Nusa Penida Itinerary: 3 Days Exploring

The best Nusa Penida itinerary! 3 Days of chasing sunsets, sunrises, snorkelling, beaches and more! I hop you enjoy this 3 day Nusa Penida itinerary. I had read a lot before our trip that were just not realistic. This itinerary has lots of chill on the beach time, and is realistic with how many beaches you can climb down and back up from in 3 days. I will also include a few extra spots in case you have more time, as well as tips on where to stay and where to eat. Lastly I will let you know how best to get around Nusa Penida. We ABSOLUTELY loved our trip here so can’t wait to share with you!!

How to get to Nusa Penida from Bali?

The only way to get to Nusa Penida from Bali is by boat! The drive from Canggu to Sanur took us almost an hour by scooter, and with a car it will take longer as you can’t overtake on the pavement! From Ubud it is a bit closer!

By Boat

Most of the boats go from Sanur Port in Bali. I would recommend booking this via 12Go.Asia as it was really very easy to use. I paid 330,000 Indonesian Rupiah each way between us, this is about £18/$24 so a round trip costs just over £35/$40. We took our scooter from Canggu and it took around an hour to get here. They advise you to come an hour before, but we were there in low season so 30 minutes before was ample time. Then it also says you have to print your ticket, which we also didn’t and it was fine. If you come to Sanur Port by scooter, you pay a small parking fee and we left our scooter there for the nights we were on Nusa Penida.

The boat company we went with (Mola Mola Express) also do pick up and drop off to your accommodation, so that is also an option if you don’t want to take a scooter there.

Cost: £35/$40 Round Trip 

Read more: 13 Best beaches in Uluwatu!

Nusa Penida Itinerary: 3 Days

Nusa Penida Itinerary Day 1:

• Snorkeling at Crystal Bay
• Manta ray Boat Trip
• Sunbathe at Crystal Bay
• Sunset either Crystal Bay or Kelingking Beach

Nusa Penida Itinerary Day 2:

• Sunrise/early morning at Diamond Beach
• Sunbathe at Atuh Beach
• Thousand Islands Viewpoint
• Rumah Pohon Treehouse Instagrammable spot
• Broken Beach
• Angel’s Billabong

Nusa Penida Itinerary Day 3:

• Kelingking Beach!

Tour Option!

You can also take a tour, some hotels offer these and then it is all planned for you. However, it is always much cheaper to DIY!

Nusa Penida Itinerary – Day 1 – Crystal Bay!

The day you arrive, your boat will most likely be a morning one, so you may arrive around 10am/11am. I would recommend dropping your things off where you are staying and heading straight out! We had some lunch when we got there at around 12 and then went off exploring. The best places to eat are not far from the port, and are listed lower down! So grab some lunch there if you like western food, otherwise there are lots of Indonesian food restaurants (these places are called Warung) on the beach on the Nusa Penida itinerary today!

Snorkelling

Give yourself a few hours to enjoy the underwater world here! You actually don’t have to do a boat trip at all to see some amazing fish. Just off the beach here there is a great place to snorkel, to the left side of the beach. You will see lots of boat here so you can tell where the snorkelling area is. In low season there weren’t many people here and it was great but the waves were quite big in the rainy season in January!

Manta Ray Tour

The best time to see Manta Ray is actually in April and May, but apparently they can be here all year round. They prefer calm waters and sunny days so this will help your chances. I have been once in June and January and both times the sea was quite rough and we didn’t see any manta ray. Also be warned that in January there were quite a few jellyfish! Not big ones and they didn’t sting that badly but it was a bit uncomfortable swimming with them and it did tingle for a while after.

Cost: Group Trip 250,000 IDR per person/ Private Boat Trip 350,000 IDR per person (Price includes snorkel equipment)

Sunbathe!

Crystal Bay is one of the easiest beaches to get to here as it doesn’t include a huge cliff to walk down! The beach is just by the road, a lovely palm tree lined road! The view from the beach is lovely as there are so many palm trees behind. I would recommend relaxing this afternoon and chilling on the beach here. You can pay for sun loungers and grab a few coconuts of bintangs which is the beer of choice in Bali!

Sunset at Kelingking Beach OR Crystal Bay

Crystal Bay is one of the best spots on the island for sunset! You can stay chilling here to watch the sunset or you can venture out to Kelingking beach, which is for me THE best spot for sunset here. Make sure to arrive at around an hour before the sunset. From the parking, you will walk a few minutes until you reach the viewpoint.

Top Tip for the view at Kelingking beach!

Rather than standing where everyone else does and also very close to angry monkeys, head to this better spot! Once you arrive at the top near the restaurants, there is a bamboo gate right ahead that leads to a half finished building and looks like a building site. Walk through here and continue walking down until you reach a small area that has a lookout point with no bushes in the way. From here you get such a good view. Also, if you can climb trees like Boyan then you will get this same angle! We also went to the usual spot that everyone goes, but aside from monkeys baring their teeth at you, I found I preferred the view from the last spot. The monkeys don’t attack but they love sunglasses and anything they can grab or eat so here are some tips below!

