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Nusa Islands, Indonesia
Nusa Islands

off south-east Bali, Indonesia

Nusa Islands

An honest UK guide to the three Nusa islands off Bali — Penida for the Kelingking cliff, Lembongan for snorkelling and Ceningan for the Yellow Bridge — with real Sanur fast-boat times, scooter-versus-driver costs and why Penida's roads catch day-trippers out.

Written by the Departly editorial team Reviewed against GOV.UK on 9 Jun 2026
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In short

Nusa Islands at a glance

The Nusa Islands are three small islands off Bali's south-east corner — Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan — and they are not interchangeable. Penida is the big, rugged one with the headline sights: the dinosaur-shaped Kelingking Beach cliff, Broken Beach, Angel's Billabong and the manta rays at Manta Point. Lembongan is far smaller and easier underfoot, built for snorkelling, the Devil's Tear blowhole and a slower beach pace. Ceningan is tinier still, joined to Lembongan by the rickety yellow suspension bridge and known for the Blue Lagoon cliff jump. The crowd-funnelling mistake is doing Penida as a single day trip from Bali: the fast boat from Sanur is only 30-45 minutes, but the island is large with genuinely rough, steep roads, so a one-day group tour spends hours bouncing between viewpoints and reaches Kelingking when it is already packed. Stay at least one night, sort a driver rather than a first-time scooter on Penida's hills, and the islands repay the effort.

The Nusa Islands are three separate islands off Bali’s south-east corner, and the first mistake is treating them as one stop. Nusa Penida is the big, rugged one — the dinosaur-shaped Kelingking Beach cliff, Broken Beach, Angel’s Billabong and the manta rays at Manta Point — but it has genuinely steep, broken roads and a lot of distance between sights. Nusa Lembongan is far smaller and easier underfoot, built for snorkelling, the Devil’s Tear blowhole and a slow beach pace. Nusa Ceningan is tinier still, joined to Lembongan by a narrow yellow suspension bridge and known for the Blue Lagoon cliff jump. They share a sea, not an itinerary.

The decision that catches people out is doing Penida as a single day trip from Bali. The fast boat from Sanur harbour is only 30-45 minutes, which makes it look easy, but a one-day group tour spends hours bouncing between viewpoints on those rough roads and reaches Kelingking when it is already swamped with other tours. Stay at least one night and the island changes: you start the west-coast loop at first light or late afternoon, and you take the manta snorkel before the swell builds. On Penida itself, skip the first-timer scooter — hire a car with a local driver for the day (about Rp 600,000-800,000, roughly £25-34), which is both faster and safer than wrestling a moped up those hills. Save the scooter for small, flat Lembongan and Ceningan, where the distances are short and the Yellow Bridge does the rest.

The route

A 3-night skeleton that splits the islands the way they actually work: a couple of nights on big, dramatic Nusa Penida for the cliff sights and the mantas, then a slower finish on small, walkable Lembongan with a half-day hop across the Yellow Bridge to Ceningan. The point is to stop treating Penida as a rushed day trip — it is a real island with rough roads, so you base there and use a driver. Boat and drive times below are real Nusa figures, not Bali-mainland estimates.

  1. Days 1-2

    Nusa Penida — the cliff sights and the mantas

    Take the morning fast boat from Sanur harbour (about 30-45 minutes) to Toyapakeh or Banjar Nyuh on Penida's north-west coast. Pre-arrange a car with a local driver for a full sightseeing day (about Rp 600,000-800,000, ~£25-34): the west loop chains Kelingking Beach, Broken Beach and Angel's Billabong, but the roads are steep and broken so it takes longer than the map suggests. Go early or late to dodge the day-tour crush at Kelingking. On the second morning, take a boat snorkel trip to Manta Point and Crystal Bay before the swell builds.

  2. Day 3

    Cross to Nusa Lembongan

    Hop on a short island-to-island boat from Penida to Lembongan (roughly 30 minutes). Lembongan is small enough to cover on foot or a cheap scooter — walk the cliff path to the Devil's Tear blowhole for the spray at high tide, snorkel at Mangrove Point, and settle into the slower Mushroom Bay or Jungutbatu pace. This is the island to actually relax on after Penida's bumpy roads.

  3. Day 4 (half day)

    Walk the Yellow Bridge to Ceningan, then back to Bali

    Cross the narrow yellow suspension bridge on foot or scooter to tiny Nusa Ceningan, watch (or take) the Blue Lagoon cliff jump and loop the Secret Beach viewpoints. Then catch an afternoon fast boat from Lembongan back to Sanur (about 30 minutes) — leave a buffer, as Bali's south is traffic-clogged and the road on to the airport or Ubud is slow.

