Nusa Penida Island In Bali: Travel Guide & How To Visit
The beautiful, exotic Nusa Penida island lies just 25 kilometers from Bali, the most famous tourist destination in Indonesia.
Nusa Penida is a much smaller island than Bali, but it has some of the most amazing scenery in the entire Bali province (which it’s part of).
We’ve visited Penida more than a dozen times over the years, but it never gets old. This island is definitely one of the most beautiful places to visit in Indonesia.
The island can be visited on a day trip from Bali (same day return), but I think it’s better to stay and spend at least a few days sightseeing. There are so many good photo spots, hikes, and other things to do in Nusa Penida!
This travel blog will explain what to do in Nusa Penida, how to get there, where to stay, best transport options and tour packages, and some of the top sights to see. I’ve also included a handy Nusa Penida island map for trip planning!
Nusa Penida Day Tour Packages
First of all, if you’re on a tight schedule or want to skip the extra steps involved in arranging your own trip to Nusa Penida, GetYourGuide has prearranged day trips to Penida, complete with hotel transfer, fast boat tickets, island tour, and same day return to Bali.
These tours visit some of the top sights in Nusa Penida island, including Kelingking Beach, Broken Bay, and more. We’ve used GetYourGuide for lots of day tours and activities around the world, and they’re great! Highly recommended.
Book Now: Nusa Penida Day Trip
Where Is Nusa Penida?
Nusa Penida is a small island located southeast of Bali, Indonesia. The distance from Bali is about 25 kilometers (15 miles).
Penida has two small neighboring islands sitting right next to it called Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan, and together these are known as the Nusa islands, but Nusa Penida has become the most famous of the three because of its scenic cliff views and stunning beaches.
How To Get To Nusa Penida
From Bali, the only way to reach Nusa Penida is by speedboat or ferry, with the speedboat journey taking about 45 minutes or so. There’s no airport in Nusa Penida, so the closest place to fly is the international airport in Bali (DPS). You can shop for flights to Bali at Skyscanner.
There are a bunch of speedboat companies in Bali making the trip to Penida daily, and they all depart from Sanur Beach at various times. If you’re staying in Ubud, Canggu, Seminyak, Kuta, or elsewhere in south Bali, you can also drive over to Sanur and catch a boat. Some boat companies include a shuttle service from these areas in their total price.
I wrote a complete guide on how to get to Nusa Penida with one of these speedboat companies if you want to go there independently and arrange everything yourself. It’s more economical than booking a tour package, but also a bit more complicated.
The other option is booking a day tour to Nusa Penida with a Bali-based tour company. This can be a good option if you’re on a tight schedule or want to skip the hassle.
Read More: How To Get To Nusa Penida
Visiting Nusa Penida Island – Tourist Fee
Since 2023, there’s now an entrance fee for tourists arriving by boat at Nusa Penida, and it’s intended to pay for better infrastructure on the island.
You’ll pay this in cash when you first get off the boat in Penida, and the fee is 25k Rupiah for adults and 15k for children. It gives you entry to all three of the Nusa islands: Penida, Lembongan, and Ceningan.
This ticket also gives you entrance to all of the main attractions and beaches on Nusa Penida, so you don’t have to pay a second fee at Kelingking Beach anymore, for example.
Overall, it’s a positive change, because in the past you had to whip out your wallet and pay a small entrance fee at every tourist spot in Nusa Penida. That was a bit tiresome. Nowadays, you pay once at the harbor and you’re done.
Transport: How To Get Around On Nusa Penida
Even though Nusa Penida is a much smaller island than Bali (with about 4 percent of Bali’s land mass), it’s still not exactly tiny. You can expect to spend hours driving around if you want to see the best sights on each corner of the island.
Just like in Bali, you have two main transport options for exploring Nusa Penida: motorbike rental (self drive), or hire a car and private driver.
Many of the roads in Nusa Penida are still very rough and narrow, so I don’t think motorbikes are a good idea here, although lots of people seem to do it with no issues. Remember to wear a helmet, honk your horn before hills and blind turns, and be prepared to pull over to the side to let cars pass. There’s not a lot of room on the road.
When I visit Nusa Penida I’ve always rented a car with driver (you can book here) because it’s safer and more comfortable, and the prices are only a bit higher than what you’d pay in Bali for a full day of driving.
Scooters are also easy to rent from your accommodation (or other places) in Penida, and you can expect to pay about 75k Rupiah (~$5 USD) per day with a full tank of gas.
For short taxi trips (like hotel transfers to/from the dock) you can usually arrange those on the spot or with your hotel, although they’re not very cost effective.
Unfortunately the Grab and Go-Jek ride hailing apps are not yet available in Nusa Penida (only Bali), but maybe that will change eventually.
Book Now: Nusa Penida Driver With Car
Visiting Nusa Penida Island – Tourist Fee
Since 2023, there’s now an entrance fee for tourists arriving by boat at Nusa Penida, and it’s intended to pay for better infrastructure on the island.
