Nusa Penida – Story of a day trip to an island of Bali, Indonesia

We all know that Indonesia is a country surrounded by the sea and combined by different islands. Bali is one them and this island state of Indonesia is one of the popular tourist destination in South-East Asia to all. But, Bali is divided into 4 islands. They are Bali Mainland, Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembagan and Gili Island. Among them, Nusa Penida is very close to the mainland of Bali. So, the tourists all around the world usually make a day trip over there by starting the journey in the morning and leaving the island in the evening. Some tourists also choose to stay here for few days to explore the whole island. But, its impossible to cover the whole island in a day. You can only be able discover the west-coast of Nusa Penida. In the west cost, you will be able to discover three majors spots are Kelingking Beach, Angels Billabong(Broken Bridge) and Crystal Bay.

Nusa Penida Island in a brief.

At first, I like to inform you something about the island. The Balinese meaning of “Nusa Penida” is the island into the water. This is an island having an area about 600 square meters. About 3000 local families live in there. The main professions of the locals are farming and fishing. Rest of others are involving in the tourism business. There is no local public transports over there. Every family has at least a scooter or motorcycle and motorcycle is a convenient transport over there. I must have to tell you that roads in Nusa Penida is very narrow and dangerous too. The entire Nusa Penida island is a hilly area itself that’s why the roads are moving up and down. Some roads are totally off-road and very rough. So, if you’re sitting on a car or riding a bike then it will be a roller coaster ride for you. So, I recommend that you shouldn’t ride a bike or drive a car over there. But, I saw many tourists to hire a bike to explore. They may be very brave enough. But, I made my trip with a group of travelers of different parts of the world. It was an amazing day trip for me in Nusa Penida. In my tour, I covered three tourist spots. I’ll be telling about those places in this blog.

Roads in Nusa Penida Island.

Kelingking Beach

It’s a beach but it’s almost 400 meters down from the main cliff. You have to hike down really deep to reach the main beach. But, you have to hike up back so, think twice before go there. If you’re planning to stay overnight then you can take a half day to explore this place. You may go down there, enjoy swimming and walk around the beach. Hiking up and down is very difficult out there. Because, the muddy stairs are almost broken and you have to be extra careful for hiking. If you slip on the way somehow, it might be a dangerous accident. You will need at least 45 minutes to an hour to climb back. Its a paradise for the photo lovers. You can take photos from different angles from different points of this spot. In my journey, I went down to the mid point then I came back after capturing some photos. I became almost half dead after climbing up back. It’s so difficult to climb up back. So, I suggest you that don’t go down so far and keep a water bottle with you. You should take time and shouldn’t be hurry. You will have a better view from the top and you will see the formation of rocks and cliffs beside the sea. You will be able to discover the combination of green cliffs and blue water that completes the natural beauty of this place. Besides that the breeze of the bay will refresh you always and blow your mind.

The Kelingking Beach.

Some views around it.

Walking down to the main beach. Check out the video to see more.

Angels Billabong

Here, I failed to discover the meaning of this name ” Angels Billabong”. I asked some locals about that. But, no clear answer was found. One of them answered that “Billabong” means pool or something sort of that and an angel was swimming into that pool and it was named like this due to that. Here, you will see how the flow of bay changes its track by itself. The limestone rock formation will amaze you. It looks like some arches standing on the sea. The formation of limestone rocks manages to capture sea water in between them and its looking like a pool or a pond inside the rocks standing around. You can enjoy a dip in the rock pool or swim if you’re feeling adventurous and there’s a pathway leading to a naturally formed rock pool. But don’t swim during high tide. The speed of the water flow reaches at its maximum level at that time. The flow of the water touches the top of the cliffs sometimes during high tide. It looks so amazing from the far but it could be very dangerous if you want to see this closely. You will find out a limestone rock arch is broken in the middle and through the broken point sea water is passing through. Then you’ve to understand that you are watching the broken bridge which is not far from the main spot of Angels Billabong. From the far view, It looks like a bridge which is broken somehow. You can walk on the bridge and enjoy a view of natural limestone arches over the blue waters. A trail will lead you to the bridge from the main spot. The views around the spot is so beautiful that you couldn’t imagine. And you will not be able to do other things if you are a traveler. Your mind will demand to stay here from yourself. Overall, this sightseeing will offer you the views of beautiful cliffs and pristine coastlines. There is a good news that you don’t have to hike. The roads are narrow as usual but so smooth .So, you won’t be so tired. You will be able to drink some naturally refreshed coconut water from the stalls near the main point.

Angels Billabong.

The Rock Pool.

Views of The Broken Bridge.

Crystal Bay

This is a sea beach. Here, nothing is so special. From the beach, you will be able to watch the beautiful cliffs around it. In the east side of the beach, you will see some big coral stones and there is a cliff which climbable through the stairs on the west. You will get some beautiful views from the top of the cliff. From the middle point of the beach, you will see a huge cliff standing into the water which looks like an island. You can go there by a boat. But it won’t be possible for the day trip travelers. The only special thing about this beach is the water which is crystal clear. Most of the travelers around the world come here at the late afternoon and they are usually swimming and enjoying the sunset view.

Some Views of Crystal Bay and around it.

How to go

If you are visiting Bali and staying in any of these areas like Kuta, Semenyak or Legian then you will find out a lot of tourist agencies outside of your hotel. You can book your trip through them. On an average, you may have to pay 450000 to 700000 IDR for each person to book a day trip in Nusa Penida. The pakage will include lunch, round trip of fastboat and car pick-up and drop service. You will have the option to bargain. It will take 40 minutes to reach Nusa Penida from Bali Sanur Beach Harbor through a fast boat. The boat journey through the bay will be very thrilling.

Pictures were taken during the boat journey.

That’s all about my day trip in Nusa Penida Island. If you want to explore more inside this island then you can stay 2 or more days in here. In my observation, there are lot to explore in this beautiful island of Bali province. And you will find out some fancy hotels and villas to stay. But I can tell you about this till now. I’m hopeful that I will come to this island again for exploring more.

So, travel more & be happy. Always remember that your mobility is your freedom.

Picture Source – Self Captured Photos.