Attractions in Nusa Penida

Nusa Penida is full of rugged beauty. There’s a lot more to this island than just dinosaur beach, check out what to do here.

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When to visit Nusa Penida?

We were there during July and the weather was perfect. This is peak season though, June to August is the best weather and high season. Travelling on the shoulder is best for decent weather and cheaper prices. Having said this the pricing in Indonesia is always reasonable.

Do you need a tour guide for Nusa Penida?

No, but it depends on your driving skills. If you are not confident or haven’t driven a scooter before this is not the place to learn. The roads are not in good condition. To hire a driver you can book online, they are really used to the island and the roads making it a safer option to get around.

This is the best tour to visit Nusa Penida, it covers all of the must see places in Nusa Penida and is really well rated!

This snorkelling tour from Nusa Penida is awesome, it visits 3 main snorkel spots including Manta Point.

If you are on Bali and just want to do a snorkelling trip to Nusa Penida this is a great tour, you will visit Manta Point and look for the manta rays!

Scooter hire Nusa Penida

Mike drove us around on a scooter we hired from Daffa scooter hire (Raffas contact is WhatsApp +6281244997756) you can contact Raffa before you arrive and he will drop it at your hotel (in the port area). We paid 80K IDR per day for a 125cc scooter including drop off and pick up with 2 helmets. The bike was in great condition, he was awesome and we definitely recommend it.

So what are the roads like in Nusa Penida?

They’re ok to not great. For context we’ve scootered a lot in a lot of countries. I would say Mike is of a high level of scooter driving experience. These were some of the worst roads we’ve been on. There’s a bitumen ring road the runs around and through the island the in not bad condition. The problem with this is there are multiple pot holes all over it. You can have the nicest stretch and start to get comfortable and then will find a pot hole at the most inopportune moment, such as at the base on a hill on a corner.

The roads that lead off from these bitumen roads are in much worse condition. At times there is not road at all just a huge rocky muss of pot holes with barely a tires width to navigate.

They are dangerous if taken at speed and you’re constantly slowing down to get through these areas. Following locals showed us that they also drive quite slowly and carefully a sign you should do the same.

The next problem are the cars. There are large cars on these roads, mostly tour guides, who will take the whole road. The roads are quite small, really not more than a one way street yet it is meant for both ways. The cars will take the whole lane leaving you to hug the edges which are generally completely pot holes. Our biggest tips are to take it very slowly and use your horn. Beep before entering a corner, if you’re lucky a car will beep back to let you know they’re there. Make sure to hire a driver for Nusa Penida if you are unsure about driving yourself, it will make the day much less stressful!

Hiring a driver/tour guide

This is the best option for you if you only have one day to see everything or you’re not a confident scooter driver. You can ask around at the port there are tons of guys there or you can book a driver online which makes it easier to get the day started immediately!

Is Nusa Penida expensive?

Not really. We stayed in a budget room for a night at $18AUD and then a luxury option for $100AUD. There’s a cheap supermarket and nasi goreng is about 25k IDR.

How many days Nusa Penida?

There’s a lot to see, you’ll definitely need to plan at least 2-3 full days to get around! If you’re pushed for time do a day trip.

Accommodation Nusa Penida

We stayed in a really sweet little homestay for one night, it was super affordable and right near the harbour. Omah Nusa Villa is super simple, with basic necessities in a really great location and lovely people

We stayed another night in a beautiful beach front hotel, it was great. Blue Harbour Beachfront Villas was a good stay if you want to be right near the beach.

What to do in Nusa Penida?

There so much to see here. I’ll put them in order of area, so you can divide your days (or time) up in to sections. The island is too big and the roads too bad to cross-cross around back and forth. If you hire a guide they’ll have a plan to maximise your time. You can also take a tour that will cover all or most of these spots below. I am breaking the attractions in Nusa Penida down into sides of the island as it makes sense to group them into days to explore. If you are driving a scooter around it will take time to get between the attractions and the rides are just lovely anyway so enjoying them is part of the fun.

