10 Cool Things To Do In Nusa Penida

Deciding that we wanted to head out to Indonesia was easy enough. Deciding which part of Indonesia we wanted to visit however was much much harder. We finally decided to head to Nusa Penida since we had already visited Bali before. It had adventure, beaches, gorgeous landscapes and if we were smart, we could avoid the troves of tourists that came in on tours.

In hindsight, I think I underestimated how much Nusa Penida offered and I probably would have shaved off a day on Nusa Lembongan and stayed longer on the island. I mean three days on Nusa Penida can go by in a blink of an eye. You could even spend a week here if you only want to chill.

If you don’t believe me, take a look for yourself. Here is a guide to all the things to do in Nusa Penida, how to do them and where to stay if you want to be on Nusa Penida for long.

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Getting To Nusa Penida

I guess how to get to Nusa Penida depends on where you are and how long you want to visit. For example, a lot of people take day tours to the island which means that the tour company provides the transfer across. Others may choose to visit the island for a day or stay longer.

If you are heading to Nusa Penida from Bali, the ports are at Sanur and at Pandagbai, from Nusa Lembongan its at the yellow bridge and there are even boats that cross over from the Gili islands. You may want to check out the related articles to see more details about the transport across.

How To Visit All The Noteworthy Sights

I think one of the ways to divide the things to do in Nusa Penida is based on how you want to do them. You can catch all the different famous sights in one of the following ways depending on your quest for adventure, comfort levels and budget.

Hire a taxi for a day: Yes, you can hire a taxi on the island and the driver will take you to all the local sights of importance. This does increase your comfort levels a lot since the roads are really bad in stretches. That combined with the hot weather makes it a tempting idea. I particularly think that this works well with larger groups because the cost involved is higher.

Get a guide: There are numerous local guides on the island and if they don’t itch to you when you arrive, you can always ask at your accommodation for someone to show you around. Some guides will take you across the island on the bike the ride. Alternatively, if you are in a larger group, you can follow the guide on motorbikes of your own.

Rent a motorbike: This is the option that we chose since we love riding around on a bike, it isn’t fast paced and we could get off the beaten track whenever we wanted to. Motorbikes can easily be obtained for 70,000 IDR/day which is higher than the rate in mainland Bali.

Be careful though. The roads are bad and if you can’t ride a motorbike, this is not the place you want to learn at.

Where To Stay In Nusa Penida?

If you look at the map above, you will find out just how many places are available in Nusa Penida. To say that we were spoilt for choice was an understatement. They do sell out pretty quickly especially during the peak season. That is despite the fact that most people prefer to visit the island as part of tour.

If you want to explore the island on your own with a motorbike, I highly recommend choosing something towards the north as there is a road that bisects the island and reduce the time to the destinations remarkably. It also enables you to head east to visit some of the lesser visited spots which are really worth your while.

Govardhan Bungalows were our choice because of their high ratings and the number of reviewers. It did not disappoint us one wee bit. In fact, they even offered to collect and drop us to the ferry point for free. The rooms themselves were spacious and comfortable. The Wifi was excellent which is supposed to be a hard find on the island.

After a day of roaming around on the motorbike (which we rented from them!), we found ourselves relaxing in the pool. That being said, my favourite part of the whole day was getting up in the morning and watching the sunrise over the ocean while we ate our breakfast.

Things To Do In Nusa Penida

Now we get to the fun part. Let’s talk about all the things to do in Nusa Penida. I can assure you that there are plenty of places to see and loads of adventures to embark on. I think the idea is to first decide on what kind of vacation you want. Do you want to be adventurous or do you want luxury? Or would you like them both? Who said that you can’t have your cake and eat it too?

Places With A View

The rocky coast line of the island just means that a large number of the things to do on Nusa Penida involve breath taking views. It also means that there are gorgeous beaches that are secluded because you really need to put your legs to good use if you want to see them up close!

That is because most of them are at the bottom of cliffs and you have to climb down to visit them. Though you do get a pretty good view from the top too!

1. Crystal Bay

Crystal beach on a calm day.

One of the most popular things to do in Nusa Penida to kick back and relax is Crystal bay. This gorgeous strip of sand is probably the most visited beach on the island. There are rows of small stalls that offer you a chance to catch a bite to eat. Sun chairs however come with a price.

A small stream opens up at one end of the beach and if you are in an ambitious mood, you can hike to Palm beach on the other side. Shawn snorkelled a bit at this beach and he said that while coral wasn’t abundant, there were a lot of fish that were worth snorkelling for.

2. Angel’s Billabong

A glimpse of Angel’s Billabong.

Another item on the list of things to do in Nusa Penida is Angel’s Billabong. This natural pool of water can easily be accessed during low tide and a lot of people find it refreshing to take a dip in it. At high tide, the water lashes across the cliff face making it dangerous.

Irrespective when you reach, you will be treated to gorgeous views. Wondering how to avoid the crowds? I would suggest reading our more detailed article about visiting this particular landmark.

