Table of Contents - One Day in Nusa Penida: The perfect self-guided itinerary
Tip: Even though it’s technically possible to do this itinerary from Bali, it’s really rushed and you won’t have much time to enjoy each place. It’s a pretty full itinerary for one day, and you don’t want to be stressing about being able to catch the boat back to Bali.
How to get to Nusa Pendia
Fast boats leave throughout the day from Bali’s Sanur Port, which is the most common way of getting there. Prices vary amongst agencies, the cheapest I found was 150.000 Rp. one way (about € 9/$9.50) with Angels Billabong and Idola. You can also take the public slower boat from Padangbai, which is only 31.000 Rp (less than 2 EUR/USD). This is a great option if you’re coming from Sidemen or Amed for example. If you need to take a Grab/Gojek from Sanur in order to get here, I wouldn’t worry about it because it’ll work out the same price (for 2 people) and it’s a lot more hassle.
There are fast boats to and from Lombok and the Gili Islands too. Semaya One is the cheapest with 250,000 Rp.
Note that Nusa Penida has 3 different ports, so pay attention to this when you pick your boat/accommodation. Starfish and Angels Billabong serve the Toya Pakeh port, Idola and the public ferry Sampalan and Semaya One has it’s own pier close to the Sampalan port. Toya Pakeh and Sampalan ports are a 15-20 minute motorbike ride away from each other.
Where to stay on Nusa Penida
I recommend staying in one of the port areas if you are only going to be here for one day. We stayed at D’Kubon, which was really good value for money. It’s also conveniently located right in front of the Semaya One pier (and walking distance from Sampalan). They have a small pool and a simple breakfast is included. The Tropical Brew café in front is owned by the owner’s son and makes delicious smoothie bowls and coffees.
Where to eat on Nusa Penida
Besides Tropical Brew for smoothie bowls and coffee, Nemu Kitchen is the one and only place to go. If you’re staying at D’Kubon Palace, it’s literally just down the road. They have a very wide variety of different cuisines and everything is just delicious. And very reasonably priced. The staff is also super friendly and the whole atmosphere is just great. They have a cocktail happy hour in the evening too, and the cocktails are as good as their food.
How to get around Nusa Penida
The only option to get around Nusa Penida yourself is by renting a motorbike. It’s not possible to rent a car as a tourist, only motorbikes. You can rent one for as little as 70.000-80.000 Rp. a day (4-5 EUR/USD. Make sure to explicitly ask for helmets, as they don’t always give them to you. We rented our bike for 70,000 Rp. a day at Sampalan harbor. Rent the bike the day you arrive, so you can start early tomorrow.
If you’re not comfortable driving a motorbike, it’s best to join a tour or hire a car and driver for the day. The roads are not in great condition and they are quite narrow. With the many curves in the road, the potholes, and the huge amount of big cars on the road, driving becomes a challenge.
Swimming at Nusa Penida
Nusa Penida’s beaches are more for taking pictures than swimming. The currents here are incredibly strong and dangerous. The most famous beaches Kelingking and Diamond Beach are NOT recommended for swimming. If you are a very confident swimmer and you are used to swimming in strong currents, you could get away with it. But many people get into the water overly confident and get into trouble. We spent quite some time on the island and saw many people nearly drown. Some managed to get out themselves, others had to be rescued. I don’t want to think about the amount of people who weren’t so lucky and drowned here. So be very careful here and don’t think it won’t happen to you, that’s what those other people thought too.
There are some places on the island that are better suited for swimming if the tides allow. I will indicate those in the itinerary below. However, if your main idea is to chill on a beach and to go swimming and snorkeling, the Gili Islands are better suited for you.
One day in Nusa Penida itinerary
Leave your hotel early in the morning, to make the most out of your day. If you didn’t rent a motorbike yet, do so the moment they open. Note that in order to visit all locations on the map below, you’ll need about 4 hours of driving time. If you want to spend an hour in each place too, it’s going to be a 10-hour day. If this sounds like a bit too much for you, you can easily spread this itinerary over 1.5 or 2 days and go on a more relaxed pace.
It’s a circular route, so you can start from anywhere. If you want to see the sunrise and/or sunset, it’s best to start with Diamond Beach and go clockwise.
Stop 1: Diamond Beach and Atuh Beach
Diamond Beach is prettiest in the morning, as the sun hits the beach and the water. The colors are at their best early in the day. Another plus is that there are not so many people yet. This is the only beach on the island for which you need to pay entry in addition to parking (at the time of writing). Parking is 5,000 Rp per bike and the entry is 25,000 per person. It’s the same way to both Diamond Beach and Atuh Beach, the entrance is for both beaches. No need to pay again.
Diamond Beach
It’s only possible to go down to Diamond Beach when the tide is low. If the tide is at its highest, the beach disappears. But if the tide is low enough, it’s possible to make your way down. You do need to go down very narrow and busy stairs. It’s already quite difficult for people to pass each other and unfortunately, Instagram has made the top part of the stairs a photo hotspot. So many people want to take their picture here, blocking the way for people wanting to go up and down. Especially later in the day. At the lower part of the stairs, you’ll need to use a rope to help you get down and back up, as the steps here are too eroded to just walk. It’s not so difficult, but some people get nervous and need to take their time, causing a queue here.
So by going early you can avoid all of this and take your picture on the stairs without blocking others if you want to. There are plenty of other nice viewpoints on the cliff where you can take pictures too.
Atuh Beach
Atuh beach is the beach right next to Diamond Beach. The beach you see on your left hand side when you make your way to the beaches.
