If Bali is on your bucket list, chances are you’ve seen some pretty spectacular photos of Nusa Penida. The island with impossibly blue water, towering cliffs, and that T-rex shaped beach. Located off the south east coast of Bali, Nusa Penida is home to some of the most incredible scenery in the world.

We’ve put together this ultimate guide with the 21 best things to do in Nusa Penida, as well as how to get there, the best time to visit and where to stay.

Best time to visit Nusa Penida

Bali is the last place you want to be during the wet season, so you’ll want to time your trip to Nusa Penida with dry season, which is from April to October.

You can try your luck with the shoulder months of March and November for fewer tourists, but you may still cop some rainy days.

Unlike many other coastal places in Bali, Nusa Penida doesn’t really have any surf, so you don’t have to consider that in your travel plans. You should, however, do your best to avoid weekends and public holidays, as Nusa Penida can get very busy with local tourism.

How to get to Nusa Penida Island

The best way to get to Nusa Penida is by fast boat from Sanur port on the east coast of mainland Bali. From there, you’ll need to take a fast boat to Nusa Penida, which is roughly a 45-minute journey. We recommend that you book your boat tickets in advance on Penidago.com so you can avoid any hassle at the port.

Another alternative if you’re on a time crunch and not restricted to a tight budget is to book your entire Nusa Penida trip, tours and all, on GetYourGuide. There are a number of options available, but the top rated is the 10 hour Best of Nusa Penida Full-Day Tour by Fast Boat.

The best way to get around Nusa Penida is by scooter – this island is just not made for cars. Most accommodations will be able to arrange a scooter rental for you, and if you hire for multiple days you can usually haggle down to around 60,000 IDR per day. If you’re not comfortable driving a scooter, a popular option is to hire a car with a private driver.

Nusa Penida Tours

If you’re interested in having your Nusa Penida tour all planned out for you without any inconvenience or hassle, then the best thing you can do is book online with GetYourGuide.

There are a bunch of different tours to choose from, but here are some of the top-rated:

• Swim with Manta Rays in Nusa Penida
• Best of Nusa Penida Full-Day Tour by Fast Boat
• Nusa Penida Small Group Tour by Speed Boat
• Day Trip to East Nusa Penida, Atuh & Diamond Beach
• Nusa Penida: Private Car Hire with Driver

What to bring to Nusa Penida

Prepare for your trip to Bali with our must-have travel essentials. (Click for prices)

• Snorkel, mask & fins
• Quick-dry microfiber travel towel
• Insulated water bottle
• Hiking Sandals
• Waterproof backpack & phone case

If you’re interested in photography and/or videography this is the gear we can’t live without:

Professional camera: Sony a7iv (click for price)
Action camera: GoPro HERO10 Black (click for price)
Drone: DJI Air 2s (click for price)

Things to do in Nusa Penida

Broken Beach is a popular destination on Nusa Penida, known for its picturesque formation. The beach was created by a natural bridge allowing the water to come in and create the beach we can see from above.

As one of the most visited spots on Nusa Penida, it can get busy, but it’s well worth the visit. If you’re doing a Manta Ray tour, you’ll also be able to experience Broken Beach from below.

Located next to Broken Beach, Angel’s Billabong is another popular destination on Nusa Penida. This natural limestone infinity pool is a true piece of art by mother nature herself, but don’t let this idyllic setting fool you.

As beautiful as Angel’s Billabong is, enormous waves can crash into the pool without warning, knocking you off your feet. We preferred to admire Angel’s Billabong from a safe distance.

Kelingking Beach is our favourite beach in all of Bali, and likely one you’ve seen before! Made famous by its resemblance to a T-rex, Kelingking Beach is a very popular destination.

Fortunately, not many people are willing to complete the hike to the bottom, so there are usually only a handful of tourists at the beach. It’s the perfect spot to sit for hours and enjoy the sun, relax under the trees, or battle the insane waves.

If hiking to Kelingking Beach isn’t part of your agenda, you can always just take in the view from the Kelingking Viewpoint. This is where the majority of tourists will remain, and we can’t blame them as the hike to the bottom is pretty challenging.

To escape the actual chaos of the main viewpoint area, you can hike just a little way down the path, where you’ll find the tourists thin out the further you go. For a different angle of the famous Kelingking T-rex, you can head to the hidden sunset spot.

It’s not really a secret anymore, but there still aren’t too many people! This vantage point offers an incredible view of Kelingking Beach below, just watch out for the monkeys while you’re there.

Kelingking Viewpoint – Things to do in Nusa Penida

Snorkeling with manta rays at Manta Point is arguably the most iconic thing you can do in Nusa Penida. It was such an unreal experience swimming with these gentle giants and will forever be one of our favourite travel memories.

Departing from Toya Pakeh harbour just before 7am, we took the short boat ride to Manta Point before jumping in the water and spending 45 minutes swimming and diving with the rays. Your trip to Nusa Penida would not be complete without doing this tour.

If you’re up for a beach that packs a bit of adventure, you need to add Tembeling Beach and Forest to your itinerary.

A beautiful beach and spring pools sit at the bottom of a treacherous drive, but if you don’t mind the challenge then it’s well worth it! There are two beaches to explore, as well as two natural pools of cool, fresh water.

