Why You Should Skip the Nusa Penida Day Trip in Bali
Here’s EXACTLY how to visit those iconic sights MINUS the urgency and exhaustion
Diamond Beach, Nusa Penida
The popular sights on Nusa Penida (a satellite island off the coast of mainland Bali) are truly breathtaking. This is where you’ll find the iconic Kelingking Beach (aka the T-Rex), Angel’s Billabong, Diamond Beach, and many more.
The only problem is…they’re popular. And no matter what you do, getting there requires a separate hour-long boat ride, and the sights are all about an hour’s drive away from each other.
Meaning that if you take a day trip there like most people do…you’ll spend most of your long exhausting day on the boat ride there and back, or driving on the bumpy winding roads.
And during the little time you actually get to see the attractions…all the other day trippers are there too. So you’ll be wrestling lines and crowds to barely snap your photo before rushing off to the next thing.
Kelingking Beach aka T-Rex, Nusa Penida
And you DEFINITELY won’t have time to do the epic hike down to Kelingking Beach unless that’s all you plan to do that day (🚨 fair warning: that sh*t is a super-intense hour-long hike down and the 2nd half of it you’re basically just scaling a steep cliff face. And then you have to get back up 😅 Bring water, use caution, and do NOT attempt if you’re scared of heights).
As an autistic person, I just knew I wasn’t going to enjoy that (and it’d probably leave me recovering for days afterward). So I researched high and low for a better alternative.
Here’s the advice I DON’T regret following when planning my trip to Nusa Penida.
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How to see everything you want in Nusa Penida…but with far fewer crowds and way less overwhelm:
Banjar Nyuh Harbor (Nusa Penida)
Stay 2 (or more) nights on the island of Nusa Penida
…instead of doing a day trip from Bali. Choose a place within walking distance of the attraction you’re most excited about (since there’s no uber-type apps on the island).
I stayed 3 nights within 5 minutes walking distance from Kelingking so while most people only get to see that famous t-Rex for 10 minutes in the blazing mid-day heat, I got to see it multiple times, including at sunrise sunset while it was basically empty. I also had 2 full days at my hotel to do tours and return to a hot shower, without having to deal with checking in/out or packing/unpacking on the tour days.
Book fast boat tickets for off-peak times
Day tours usually take the earliest departure times (from Bali to Nusa Penida) and latest departure times (returning to Bali from Nusa Penida), so if you buy tickets for less busy times then you’re more likely to have a less chaotic experience.
I chose the 1pm boat from Bali (Sanur Port) to Nusa Penida, and I had an entire row to myself on the boat (which helped with airflow and also allowed me to get a window seats even though I was one of the last passengers to board). For my departure back to Bali, I left at 8:30am, and that boat was even emptier.
Leave the big bags behind, if you can
Most hotels on Bali will hold your bags for you until you get back. That way you can avoid having to lug your bigger bags around the port and you can go straight to your destination when you arrive in Nusa Penida without waiting around for them to unload your bags. But depending on where you stay in Bali, this just might not make sense for you.
Before I went to Nusa Penida, I stayed in Sanur (where the Bali port is located), so I left my suitcase in my Sanur hotel and packed what I needed for Nusa Penida in a backpack that was easy to take with me on the boat. If you can plan to stay in Sanur before (and/or after) Nusa Penida, that will make your trip a lot smoother. Because Bali traffic is no joke…and I’m from Miami.
Hire a private driver for the day (or half-day)
Schedule the tour for the early morning and late afternoon so you can see the sights before and after the day tours arrive.
Plan to see the east-side sights (like Diamond Beach and Atuh Beach) early (since that’s the sunrise side), and the west-side sights like Angel’s Billabong, Crystal Bay and Kelingking closer to sunset for the best photos. Just trust me when I say that 1 day is not enough to comfortably cover both east and west, so do yourself a favor don’t even try it. Just plan to stay in Nusa Penida for 2 full days (3 nights), and visit one side of the island each day.
Private drivers for a day cost anywhere from $30+ (if you book ahead using sites like Viator or GetYourGuide) to $45+ (if you book last-minute through your hotel like I did 😅).
Research the sights beforehand, choose wisely what you really want to see, and space them out
I recommend no more than 2 sights per half-day, max of 3 per day. Because it’s about an hour-long drive between most sights, you’ll end up rushing at each location and spend most of the day on the road if you try to cram everything into 1 half-day. But some sights (like Angel’s Billabong and Broken Beach) are closer together, so you can comfortably do more in less time if you’re combining them.
I was most excited about Diamond Beach, so I planned an early morning around that and did nearby Atuh Beach on the way back. I skipped Crystal Bay/Beach entirely because it just wasn’t as exciting to me, and ended up being so relieved to have some chill time at my hotel that day instead of rushing off to another tour.
Bring your own snacks, adjust your food expectations, and use reviews to choose a hotel with good food
The food options just aren’t the same as on Bali proper…Barely any international food options, limited veggie options, and no delivery apps, so you’re stuck with whatever’s available in walking distance.
I stayed at Kelingking Mesari Villa & Spa (booked on booking.com) for about $40/night…and as someone’s who super picky about food, I was SO relieved not to have to venture out for a meal I could eat (even moreso after I discovered my hotel food was better than all the walkable options nearby).
Diamond Beach, Nusa Penida
TLDR: A trip to Nusa Penida is TOTALLY worth it…just not on a day trip from Bali like most people do it.
But with an extra bit of planning, you’ll go from waiting hours in line for a photo in the blazing heat…to having that picture-perfect sunset view all to yourself.