You’ll pay this in cash when you first get off the boat in Penida, and the fee is 25k Rupiah for adults and 15k for children. It gives you entry to all three of the Nusa islands: Penida, Lembongan, and Ceningan.
This ticket also gives you entrance to all of the main attractions and beaches on Nusa Penida, so you don’t have to pay a second fee at Kelingking Beach anymore, for example.
Overall, it’s a positive change, because in the past you had to whip out your wallet and pay a small entrance fee at every tourist spot in Nusa Penida. That was a bit tiresome. Nowadays, you pay once at the harbor and you’re done.
Transport: How To Get Around On Nusa Penida
Even though Nusa Penida is a much smaller island than Bali (with about 4 percent of Bali’s land mass), it’s still not exactly tiny. You can expect to spend hours driving around if you want to see the best sights on each corner of the island.
Just like in Bali, you have two main transport options for exploring Nusa Penida: motorbike rental (self drive), or hire a car and private driver.
Many of the roads in Nusa Penida are still very rough and narrow, so I don’t think motorbikes are a good idea here, although lots of people seem to do it with no issues. Remember to wear a helmet, honk your horn before hills and blind turns, and be prepared to pull over to the side to let cars pass. There’s not a lot of room on the road.
When I visit Nusa Penida I’ve always rented a car with driver (you can book here) because it’s safer and more comfortable, and the prices are only a bit higher than what you’d pay in Bali for a full day of driving.
Scooters are also easy to rent from your accommodation (or other places) in Penida, and you can expect to pay about 75k Rupiah (~$5 USD) per day with a full tank of gas.
For short taxi trips (like hotel transfers to/from the dock) you can usually arrange those on the spot or with your hotel, although they’re not very cost effective.
Unfortunately the Grab and Go-Jek ride hailing apps are not yet available in Nusa Penida (only Bali), but maybe that will change eventually.
Book Now: Nusa Penida Driver With Car
Kelingking Beach
The Kelingking Cliff is the most famous view in Nusa Penida, and probably one of the most iconic views anywhere in Bali.
This is an incredible ‘T-Rex’ shaped rock sticking out over the ocean, with perfect turquoise water splashing around it. The first time you look over the edge of the cliff and see this view, it really is breathtaking!
After you’re done admiring the scenery at the Kelingking Cliff, there’s also a path to go down to the beach at the bottom.
The hike down to the beach is a major workout, a bit scary, and takes at least two hours roundtrip, but you’re rewarded with one of the best white sand beaches in Nusa Penida Bali.
Broken Beach
For most visitors to Nusa Penida island, one of the first stops will be Broken Beach. This is a cool circular cove formed in the rocks, complete with a leftover arch.
This area is also one of the popular hangout spots for the manta rays, so you’ll most likely get to see some rays floating around in the sea nearby.
The bottom is filled with turquoise water from the waves coming in, and there’s even a small white sand beach. You can’t actually go down to the beach, just admire from above, but what a cool view it is!
There’s a few old local legends associated with this place that say it was created either by a giant’s footsteps or by an angry sorcerer.
It’s definitely a very unique kind of formation that I don’t think I’ve seen anywhere else in the world.
Other Nusa Penida Tips
- Credit Cards: Almost all restaurants, hotels, and other charges in Penida are cash only. Best thing to do is bring plenty of cash with you from Bali. I also like to book my bigger purchases online (like hotels and drivers), that way I can pay for them with credit card and save my precious cash for those little roadside warungs and fresh coconuts!
- ATM: Penida still has very few ATM options. The most reliable seems to be the Bank BRI booth at Sampalan, but it only lets you pull 1 million Rupiah per try.
- Cell Service: Phone reception is strong with Telkomsel in most of the main areas of Penida, although you may lose service in some places while driving around because of the hilly terrain of the island.
- WiFi: The WiFi situation in Penida used to be very poor compared to Bali, but it has improved dramatically in the last few years, so most hotels already have good WiFi that can be used for browsing, streaming videos, and sending emails.
- Convenience Stores: There are lots of small mini marts, especially around the north shore, where you can buy cheap snacks, drinks, toiletries, sunscreen, and other such things. Sari Yoga Mart and Bagus Mart are two good options. However, their selection is much smaller than what you’ll find shopping in Bali.
- Language: The locals in Nusa Penida speak Balinese with a distinct dialect, and although many of them also understand Indonesian, they’re not schooled in English (unlike in Bali). This means most Nusa Penidans only know a little bit of English that they’ve been able to pick up from tourists, so be patient and come prepared to explain things by pointing or showing pictures.
- Mosquitoes: There is some dengue fever present in Nusa Penida, but it seems to be less common than in Bali, which is probably because of the drier climate in Penida. You won’t need bug spray for visiting the beaches or really any of the popular tourist sites, but we have seen mosquitoes at the Tembeling forest and Goa Giri Putri, as well as near some of the hotels in Nusa Penida. Thankfully there is no malaria in either Penida or Bali, so you don’t need to worry about anti-malarial medications or anything like that. The entire Bali province is certified malaria free according to this Lancet study from 2018.