Bukit Teletubbies – also known as Teletubbies Hill – is an awesome viewpoint in Nusa Penida overlooking rolling hills aptly named after the famous children’s show.

These grass-covered hills stretch into the distance as far as the eye can see, and make for a beautiful spot to visit for golden hour until sunset.

Diamond Beach Nusa Penida is a beautiful beach located at the bottom of a steep cliff. It has become very popular in recent years and is recognised as one of the most famous backdrops for Bali vacation photos.

The beach can be reached by hiking down a set of steps from the parking lot. Once you reach the bottom, you can relax on the sand, swim in the ocean, and explore the  rockpools.

The Rumah Pohon Treehouse is one of the most iconic tourist spots in Nusa Penida, and one that’s been captured on thousands of Instagram posts – for good reason!

This rustic treehouse, located within the Thousand Islands Viewpoint attraction, is as picturesque as it gets. 

Lush, tropical foliage surrounds the treehouse which overlooks the cove, and its position on the east side of the island makes it the perfect spot to catch sunrise.

Thousand Islands Viewpoint is an awesome spot to see the beauty of Nusa Penida from a heightened perspective.

The attraction itself has been developed for tourism (and Instagram) and it overlooks one of the most postcard perfect views on the island. Here you can see island dotted on the horizon – not a thousand, but a fair few, as well as the famous Diamond Beach.

Suwehan Beach is another amazing beach on Nusa Penida island, but unlike Diamond Beach it’s way more lowkey.

It sits at the bottom of a towering limestone cliff and is accessible by a steep cement staircase. 

Once you reach the bottom you’ll step foot on the softest, whitest sand on the island, disappearing into turquoise blue water. Suwehan Beach is definitely one of our top things to do on Nusa Penida.

Diamond Beach Nusa Penida is a beautiful beach located at the bottom of a steep cliff. It has become very popular in recent years and is recognised as one of the most famous backdrops for Bali vacation photos.

The beach can be reached by hiking down a set of steps from the parking lot. Once you reach the bottom, you can relax on the sand, swim in the ocean, and explore the  rockpools.

Diamond Beach Nusa Penida is a beautiful beach located at the bottom of a steep cliff. It has become very popular in recent years and is recognised as one of the most famous backdrops for Bali vacation photos.

The beach can be reached by hiking down a set of steps from the parking lot. Once you reach the bottom, you can relax on the sand, swim in the ocean, and explore the  rockpools.

For something a little different, we recommend visiting Pura Goa Giri Putra, the Nusa Penida cave temple. This sacred space is accessed through a tiny hole that you must crab walk through, before it opens up into the largest cave we have ever seen.

Here you will find many people in worship and making sacrifices of incense and flowers, as you wander its 300 metre length.

Gamat Bay is home to one of the most incredible reefs we’ve seen during our travels. From the surface, Gamat Bay looks like a remote and untouched cove, but below the surface it truly comes alive.

We had never seen so many fish in this small an area, making snorkeling at Gamat Bay one of the best things to do in Nusa Penida.

If you’re anything like us and can’t go a day without catching sunset, you’ll want to visit Green Kubu on Nusa Penida. This restaurant/bar features an infinity pool overlooking Nusa Ceningan, as well as its own version of famous Bali gates.

If you visit on a clear day, Mount Agung lines up perfectly between the gates – a stunning backdrop for your IG pics.

Crystal Bay is a common stop on Nusa Penida snorkeling tours, and is a beautiful destination to relax on the beach or atop a boat as you soak in the laidback island vibes.

If you’re interested in discovering what lies beneath the surface, Crystal Bay also has vibrant marine life. For an even more remote, tropical beach experience, you can hike over the ridges to neighbouring Pandan and Puyung beaches.

If you’re interested in snorkeling close to town, Toya Pakeh Beach is supposed to be a good spot. We left for our manta ray tour from Toya Pakeh and saw from the boat vibrant marine life and amazing water clarity.

We spotted a few snorkelers in the water, but do be careful of the sea urchins close to the shore. There were hundreds!

If a local street food experience is on your itinerary, then the night market is one of the best things to do in Nusa Penida. It’s not a very big food market, however, it has all the local delicacies you could ask for. 

Open from 4pm daily, you can fill yourself up on satay sticks, noodles, soup and desserts, all for an insanely cheap price. We definitely recommend saving this spot for dinner one night!

Diamond Beach Nusa Penida is a beautiful beach located at the bottom of a steep cliff. It has become very popular in recent years and is recognised as one of the most famous backdrops for Bali vacation photos.

The beach can be reached by hiking down a set of steps from the parking lot. Once you reach the bottom, you can relax on the sand, swim in the ocean, and explore the  rockpools.

Your trip to Nusa Penida wouldn’t be complete without spending a day island hopping to neighbouring Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Lembongan.

These two smaller islands offer plenty of activities of their own, like cliff jumping, bar hopping and surfing. You can book an island hopping package with Island Time Bali, or online at GetYourGuide.

Uluwatu has been blessed with some of the beaches in all of Bali. Check out the 12 best beaches in Uluwatu!

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