3. Broken Beach

You can see why Broken beach is a popular item on our things to do in Nusa Penida list!

Ever heard of a broken beach? Neither had I. One of the most famous things to do in Nusa Penida is to visit a place called Broken beach. Situated walking distance away from Angel’s Billabong, this intriguing landform is easy enough to get to and should not be left off your list.

The graceful archway allows water into the circular beach area and while you cannot head down to it, you are treated to a number of spectacular views from above. The way it was formed is also very interesting but you will have to read our article about Broken beach to find that out.

4. Kelingking Beach And T-Rex Bay

Kelingking beach and T-rex bay are some of the most popular things to do in Nusa Penida.

Another popular place to visit in Nusa Penida is the T-Rex bay. Both T-Rex bay and Kelingking beach are lumped together because Kelingking beach lies in the nook of T-Rex bay.

You have to trek to get to get to it but it certainly is worth it. Like Angel’s Billabong, this item on our list of things to do in Nusa Penida is very very popular. Which means that you can land up jostling with loads of tourists for the perfect photograph.

Luckily we found out how to avoid the crowds and found some pretty cool less visited spots to get some amazing views. Since I have already written a detailed article about it, I won’t repeat myself but you can check it out at the link below.

5. Thousand Islands View Point

My favourite on the things to do in Nusa Penida list is this gorgeous spot.

Thousand islands view point is one of the lesser visit spots on the things to do in Nusa Penida list. This is largely due to its distance from the more commonly visited sights and the condition of the roads which makes it time consuming.

If you love beaches, cliff faces and long rides through the forests then this is definitely a place that you should head out too. You can check out our detailed guide to reaching it in the related articles below.

6. Atuh Beach

While we really did not make it to this beach, we saw it from our perch on the Thousand islands view point and it was gorgeous. If you aren’t too tired and if you have the time, I definitely recommend heading out to it. The gorgeous piece of white sand looked so inviting that I would definitely have gone back if we had the time.

Temples On Nusa Penida

One of the underrated things to do in Nusa Penida is to visit temples. Quite unsurprisingly, the island has a lot of temples on it which are dedicated to different Hindu Gods.

What did surprise us was the uniqueness of many of the temples in relation to their location. From the depths of a network of caves to the top of the hills, they are certainly worth visiting.

7. Goa Giri Putri Temple

Entering the Goa Giri Putri temple.

The most popular temple on the island is probably the Goa Giri Putri temple. With a tiny entrance at the top of the hill, the temple lies within a network of high arched caves.

Devotees and tourists flock to see it and you have to wait a bit to get in. Intrigued and want to visit? You can read more about Goa Giri Putri Temple in our article that I have linked to below.

8. Pura Tunjuk Pusuh Temple

A glimpse of the carvings.

Pura Tunjuk Pusuh Temple is a lesser visited temple made it on our list since we were skirting around the east of the island. Wondering if you should add it to your list of things to do in Nusa Penida? Well, I would say yes if you are in the area, otherwise it is a long drive to reach it.

The temple lies at the top of a hill which gives you a gorgeous view of the forests below and the ocean ahead of them. The temple is made of white stone and is rather pretty. I’m glad that we took the detour to visit it.

9. Car Temple

One of the two cars in the Car temple.

Yes! You read right. There is a Car temple on the island and it is situated very close to the T-Rex bay which makes it very accessible.

The Car temple has two cars that have been carved out of stone in it. One of them isn’t in the best condition while the second one is painted. It even has a number plate! We asked about it but were not able to glean any information. Definitely worth visiting for a few minutes while you are there.

10. Peguyangan Waterfall

If you want to chase waterfalls in Bali then why not try searching for some on the island too? Peguyangan Waterfall is one of the best things to do on the island. Okay, I’ll give it to you. Heading up and down the stairs can be a serious workout but you know what… No pain, no gain!

So toss on those walking shoes and head out. You will find that the Peguyangan Waterfall offers some mindboggling views and you can even visit the sacred temple that is near by. In fact, the temple is closely linked to the waterfall. It is here that pilgrims head to for their blessings.

Adventures That You Can Embark On

If you think that all the things to do in Nusa Penida are all about catching the sights then you are really wrong. There are quite a number of activities that will get adrenaline pumping through your veins. Some of the popular ones are snorkelling and diving.

Did I mention that you can snorkel and dive with the Manta rays? That is another activity that makes Nusa Penida famous. Hiking down the cliff faces to different beaches is definitely one of the things that Shawn loved. You can also head to the different waterfalls on the island.

The number of things to do in Nusa Penida really leaves me in awe. In retrospect, our four days on the island were just not enough. I could easily have spent a week lounging around the different parts of the island. The friendly locals, good food and beautiful environment were what made it perfect for me.

Have you been to the island? What were the things to do in Nusa Penida that you indulged in? Let us know in the comments below.

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