Ultimate 2-Day Nusa Penida Travel Guide & Itinerary

Nusa Penida is an island located southeast of Bali, Indonesia, and it is the largest island out of the three Nusa Islands (Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan). Since it only takes approximately 30 to 45 minutes by fast boat from Sanur or Padang Bai on the east coast of Bali, it is very ideal to visit the island for a day or two.

There are many Nusa Penida Tours available, but if you have more time, 2 to 3 days are very much ideal to experience the island. Here is a guide on how to experience it!

Pre-travel guide

🌴 Book a Nusa Penida Tour:

• Nusa Penida Day Tour: If you are only planning a day trip to Nusa Penida, you can book this tour. However, please know that you can only choose either the west OR east focus tour.
• Nusa Penida Multi-Day Tour: This is the tour you will book if you want to visit for 2 days. This itinerary is based on this tour. So I highly suggest to get this.

⛑️ Travel Insurance:

• Safety Wing
• If you are a Filipino, you can buy using GCASH which is a much cheaper option

🏨 Accommodations:

Personally, I use Booking.com to book accommodation, but sometimes I can find good accommodation in Agoda too.

However, if you choose to book a package tour, usually accommodations are included. We stayed at Bintang Penida Resort & Spa.

🛜 How to stay connected?

During this trip, I bought a SIM card at the airport. However, I think it is best to get a portable wifi instead so your phone battery will not drain easily. Also, data esims are available to purchase if you prefer that.

Klook.com

⛴️ How to get from Bali to Nusa Penida?

☀️ TIP: I recommend wearing short pants because the boat will stop at the seashore. You will need to take off your shoes upon boarding and walk to the seashore where the water is about knee-high.

If you didn’t book a tour, here are some options on how to get from Bali to Nusa Penida:

Option 1 → Book a fast boat: this fast trip between Sanur and Nusa Penida.

Option 2 → Book a ferry: You book through 12go. This option is cheaper than booking the fast boat, and this will take a bit longer too.

🛵 How to get around in Nusa Penida?

• Scooter: If you know how to drive a scooter, you can rent it anywhere in Bali. Most of the hostels and hotels will guide you where you can rent one. You can also book a scooter or motorbike online which is more convenient since you can pick up or get your bike delivered.
• Hire a driver: You can hire a driver in Nusa. However, if you booked a tour, your transportation is already provided.

Things to do in Nusa Penida for 2 days

➡️ DAY 1: West Side

The tour starts at 7:30 in the morning at Sanur Beach Harbour. I recommend getting there early. We arrived late and had to change our ferry time. 😅 Since the tour is for only a group of 2, e still managed to see all the spots in our itinerary.

Broken Beach

Broken Beach, also known as Pasih Uug, is a unique geological formation characterized by a natural archway carved into the cliffside. The cove faces the Indian Ocean.

I was a bit surprised about the amount of people taking photos here. Nevertheless, the place is beautiful even with the crowd.

Angel’s Billabong

Angel’s Billabong is a natural tide pool formed by the erosion of the surrounding rock formations, creating a natural infinity pool-like structure along the coastline. Since it is a popular place to take photos, just be careful because sometimes fills up with water when the tide is high.

Kelingking Beach

Kelingking Beach is also known as T-Rex Beach because the shape resembles Tyrannosaurus Rex. The beach is located on the southwestern coast of Nusa Penida. You can actually go down to the beach, however the way is a bit challenging. Also, it is not suitable for swimming due to the strong currents and rough waves.

☀️ TIP: If you don’t feel like walking all the way down to the beach, but there are too many people at the top taking pictures, just walk a short distance up the path for about 5 or 10 minutes and snap your photos from there.

Crystal Bay Beach

Crystal Bay Beach offers spectacular sunset views. There are beachside cafes serving refreshments and local Indonesian food. The beach is a popular destination for snorkeling too.

➡️ DAY 2: East Side

Snorkeling with Manta Rays

Manta Point dive site is one of the best snorkeling sites in Nusa Penida, where snorkelers have the opportunity to swim with manta rays. According to our guide, it is better to do the snorkeling trip during the morning because it has a higher chance of seeing manta rays.

For this snorkeling trip we visited Manta Bay, Gamat Bay, and Wall Point.

It was my first time swimming with manta rays and as a freediver, this is the highlight of my Nusa Penida trip.

🤿 BOOK HERE: Snorkeling Experience in Nusa Penida (if you didn’t avail of the Nusa Penida 2-day tour)

Diamond Beach

Diamond Beach is such an eye-catching tourist spot because of its dramatic cliff formations. You can also go down to the beach and enjoy the white sand and clear turquoise waters. Please know that it might be a little challenging to go down.

Atuh Beach is also near Diamond Beach which you can also visit in the area.

Rumah Pohon Molenteng (Tree House)

This is one of the most Instagrammable spots in Bali. I think most of the travel influencers have an epic photo of this treehouse.

There are a few photo options here where you can see the view of a thousand islands in here.

If you want to go down to the tree house, you need to pay an additional 75,000 IDR which I didn’t do.

Thousand Islands Viewpoint

Thousand Islands Viewpoint is also known as “Pulau Seribu” in Indonesian. There will be a few photo ops that will have an amazing viewpoint. You can enjoy breathtaking views of the Indian Ocean with a few small islands, giving the impression of a thousand islands spread across the horizon.

Teletubbies Hill

“Teletubbies Hill” is a nickname for Bukit Teletubbies which has scenic green hills that resemble the landscape from the children’s television show “Teletubbies”.

Back to Bali

Around 4 pm we went to the harbour and hopped on a ferry going back to Bali.

Overall Experience

I had so much fun in Nusa Penida. It is truly a wonderful place with a lot of breathtaking views. Just keep in mind that with its popularity, there will be a lot of tourists too, which sometimes makes the experience a bit hectic and challenging. However, you will still surely enjoy Nusa Penida and everything it has to offer. So I hope this Nusa Penida travel guide is helpful for your upcoming trip.

Watch my Nusa Penida Vlog!

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My Travel Faves!

🌎 Safetywing: For travel insurance

✈️ Google Flights: For finding flight deals

🏨 Booking.com: For searching hotels

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☀️ Klook: For tours and activities

📷 Canon G7X Mark II: My travel camera

🧳 Luggage: My favorite luggage