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Nusa Penida
Dramatic cliffs & untouched nature (Islands)
About Nusa Penida
This rugged island off Bali's southeast coast is famous for its jaw-dropping cliff formations, crystal-clear waters, and manta ray snorkeling. Kelingking Beach, Angel's Billabong, and Broken Beach are Instagram-famous landmarks worth the boat trip.
Best for: Adventurers, divers & photographers
- Kelingking Beach
- Manta ray diving
- Angel's Billabong
- Treehouse stays
Nusa Penida at a glance
- Beach: Very good (4/5). Spectacular beaches (Kelingking, Diamond, Crystal Bay), but many need steep climbs, and swimming is banned at Kelingking and Diamond Beach.
- Nightlife: Poor (1/5). Very little: a few bars near the harbors.
- Prices: $$ · Moderate. Moderate: food is cheap, but drivers and boat transfers add up.
- To the airport: 1½–2½ h. Drive to Sanur, then 30–45 minutes by fast boat
- Climate: Hot & humid · coast
Ratings
- Calm-water swimming: Fair (2/5)
- Surfing: Poor (1/5)
- Diving & snorkeling: Excellent (5/5)
- Sunsets: Good (3/5)
- Restaurants & cafés: Fair (2/5)
- Culture & temples: Fair (2/5)
- Nature & landscapes: Excellent (5/5)
- Yoga & wellness: Fair (2/5)
- Family-friendly: Fair (2/5)
- Peace & quiet: Very good (4/5)
- Remote work: Poor (1/5)
- Walkability: None (0/5)
Rated from 0 (none) to 5 (excellent), compared with Bali's other areas.
Resorts in Nusa Penida
- The Acala Shri Sedana: Nusa Penida, from about $200 a night
- Seven Dreams A Pramana Experience: Nusa Penida, from about $150 a night
- MAUA Nusa Penida Bali: Nusa Penida, from about $150 a night
- Atalaya Villas Nusa Penida - Adults only: Nusa Penida, from about $150 a night
- ARNA Suites and Ocean Lounge: Nusa Penida, from about $140 a night
- Ohana's Beachfront Resort & Beach Club: Nusa Penida, from about $172 a night
- Indiana Kenanga: Nusa Penida, from about $166 a night
- Batu Karang Lembongan Resort & Spa: Nusa Penida, from about $163 a night
- The Tamarind Resort Nusa Lembongan: Nusa Penida, from about $153 a night
- Hai Tide Beach Resort: Nusa Penida, from about $135 a night
- Morin Resort: Nusa Penida, from about $140 a night
- ORA Resort Avia Blue Lagoon: Nusa Penida, from about $80 a night
- Adiwana Warnakali Resort: Nusa Penida, from about $77 a night
- Pramana Natura Nusa Penida: Nusa Penida, from about $134 a night
- The Sankara Beach Penida: Nusa Penida, from about $134 a night
- Semaya Beach Resort: Nusa Penida, from about $161 a night
- Deep Roots Dive & Yoga Resort: Nusa Penida, from about $92 a night
Sights in Nusa Penida
- Broken Beach (nature). Broken Beach, or Pasih Uug, is a round cove on Nusa Penida's southwest coast enclosed by cliffs, with the sea flowing in beneath a natural stone arch. A footpath circles the clifftop rim, looking down into the turquoise water; there is no way down to the sand. It is a few minutes' walk from Angel's Billabong, and the two are usually visited together.
- Angel's Billabong (nature). Angel's Billabong is a natural rock pool on the edge of the sea cliffs near Broken Beach, filled with clear green water that spills over a rim of rock into the ocean. On calm days at low tide the pool is still and the colors show best. Waves can surge over the edge without warning and people have been swept out to sea, so swimming in the pool has been banned since 2023; keep back from the outer rim.
- Goa Giri Putri (temple). Goa Giri Putri is a Hindu temple inside a limestone cave on Nusa Penida's northeast coast. After a climb of about a hundred steps, visitors squeeze through a narrow opening into a cavern around 300 meters long, lined with shrines and with a Chinese shrine at the far end. A sarong and sash are required and are lent at the entrance.
- Manta Point (nature). Manta Point is a dive and snorkel site below the limestone cliffs of Nusa Penida's south coast, where reef manta rays gather year-round at cleaning stations to have small fish pick them clean. The rays often swim close to the surface, so snorkelers see them too. It is reached only by boat, from Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Penida or Sanur, and the swell can be rough.
Beaches in Nusa Penida
- Kelingking Beach (beach). Kelingking Beach is a white-sand cove on the southwest coast of Nusa Penida, seen from a clifftop viewpoint above a narrow headland often compared to the head of a T. rex. A steep, rough trail with steps and handrails drops down the cliff to the sand, taking roughly half an hour to an hour down and longer back up. Waves and currents at the bottom are strong and swimming has been banned since 2023; come early to avoid the heat and the crowds.
- Diamond Beach (beach). Diamond Beach is a small white-sand cove below the cliffs of Nusa Penida's east coast, with pointed limestone pinnacles rising from the shallows. It is reached by a steep stairway cut into the cliff face in 2018, with a rope to hold on the lowest section. Morning light falls on the cove; the waves and currents are strong, and swimming has been banned here since January 2023.
- Crystal Bay (beach). Crystal Bay is a short curve of white sand at Sakti on Nusa Penida's west coast, with very clear water and a small rocky islet in the bay. It is one of the island's main snorkeling and dive sites, often visited by dive boats from Nusa Lembongan, and a popular place to watch the sunset; warungs along the beach sell food and drinks. Currents in the bay can be strong, so ask locally before swimming out.
- Atuh Beach (beach). Atuh Beach is a crescent of white sand at Pejukutan on Nusa Penida's east coast, set in a bay between high limestone cliffs, with rock islets and a natural arch just offshore. Steps lead down from the clifftop, and Diamond Beach lies just around the headland to the southwest; warungs on the sand sell drinks and simple meals. The bay catches the sunrise, offers snorkeling, and looks its best at high tide.