Why you should go to Nusa Penida before it’s too late
Are you looking for a really untouristy island in Indonesia? An island where you can enjoy breathtaking nature and get to know the original Indonesian culture? Then you should definitely take a closer look at Nusa Penida. Here are the best tips and places to visit.
Vivek and Ishita have been traveling for an indefinite period since the end of August 2018. Compass is all about traveling together as a couple. You can not only find lots of travel tips and information for you and your partner there but also one or two articles about how couples can create a harmonious everyday travel life together during a trip. Her motto is, therefore: “Coconut and french kiss! Discover the world together and awaken love to adventure.”
During their trip, Vivek and Ishita spent some time on Nusa Penida. They have summarized their best tips in the following article.
1Nusa Penida: tips and places to visit
Many Indonesia travelers have never heard of this island. And this despite the fact that it is only an hour and a half by ferry from Bali. However, it is still somewhat in the “shadow” of its offshore island of Nusa Lembongan, which has meanwhile become very popular. Which doesn’t change the fact that Nusa Penida has more to offer and is also many times larger than Nusa Lembongan. To give you a small clue: Nusa Penida is about 203 km² in size and is therefore over 25 times larger.
2Tourism? Still no report!
The local tourism is actually still as good as non-existent. Hotels and accommodation can be counted on two hands, the road conditions are mostly a real challenge, it is sometimes extremely cheap and for the children and local residents it is sometimes a real wonder of the world.
However, it is only a matter of time before the big construction boom starts there and everything is opened up for tourism. But that is not surprising, because the island is really still an undiscovered paradise and a real dream! We learned from an Indonesian friend who runs a guesthouse on Nusa Penida that a lot of land has already been sold to investors. Also during our trip we saw one or the other accommodation that is currently being built.
So if you still want to experience the island in its original splendor, you should definitely still use the next few years. In 5-10 years it may be over with the idyll on site.
3What Nusa Penida has to offer
Here are some tips for your stay:
3.1 Adventure instead of party
Before you travel to the island, let me tell you one thing: Nusa Penida is currently not a place for a pure relaxation and beach holiday, and there are no parties there either. Adventure holidays with stunning nature and culture are more appropriate.
Many sights and beaches require a climb or a longer trek. If you really want to see something, you are actually out and about all day in extreme heat and accordingly fall out in the evening. to bed. But it’s worth it. It is worth every effort and every drop of sweat. For us, Nusa Penida is one of the greatest highlights that we have seen so far.
3.2 Nature from another world
Some of what you see here is unbelievable. While on many other islands you can almost count the natural highlights on one hand, here you will almost be overwhelmed by the huge selection. Below are a few examples of why nature is so unique in Nusa Penida.
3.3 The pristine beaches
Deserted white sandy beaches – does that still exist? We didn’t believe it ourselves anymore, but on Nusa Penida we were completely overwhelmed by it. As already mentioned, many beaches on Nusa Penida are not always easy to reach and you can usually only go up to a certain point by scooter. The rest of the way you have to walk or even a bit of climbing.
But then you will most likely have a picturesque beach completely to yourself. Recommended are the Atuh Beach and the Crystal Bay.
The Crystal Bay is the only beach you can even go directly to without walking.
4The beautiful underwater world
Nusa Penida is a true paradise for snorkeling and diving. It is not for nothing that boats from Bali and the other surrounding islands call at the reefs around Nusa Penida every day. The island is popular with divers worldwide, especially for its Manta Point. Here the chance is really very high to see the giant manta rays under water. In general, the underwater life is still very intact and colorful – in contrast to many other areas that we have seen in Southeast Asia so far. On Nusa Penida we had the most beautiful snorkeling experiences in Asia so far!
5The enchanted jungle
You can still find it on Nusa Penida: real jungle in all its glory.
Jungle that hasn’t been half cleared to make room for a hotel bunker. The Tempeling Forest is particularly recommended. Here you pay an entrance fee of 10,000 IDR, but you are in a beautiful nature reserve that will leave you speechless.
Here you walk over huge natural stone stairs through the jungle, past enchanted trees and natural pools where you can swim, to a beautiful rocky beach. The Tempeling Forest is definitely one of the highlights on Nusa Penida that you should not miss.
6The gigantic cliffs
Really, if anything is gigantic, it’s the cliffs on Nusa Penida. These are up to 200 meters high and the view you get there is difficult to put into words. This shows once again how beautiful this planet can be.
Actually, the entire south coast of the island protrudes from the sea and in some places you can even see the manta rays passing by below. This view gave us goosebumps every day and sometimes we just sat there, didn’t say a word to each other but absorbed every moment.
7The helpfulness of the locals
Even if you are often looked at like an alien at first, the locals are very friendly and helpful. Since Google Maps or other map apps on the island often let you down, we stood on the side of the road with a few question marks on our faces and didn’t really know where to go.
Most of the time, it didn’t take long for a local to drive past and immediately offer to help. The communication then runs mostly with hands and feet, since English is still in short supply here, but that somehow makes the right travel. Or not?
In addition, you are constantly greeted and smiled at on the street. Even in the Warungs and smaller restaurants, you can really tell from the people that they are happy about every customer – and they behave accordingly. Just great the warmth of the people despite the severe poverty on site.
8How to get there: How to get to Nusa Penida
The only way to get to Nusa Penida is by boat from Bali. There is no airfield on Nusa Penida. You can board one of the ships either in Sanur or in Padang Bai. Both have their advantages and disadvantages:
From Sanur, only express boats go to the island. The cheapest providers are the Mola Mola Express boats. A one-way trip to Nusa Penida costs 125 IDR (about 10 USD ) and takes about 30 minutes.
From Padang Bai, however, you can also take a ferry, which is much cheaper. Here, a one-way trip costs only 31 IDR (about 3 USD ) but also takes one and a half hours. We opted for the ferry and it was totally ok. By the way, it leaves every morning at 11 o’clock at the Padang Bai and is bright yellow.
9Equipment you should have with you on Nusa Penida
Nusa Penida is definitely an adventure. And for an adventure you need a little different equipment than for a beach holiday. You should pack the following things in your backpack:
9.1 Slightly firmer and more stable shoes
You will have to walk a lot through untouched nature and sometimes also climb. The risk that you will bend your foot here is therefore higher than in other places.
9.2 A good headgear
Due to the fact that there is hardly any tourism on Nusa Penida, there are therefore few places where you can rest for a short time and order a cool drink. Most of the time you are also out and about in the blazing sun.
9.3 A sweater
Especially if you want to explore the island by scooter on your own, you will be on the road all day and drive a lot in the sun. After the first day we already had an extremely strong sunburn through our T-shirts. That’s why we only rode with a sweater on the scooter for the next few days.
9.4 Very strong sunscreen.
9.5 At least three large water bottles on each excursion
Again, this point is actually self-explanatory. Lots of exercise, lots of sun, few shopping opportunities. Better one bottle more than one too few!