The highlights of Nusa Penida

Nusa Penida, also known as Bali's adventure sister. It is a small island just 35 minutes by boat from Bali but it is a totally different world. In recent years, this paradise has become increasingly well-known to tourists, mainly for taking beautiful photos for social media. Nusa Penida is known for its beautiful white-sand beaches, steep cliffs and impressive viewpoints. To get here, you sometimes have to climb a bit, but it is well worth the effort. This blog lists the best highlights for you.

1. Kelingking Beach

Probably the most popular hotspot on Nusa Penida, Kelingking Beach. Everyone goes here for the perfect instagrammable picture. If you look from above, you could see a T-rex in the rocks. Kelingking Beach is known not only for the beautiful viewpoint, but also for the heavy downhill journey to the beautiful beach below. The path is very narrow, half broken and some sections are extremely steep. The walk down takes about 30 to 45 minutes, but keep in mind that the walk up is a lot harder and this can take up to 1.5 hours. It is also an option to go up to the well-known viewpoint halfway up and turn around from there, which is also definitely a very beautiful spot. So put on sturdy shoes that you can walk well on and bring plenty to drink during this hike.

2. Diamond Beach

Diamond Beach is one of Nusa Penida's most beautiful beaches. This white-sand and silky-blue water bay is located in the east of Nusa Penida. The view from the top of Diamond Beach consists of a beautiful beach, clear blue water, limestone and palm trees and is breathtakingly beautiful. You can walk up to a small building where you will find a viewpoint overlooking beach, this is about a 5-minute walk. It is also possible to take steps down to the beach, which is about a 20-minute walk. It is recommended to visit Diamond Beach only when it is low tide, the ocean can be quite rough on this side of the island, which also ensures that Diamond Beach is not really made for swimming.

3. Broken Beach & Angel's Billabong

These two spots are right next to each other, so super convenient to visit them at the same time! The name Broken Beach came about because part of a cliff near the shore collapsed. This created a circular shape and the water in this bay flows through an arch that overlooks the sea. During your visit to Broken Beach, you can walk around the bay and take lots of photos. Just be careful and don't stand too close to the edge of the cliff to avoid accidents. If you are lucky, you can see Manta rays from the arch. The cliff is located above Manta Bay, where fishing boats take guests for snorkelling trips.

Angel's Billabong is a beautiful natural rock pool that opens directly into the ocean. It is a natural pool filled with clear water at high tide and appears as a natural pool at low tide. Until previously, it was possible to swim in the crystal clear water during low tide, but due to a recent incident, swimming is now prohibited. You can still enjoy the beautiful view!

4. Crystal Bay Beach

Crystal Bay Beach is a popular spot for relaxing on the beach under the palm trees. It is also a very nice place to snorkel with all the fish swimming around in the underwater world. What makes this spot so special is that the corals are very healthy and only a few metres from beach. Do stay away from the rocks as the flow here can be strong. 

5. Manta Point

Manta Point is one of the most famous dive spots on Nusa Penida because manta rays can almost always be seen there. This spot gets its name from the manta rays that inhabit the surrounding waters. It is a spectacular sight as the animals rise to the surface, where they are surrounded by small reef fish. Not only mantas can be found here but also sharks and many other species of rays and fish. What is special here is that this dive site welcomes several coral heads that serve as cleaning stations, manta rays constantly rotate here so that the cleaner fish remove their bacteria.

6. Peguyangan Waterfall

Peguyangan Waterfall is located at the bottom of some decent cliffs. This spot can only be reached via the iconic blue stairs on the wall of a cliff, this walk takes about 20 minutes. At the bottom of the steps, you arrive at the water temple, this is also where many Hindu rituals are performed. There is no real waterfall here, but there are many small pools where you can cool down.

Did you know that IamgoingtoBali offers several tours on Nusa Penida? For instance, we have a day trip to Nusa Penida where you will snorkel with manta rays and visit the famous spots Kelingking Beach, Broken Beach and Angel's Billabong. We also offer the Nusa Penida West Tour and Nusa Penida East Tour where you will visit various highlights on the island. Finally, we have a 2-day Nusa Penida tour where you will visit all the spots on the beautiful island. All tours include transport, an English-speaking guide and more.