Must-do’s on the Nusa Islands – Indonesia

Located a 30 minutes boat ride away from Bali, the Nusa Islands are a must-do, when you visit Bali. There are three Nusa Islands: Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Penida, which is the biggest and most popular island.
They are known for stunning beaches, impressive cliffs and blue, clear water.

From Sanur in Bali you can take a ferry to the Nusa islands. There are various companies at the harbour and the best is to walk around and compare the prices. The cheapest option (in case you return to Bali) is to buy a return ticket instead of a one way ticket. Even if you don’t know yet when you’re coming back, it’s no problem, because you get a open date ticket.

The ferry usually arrives at Mushroom Bay on Nusa Lembongan, so it’s the easiest to stay on that island. There are also the most accommodations, because Nusa Ceningan is smaller and less developed. It’s the same on Nusa Penida. Although the island is really big compared to the other two, Nusa Penida is the Nusa Island, that’s least developed.

I highly recommend to explore both Nusa Islands, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan, together as they are connected through a bridge. The best and cheapest option is to rent a scooter and drive around on your own.

I started my day at the mangrove forest. You can take a boat tour for 50 000 Rupiah and it takes about 20 minutes. It was nice to see, but I’m not sure, if it’s worth the money.

From there you can drive back to the other side of the island, where the yellow bridge to Nusa Ceningan is located. On the way you pass by Dream Beach and Mushroom Bay, where you can stop for a little swim or a drink.

After crossing the bridge, turn left and follow the road to get to a viewpoint looking at Nusa Penida. This part of the island is not really developed, which results in horrible roads. I would only recommend the drive to experienced drivers. But when you get there, the view is great.

On the other side of the island you’ll find a special place called “old tree”. It’s basically a single tree on a cliff. The strength of the water is so impressive to watch there.

This lagoon is probably the most beautiful place on that island. Unfortunately I was there for low tide and was not able to see the whole beauty of that lagoon. But I expect it to be amazing with high tide.

For sunset I recommend to return to Nusa Lembongan and to head to Devil’s Tear. You can sit on the cliffs and enjoy the sunset while the rough sea splashs water against the cliffs.

On the next day you can do a daytrip to the most popular Nusa Island: Nusa Penida. Take the ferry at the yellow bridge and sail for about 10 to 15 minutes to the island.
The streets there are probably even worse than on Nusa Ceningan, so it would be really dangerous to drive a scooter there. Even cars struggle on these roads. The best is to take a driver for the whole day. You can just walk around at the beach, you’ll find one for sure.

Our first stop was Broken Beach and Angel’s Billabong. Those cliffs are really impressive, you don’t want to fall in the water there. Broken beach is like a little lagoon with a hole in the cliff, which connects it to the ocean.

The most famous stop of the whole island. This place is well-known and if you think of Bali, you probably have this rock in mind. This place looks unreal and the beach at the bottom has the most perfect waves, I’ve ever seen. But don’t expect to be alone there. As you can think, it’s super touristy and not that natural anymore. Sadly that’s the truth at most tourist spots on Bali.

This cliff is right next to Kelingking Beach, so you get another view of that rock.

Crystal Bay was our last stop of the day. This little lagoon with a beach was definitely a good way to end a nice day. You can swim in the ocean, lay on the beach or have a drink.

The Nusa Islands are definitely worth a visit and I hope you enjoyed my little itinerary. Check out my photos by clicking here.