Contrary to Diamond Beach, Atuh is actually nicer at high tide as the water covers all the rocks that are in front of the beach. The stairs going down to Atuh are wider and in a better state than the stairs to Diamond Beach, making it a lot easier to visit this beach.
Atuh is one of the few beaches on Nusa Penida that is good for swimming. The rock formations in front break most of the waves, so the current is not so strong here. If the tide is low the water is too far back to swim. But at higher tide, Atuh provides a nice swimming spot. Still, be careful of course, and only enter the water if you know how to swim.
This part is also home to the famous treehouse. One of the many Instagram hotspots of Nusa Penida. There is also a really nice viewpoint on the cliff between Atuh and Diamond Beach, from where you can occasionally see turtles and manta’s swimming below. Especially on the side of Atuh Beach.
Stop 2: Tembeling Beach and Forest
The next stop on this itinerary is Tembeling Beach and Forest. As the name already indicates, you’re passing a forest, which leads to a small beach. The best part of Tembeling is it’s fresh waterhole though. It’s only small, so for this spot too: the earlier the better.
Note that you’ll need to park your bike on the main road already, not where I put the pin on the map. I think that if you really insist they will let you pass and drive on your own, but the road is very narrow, there are some steep parts and it’s generally in really bad condition. So the guys at the parking will tell you it’s not possible to drive down, and you’ll either need to walk or take one of their motor taxi’s down. We walked, and it took us about half an hour.
Stop 3: Kelingking Beach
Kelingking Beach is the most iconic of Nusa Penida’s beaches. It’s the picture that pops up everywhere when you search for Nusa Penida. This beach is actually best enjoyed from above, especially if you only have one day to explore Nusa Penida. Getting down is very tricky. If you thought Diamond Beach was challenging, it’s better to not attempt to go down to this beach. Also, if you only have one day and you want to visit all the places that I mentioned here, you probably won’t have enough time to go down this one.
If you do decide to go down, do so very carefully. The first part is fine, the steps are well carved and it’s not so difficult. But then, the stairs turn toward the right and slowly disappear. The steps become less and less clear until they completely disappear and you’re climbing down rocks. Do consider wearing sneakers if you’re planning on going down. Otherwise, go barefoot. It’s a long, challenging, and crowded way down, but once you’re down the beach is really pretty. But unfortunately not suited for swimming. Again, if you’re super confident swimming in these kinds of waters you’ll be fine, but if not please don’t try. It’s not worth the risk.
Stop 4: Broken Beach and Angels Billabong
Broken Beach is a beach with a beautiful arch which you an cross. It provides really nice views, but it’s not possible to go down to this beach. If you want to swim, you can do so at Angel’s Billabong, which is a natural infinity pool. It is only safe to swim here during low tide, however. At high tide, waves crash into the pool and leave with so much force, that they can drag you out. So only swim here at low tide and stay a safe distance from the edge of the pool. Waves can be unpredictable, even at low tide.
Stop 5: Crystal Bay
Crystal Bay is the easiest to get to of all the places in this itinerary. It’s not the nicest beach, as it’s quite small and super commercial. It is however the best place to have lunch on the beach, as there are plenty of warungs here. It’s also one of the few places where you can swim at Nusa Penida. So if you want something to eat or drink and go for a swim, this is your stop. If not, I’d say it’s better to spend some more time at the other places in this itinerary and skip Crystal Bay.
Stop 6: Garmat Bay
If you didn’t like the sound of Crystal Bay, but do have time for an extra stop, head to Garmat Bay instead. This beach is a lot more natural. And if the tide is high enough, you can swim here. It’s really good for snorkeling actually! But, it’s only possible to enter the water from the beach at high tide. At low tide the water pulls back so far and the corals are exposed. So you’d have to walk over the living corals to get to the water, damaging them at the very least, and possibly killing them. I’ve seen people do it, but please don’t. Just because other people do it, doesn’t mean it’s ok. They might not know, or don’t care. But you’d damage the very thing you’re so excited to see.
Stop 7: Sunset
So I didn’t mark this one, as it kind of depends on where on the island you are at the time of sunset. Garmat Bay doesn’t have a nice view for sunset, it gets blocked by rocks. But you can watch the sunset from the Broken Beach area, or find a nice beach bar between Toya Pakeh Harbor and Sampalan Harbor. It might not have the perfect view of the sun dropping behind the water, but you’ll find a nice place to enjoy the sunset, with Bali as a backdrop.
This was: One Day in Nusa Penida – The perfect self-guided itinerary
If you have more time than just one day to spend on Nusa Penida, I do recommend spreading the itinerary over 2 days. This gives you some extra time to enjoy the beaches as some are a little challenging to get to. This also allows you to go down to Diamond Beach and Kelingking Beach without feeling too rushed.
Snorkeling with manta rays is a popular thing to do in Nusa Penida, which I didn’t include in this itinerary. Because I have to say, I can’t really recommend it. We only heard positive things about it, but when we got there, it was just sooo crowded! And you only get 15 minutes to snorkel with them. So it’s kind of like, get in, get some footage, and get out. It was definitely not the experience I wanted or expected, as there was no time or space to really observe these beautiful animals and enjoy their presence. There are too many people around and it all feels a bit stressful.
There are some diving schools on the island though, so if you really want to go, I recommend talking to them to see if they can offer you a better experience. They might give you more time and maybe a different time of day too. Or, you could opt for a snorkeling tour that doesn’t include Manta Point and enjoy the beautiful corals and fish around the island. We actually enjoyed the corals a lot more than the manta’s.