Tips for Monkeys!

• Do not have any food on you!
• Do not wear sunglasses!
• Do not look them in the eyes
• Just stay away!
• Move away if they come near you

Read more: Where to get a flower bath in Bali!

Nusa Penida Itinerary – Day 2 – Diamond Beach!

After a chilled first day it’s time for some more exploring! If you can make sunrise at Diamond Beach, then go for it! I would recommend heading out early either way as climbing down to some of these beaches in the midday sun is not easy at all. It can get very hot on Nusa Penida and humid and around these beaches there isn’t much shade at all.

How long does it take to get to Diamond Beach?

It will take around 45 minutes on a scooter if you are staying close by to the port as we did. It may take longer if you are in a car as the roads are quite winding here so you will have to take it slower by car.

TOP TIP!

We unfortunately followed google maps here to ‘Diamond Beach’. It took us to a spot that was next to Atuh beach. To get to Diamond beach from here, we would have had to walk down to Atuh beach, walk back up to the top and then walk back down to Diamond beach which I wouldn’t recommend unless you are superhuman or never want to use your legs again! Make sure to write in ‘Atuh Beach Parking’ which is actually much closer to Diamond Beach! It looks close but if you get it wrong its a 45 minute detour and on the scooter it gets painful!

Sunrise at Diamond Beach

This is the perfect sunrise spot/early morning spot on this Nusa Penida itinerary. This beach is stunning just from above even, but head down to enjoy it to the full. There are a few instagrammbale spots along the way. This is also why its a bonus to go here in the morning as it is very instagrammable. I tried to get a photo here the first time I went in high season in June and it took a long time before everyone had moved! Low season in January was a lot less busy. The sea is just as blue as the photos and the waves are a bit calmer than Kelingking beach.

‘Bali Swing’ but a Nusa Penida version!

Diamond Beach now has it’s very own Bali Swing! You can hop o the swing here for a small fee and swing over this amazing beach!

How much does parking cost?

There is one parking for both Diamond Beach and Atuh beach and they ask for a donation before you can head down to the beach.

Sunbathe at Atuh beach

If you haven’t had enough of beach time yet then head down to Atuh beach! There are umbrellas here and a few places that serve food and drinks. There is more shade than Diamond beach so you may want to head here after your morning walk down to Diamond beach.

Thousand Islands Viewpoint

This is a beautiful viewpoint! Right by Diamond Beach. From here you can see along the beautiful coastline here and a few beaches and islands nearby!

Rumah Pohon Treehouse

If you haven’t already seen this on Instagram then look it up! I didn’t take a photo here as I’m not too bothered by Insta spots and there was far too much nature around here so didn’t have time but its a gorgeous spot so if you have time and energy then definitely go! You can also stay at the treehouse but I’ve heard some bad reviews so make sure you look it up properly first. I heard from one person that it was unbearable hot and they got stung by mosquitos more than ever before!

Broken Beach

This is an amazing rock formation! A short walk from the car park, you venture down to this huge hole in the ground. There is a small archway where the water comes in and out and a tiny beach, which is not accessible at the bottom. You can walk the whole way around this amazing spot. There are also some great viewpoints if you walk down and behind Broken Beach. I would recommend coming here later on in the day as there isn’t much shade and its BOILING during the day. Also we came here around 5pm and didn’t have to even pay for parking. We came in January and were only joined by a few other people.

Angel’s Billabong

Just a short walk from Broken Beach is Angel’s Billabong. This is a natural infinity pool! You can float around in here but be very careful of the waves! If the sea is rough I really wouldn’t recommend it as the waves come up high and fill the pool with water. It looks high above the water level, but I’ve seen the water level rise about 3 metres here when a wave comes! It is a good photo spot though and nice to watch the waves!

Top Tip!

Be very careful when driving up to the parking at Broken Beach and Angel’s Billabong. The roads have been fixed on most of the island but they clearly didn’t bother with this section! It is very bumpy and uneven so drive safe! Especially on a scooter!

Read more: Best places to eat in Bali!

Nusa Penida Itinerary – Day 3

The famous T-Rex rock! Option 1 is to walk down and spend the day here. Once you walk down you will want to spend around 3 hours here before you have the energy to walk back up! Option 2 is to visit some waterfalls nearby, read on to see more!

Kelingking Beach!

I would honestly say that if you are going to walk down to Kelingking beach, that this is enough for one day! This is one of the hardest things I have ever walked down to and the climb back up I almost fainted. I don’t want to sound too negative but I want to give you a realistic idea and make sure you are prepared! It is so fun once you get down and it’s one of the most beautiful beaches but it can be a dangerous hike down so you really need to be prepared.

What time to go?