East side of Nusa Penida

In the East of Nusa Penida you’ll find:

Thousand Island Viewpoint

Thousand island viewpoint and the tree houses. This is a gorgeous view out over islands dotted in the ocean, best for a sunset view. The tree houses were once only a hotel but now you can stay there or just visit for a photo opportunity. The pics are incredible but will cost you 75k IDR.

Teletubbies Hill

A great sunset spot, the light fading over the landscape to beautiful.

Diamond Beach Nusa Penida

This beach is stunning from the ground and the view above. I think the view from the top is the best. You’ll see the beach, the stairs and the water crashing on the shore. If you do want to get down to the beach you’ll first walk down stairs which are ok slowly getting worse as you reach the bottom. There’s a rope hand rail to help you and at the end you’ll be hanging on to the rope to get up and down.

There is cute a lift under construction to make this easier. It’s not recommended for anyone with heart conditions or difficult medical conditions.

Arahi Beach Nusa Penida

Right next to Diamond Beach is Arahi Beach. This cove is much easier to reach, just follow a pathway down from the left of the Diamond Beach entry. Parking is the same location for these beaches, you’ll pay 5k IDR for a scooter park. To enter you’ll pay 35k IDR each person and there’s a turnstile entry which leads to both beaches.

West side of Nusa Penida

The west of the island is the most famous. It’s here you’ll find the insta famous view of the T-Rex dinosaur shaped landscape.

Klingking Beach (T Rex Beach)

The famous beach with the hills in the shape of a dinosaur. You’ll get the best view from the stairs about half way down.

The way down to the beach is pretty precarious. There are stairs that start out ok but turn quickly in to rocks and you’ll be hanging on to a wooden fence to help you. Clambering down the cliff it turns into a vertical scramble, it’s not safe and definitely not for those with any type of medical condition. The beach is lovely but not sure it’s worth this climb. Note- there is a lift being built and currently underway here to make this safer, eventually.

We found a lovely locals spot with maybe the best views of the cliffs. If you walk up hill towards the car park but turn left instead of right, follow the path up stairs and past the 5k viewpoint structure,up through some scrub you’ll find some great view points. We loved this spot which perfectly overlooked the cliff face and beach below. You know you’ve found a great spot when it’s just you and local tour guides! You can see the walk to this spot on our You Tube video below.

Tembeling Forest Beach and Natural Pool

This spot looks amazing and we nearly made it down there except we followed the wrong path in Google maps. This took us miles out of our way and scootering over some of the worst terrain we’ve ever been. Finally realising we had been sent the wrong way we turned around and found the correct road (a semi decent bitumen one!)

When we arrived at the entrance we were told we couldn’t ride down as the road is too bad and would have to pay a driver 154k return each person to get down there. This is what we saw everyone doing. We were exhausted and frustrated after going the wrong way we just left. It’s on my list for next trip! It looks like a gorgeous natural spring surrounded by jungle and beach, note the beach is not safe for swimming.

Angels Billabong Nusa Penida

Angels Billabong is a huge inlet of water which looks like a shallow pool until the huge waves come crashing over it. It is pretty spectacular, check it out in our You Tube video below. It is free to enter this area and walk on the cliffs. Please make sure not to swim here, it is not safe.

Broken Beach Nusa Penida

From Angels Billabong you walk around the cliff for about 5 minutes and get to Broken beach. Along the cliff face you will see gorgeous views of the vbeach below. This one is also not safe for swimming, walk around the cliff top and over the natural arch bridge. It is free to enter.

Crystal Bay Beach Nusa Penida

This is a really nice e beach. It’s busy with sunbeds you can hire with umbrellas and food stalls. Parking here is only 5k IDR for scooters and it’s worth it. You can head to the left to climb over the hill to another beach or just check out the view and grab a drink at the jungle shack cafe half way up. To the right is a cute bar on the beach selling drinks and simple foods. The beach is a wide bay and great for easy swimming. We were there late afternoon and it was lovely.

Nusa Penida Sunset

There are tons of bars and restaurants selling sunset views with their drinks and meals. You can honestly choose any and you’ll be happy. If you’re on a budget grab drinks from the supermarket (a large Bintang 35k IDR) and take them to the Torok Harbour. The sunsets almost directly inline with the entrance to the beach!