Bali 4-day DIY itinerary: Nusa Penida tour
October 2, 2018
For our second day, we were eager to see the pristine and IG-worthy beaches of Nusa Penida. We were extremely lucky to be honest… Indonesia is a calamity magnet, largely due to the fact that it sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire. As such, there are loads of earthquakes, tsunamis and volcano eruptions that occur on a semi-normal basis. During these periods, it is ill-advised to visit Nusa Penida. Thankfully, during the period we were there, everything was fine! (Although a week later, there was a tsunami – not in the general vicinity, but also in Indonesia ☹ )
Table of contents
Tour for the day
Because I like being prepared, I had also booked the tour in advance (again, Whatsapp’d ~2 weeks before we went to Bali itself). The cost was IDR 650,000 per person, and this was inclusive of:
- Hotel pickup (at 6:20AM) and dropoff (at 6:00-7:00PM)
- Fast boat from Sanur Beach to Nusa Penida (7:30AM) and vice versa (4:30PM)
- Dedicated car and driver at Nusa Penida
- Lunch
- 1 bottle of water
Personal Recommendation: Sony Nusa Bali Tour (+62 822 3636 3894)
NOTE: The price they quote varies depending on the # of people in your group. In my case, there were four of us. I suggest you haggle based on a knowledge of the rough cost if you went about it DIY – see below:
- Getting a Grab to Sanur Beach (IDR 150,000 one-way for a 6-seater car)
- Booking the fast boat to Nusa Penida at the pier (IDR 200,000 one-way per person)
- Haggling for a car at Nusa Penida (IDR 500,000 for a 6-seater car)
Honestly, I’d recommend you book a tour in advance instead of doing it DIY (especially during the peak season). I’ve heard horror stories where folks didn’t manage to get to go to Nusa Penida because all the boats were fully booked by the time they got to the pier… I think the “extra” money I paid was worth it given the convenience and assurance that everything would be taken care of
Cost: IDR 650k per person (for a group of 4) – I suspect the per pax price increases/ decreases depending on the number of people in your group
PRO TIP: When discussing the tour, check if you can take the earlier fast boat ride home (the original one is set at 4:30PM). We would’ve loved to take the 3:30PM one, if we had known it was possible!
Itinerary
6:20AM Pick up from AirBnB
I know, it’s ridiculously early!!! But, DO NOT BE LATE. They’ve timed this carefully, so that you’ll be able to reach Sanur Beach by 7:30AM (which is when the boat takes off)
As such, make sure to pack everything already the night before (including sunblock, mosquito repellant, blanket for the beach).
TIP:
- You’ll have loads of time to chill at Crystal Bay in the afternoon. If you like your alcohol, you may even consider lugging some with you!
- The Nusa Penida roads are bumpy as hell, and the boat ride coming back is extremely choppy. If you suffer from motion sickness, I’d advise you to bring your meds with you
Attire choice: Slippers (you’ll wade into the sea to get on the boat), shorts (so they don’t get wet), and loose tops (it’s hot!!)
7:30AM Sanuk Beach
We arrived at Sanuk Beach just in time!! But first, we paid our tour operator IDR 650,000 per person. In return, he gave us a receipt and tied a yarn bracelet around each of our wrists. Do NOT lose these, as they’ll request this from you when you land at Nusa Penida – as proof of payment, and also so they can allot a car and driver for you
To get on the boat, you’ll need to wade a bit into the sea. They’ll request you to take off your slippers so they don’t get lost. The entire boat ride takes ~1 hour – so it’s a good time to nap!
8:30AM Nusa Penida
We finally made it to Nusa Penida! The shore doesn’t look like much – essentially overcrowded with loads of tourists and operators offering their tours. We were quickly whisked away by our tour operator as soon as our foot touched the ground however! Apparently, they used the yellow yarn bracelet to determine that we were their customers. After showing them our receipt, we were ushered into our car and off we went
9:30AM Kelingking Beach
Nusa Penida is HUGE. To get from one point to another typically takes ~30-60mins on VERY rough roads. If you suffer from motion sickness, now’s the time to drink your medicine
For our first stop, we went to Kelingking Beach first (ahead of the normal tourist crowd woohoo!!!). Good thing too, as I can’t imagine doing this area crowded. To help you remember what Kelingking Beach is about – just remember this phrase: T-REX!!! The island does look a bit like a T-Rex if you squint
Now, you can take nice photos at the top ridge – just look out for the queue. See nice sample photo below
Or for more adventurous souls, you can hike down and get an even nicer, close-up view of the T-Rex. I’d advise you to wear slippers with good grip as you’ll be hiking down a rocky path, using bamboo as your crutch! To get to the main beach itself will take ~20-30mins without a queue. We were hoping to do so, but despite being early, the way down took a lot longer than expected (primarily because the people in front kept stopping and taking photos…). In the end, we only went down halfway and decided to go back
11:00AM Angel’s Billabong
After a ~40mins car ride, it was time for Angel’s Billabong! When we arrived, we ALL needed to go to the bathroom first. Thankfully, there were toilets in the area (just pay IDR 5,000). While waiting for everyone to come back from the toilet break, we took beautiful shots of the sea by this nice ridge
From there, we made our way to Angel’s Billabong. I felt a bit underwhelmed to be honest – but it’s still pretty!
As you can see in my photos, you can make your way down to the shallow pool to take even more photos… My friends were too lazy at this point though, so they dragged me away haha!
11:30AM Broken Beach
Broken Beach and Angel’s Billabong are right beside each other, so you can actually walk the distance! I thought Broken Beach was ABSOLUTELY stunning. The waters were so clear, the rock arch was beautiful!
In addition, our tour guide brought us around to different spots to take photos as well – yay photo overload!
12:30PM Lunch
Lunch was included in our tour package – but it’s honestly nothing to write home about. Ohwell, you get what you pay for!
2:00PM Crystal Bay
Our final stop was Crystal Bay, which is just a nice beach area – where you can lounge around and drink. The beach is pretty crowded though, so you should be quick to stake out your spot. Even better if you’ve got a huge blanket to use and spread over the sand!
Once that’s done, wade into the sea if you’re in the mood. Or slip on your sunglasses and doze off to the peaceful sound of lapping waves. Better yet, bring out the alcohol and the music – so you can chill with your friends after a loooong day fighting with other tourists for beautiful photos
4:30PM Boat to Sanur Beach
We left Crystal Bay at 3:30PM so that we could get to the pier by 4:00PM. Do note that the last public boat back to the main Bali island is at 4:30PM, so you CAN NOT MISS THIS. The trip back was extremely choppy, so drink your motion sickness medicine if you need them
6:00PM Home sweet home
Spend an hour to freshen up, shower etc etc. Because from here, it’s time to hit La Plancha – only my favorite beach restaurant in town <3
7:00PM La Plancha
I love La Plancha – let me count the ways
- They have beautiful colored umbrellas, that’s amazing to photograph
- The food is always amazing (I swear by their croquettes and grilled tuna steak), and service is impeccable
- Their cocktails are super yummy!
- And…I really like their old-school music too
This is the perfect place to just chill. If you’ve got the time, it’s even better during sunset! The price is pretty decent also (but not exactly cheap)… Expect to pay around ~IDR 150k for the main course, and another ~IDR 100k for a cocktail
Total costs for the day
And that concludes Day 2 – plus we had to rush home early since we were being picked up at 1:30AM for the Mt Batur sunrise hike. Gaaah, so early!
Please do check out my other Bali blogs as well <3
Guide to Bali for first-time DIY tourists
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