Make sure to start the walk down before 9am. This will mean that most of the walk you will do in the shade. The walk back up will be in the sun, so make sure to take a hat with you as it’s 30-45 minutes in the boiling sun and it isn’t that easy to stop along the way and there is definitely no shade!

What to wear?

Make sure to wear some study shoes as it is not ideal in sandals I can tell you that! The rocks are all uneven and can be a bit smooth at times too so you will want some shoes with grip. Also, anything you do wear will be soaked by the time you get to the bottom so I would recommend wearing something you don’t love too much! I had to hang up my dress to dry at the bottom as it looked like it had come out of the washing machine! Best idea would be to wear a swimsuit but you want to also cover your shoulders and the sun is serious! Personally I walked back up in a swimsuit and a towel over my head and shoulders! Glamorous I know!

What to bring?

As many drinks as you can! We drank 4 litres between us on our venture down and back up. Drinks at the bottom are twice or three times the price as they are at the top. However, don’t let this put you off. We bought 4 cokes here, water and a coconut. The fresh coconut was 50k and coke was 30k. Make sure you also have enough drinks for the way back up as you will need it. I never drink coke and I needed the sugar to get me back up to the top!

Is it worth it?

You can decide for yourselves when you see photos and videos! Head to my Nusa Penida highlight on @solarpoweredblonde for an honest review and my review just after I had walked the whole way down! I still had the best time battling the waves and sunbathing. However I did almost faint at the top…! Definitely no stories once I had reached the top but I felt like I had really achieved something!

Option 2 (A few other options!)

Seganing Waterfall

The path is a little tricky but a lovely waterfall flowing down the rocks straight into the sea once you get down.

Banah Cliff Point

The entrance and parking here is free. The view is really beautiful and you will also see a little rock with small archway out to sea!

Temebling Beach and Forest

Hop into the blue waters here for a refreshing dip! The walk down is with proper steps so no Kelingking beach vibes so not to worry!

Peguyangan Waterfall

The famous blue steps! Head down this amazing stairway for some beautiful views along the way.  Then chill in natural pools while looking out to the sea.

If you have more time on Nusa Penida!

Suwehan Beach

Perfect clear water and a white sand beach. This is another stunning Nusa Penida beach, so add it in if you have more time and energy than we did!

Read more: Best waterfalls in Bali!

Where to stay in Nusa Penida?

There are some fun places to stay on Nusa Penida further inland with amazing views. However, the easiest and bets option for me was staying close to the port! We rented a scooter here and the closest place with the bags was the best option. 

Tentacle Bali – Value

These are gorgeous huts at Tentacle Bali surrounded by palm trees with a lovely pool. There is plenty of shade and breakfast is also included. Everyone there is super friendly and we had a great stay here. Breakfast was simple but the omelette and pancakes were great!

Cost: £20/£30 a night for a double room

La Royale Nusa Penida – Mid-range

A very instagrammable wooden house between coconut trees!

Cost: £38/$50 per night

La Roja Bungalows – Luxury

This is a super cute place to stay but books up fast so if you want to stay here then be fast! La Roja has lovely little huts surrounding a bright blue pool!

Cost: £65/$85 per night

Where to eat in Nusa Penida?

There are a few western places that are getting to Bali standard! Don’t expect Bali food, it is much more basic but still tasty! Here are the best western places to eat on Nusa Penida below.

Instagrammable – Secret Penida Cafe

This is the cutest place to eat! With a hanging swing and lots of lovely corners to sit in! I would recommend the agilo and olio pasta with prawns, the fish satay and the desserts are also divine! The detox juice is also a must have.

For Vegans – Penida Colada

This is vegan heaven. The began menu is bigger than the normal menu. I would recommend the peanut smoothie bowl and the toasties are also yummy! Lovely spot overlooking the sea.

The Chill Penida

This is a gorgeous oceanfront restaurant! They have some great homemade flatbread and yummy burgers.

How to get around Nusa Penida?

Scooter

This is the easiest and fastest way to get around. We rented a scooter at the port (Sampalan port) in Nusa Penida. They wanted 150k a day originally and soon we haggled them down to 200k for 5 days. I wouldn’t usually go so cheap but if you saw the state of the bike you wouldn’t pay more either! In hindsight I would rent a scooter from your hotel! However, it saves you a transfer to take it from the port, provided you don’t have much luggage!

Car

The roads are much improved now on Nusa Penida but they are still fairly narrow. If you get a tour then the car will be included. It is a bit cooler in a car as we were constantly putting on suncream on the bike!

I hope you enjoyed my blog and it has helped with your Nusa Penida itinerary! I have tried to make a more chilled but also allowing you to do as much as possible itinerary. Lots of itineraries are just not realistic so hopefully you will manage to do this itinerary but feel free to mix it up! Top tips are sunset at Kelingking, and only walk down on the last day of your trip to Nusa Penida as you may not be able to walk properly after for 2 days! Snorkelling at Crystal Bay and sunrise at Diamond Beach are not to be missed!

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