Where to base yourself

Pick one or two bases rather than moving every night.

Nusa Penida — Toyapakeh / Crystal Bay (north-west)

££ mid-range

The practical Penida base: close to the main ports, the west-coast cliff loop and the Crystal Bay snorkel beach, with the broadest spread of guesthouses and small resorts. Stay here to start the Kelingking circuit early and beat the day boats, and to keep transfer times down on the island's rough roads.

Best for: First-timers chasing the cliff sights

Browse hotels ~30-45 min fast boat from Sanur, Bali

Nusa Penida — Atuh / east coast

££ mid-range

Quieter, greener and far less developed, with the Atuh Beach and Diamond Beach viewpoints nearby. The trade-off is distance: the east is a long, slow drive from the ports and the headline west-coast sights, so it suits a longer, calmer stay rather than a quick first visit.

Best for: A slower, scenic stay away from the crowds

Browse hotels ~60-90 min drive from Penida's ports

Nusa Lembongan — Mushroom Bay / Jungutbatu

££ mid-range

Small, walkable and the most relaxed of the three islands, with beach bars, snorkel trips off the doorstep and the Devil's Tear cliff walk. The sensible base if you want easy days over Penida's dramatic-but-bumpy sightseeing, and you can scooter or walk across the Yellow Bridge to Ceningan.

Best for: Snorkelling, slower beach days and couples

Browse hotels ~30 min fast boat from Sanur, Bali

Nusa Ceningan — around the Yellow Bridge

£ value

The smallest and most low-key island, a handful of cliff-edge guesthouses and warungs near the Blue Lagoon and Secret Beach. Stay here only if you want the quietest base and don't mind crossing the narrow bridge to Lembongan for more restaurants and the fast-boat pier.

Best for: The quietest, most off-grid base

Browse hotels walk/scooter across the Yellow Bridge from Lembongan

Getting around Nusa Islands

Everything starts with the fast boat from Sanur harbour in Bali: about 30-45 minutes to Nusa Penida's Toyapakeh or Banjar Nyuh ports and roughly 30 minutes to Lembongan's Mushroom Bay or Jungutbatu, with return tickets usually around £20-30 (Rp 470,000-700,000). Book a named operator and a specific sailing rather than a touted ticket on the beach. On Nusa Penida itself there is no public transport, the island is large, and the roads are steep, narrow and broken in places — so for sightseeing days hire a car with a local driver (about Rp 600,000-800,000, ~£25-34 for the day), which beats chaining separate rides and is far safer than a first scooter on those hills. Scooters are cheap (~Rp 70,000-100,000/day, ~£3-4.25) and fine on small, flat Lembongan and Ceningan, but GOV.UK flags poor traffic discipline and rising motorbike accidents across Indonesia, and you legally need an International Driving Permit with a motorcycle entitlement or your insurance won't pay a claim. Between the islands, short hopper boats run Penida-to-Lembongan in about 30 minutes, and Lembongan and Ceningan are joined on foot and scooter by the narrow yellow suspension bridge, so you can base on one and reach the other without a boat.

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Nusa Islands FAQs

Is Nusa Penida worth it as a day trip from Bali?
It's worth visiting, but a single day trip is the weakest way to do it. The fast boat from Sanur is only 30-45 minutes, but Penida is a big island with steep, rough roads, so a one-day group tour spends hours bouncing between viewpoints and reaches the famous Kelingking Beach cliff when the crowds are at their worst. Staying at least one night lets you start the west-coast loop — Kelingking, Broken Beach, Angel's Billabong — at first light or late afternoon when the day boats have gone, and gives you a calmer morning for the mantas at Manta Point.
What's the difference between Nusa Penida, Lembongan and Ceningan?
They're three separate islands with different jobs. Nusa Penida is the largest and most dramatic, with the headline cliff sights (Kelingking, Broken Beach, Diamond Beach) and the manta rays — but rough roads and more travel between sights. Nusa Lembongan is much smaller and easier to get around on foot or a scooter, built for snorkelling, the Devil's Tear blowhole and a relaxed beach pace. Nusa Ceningan is tinier still, joined to Lembongan by a narrow yellow suspension bridge and known for the Blue Lagoon cliff jump. Many people base on Lembongan for the easy pace and day-trip to Penida by boat.
How do I get from Bali to the Nusa Islands?
Fast boats leave from Sanur harbour on Bali's south-east coast — about 30-45 minutes to Nusa Penida (Toyapakeh or Banjar Nyuh) and roughly 30 minutes to Nusa Lembongan (Mushroom Bay or Jungutbatu). Return tickets are usually around £20-30 (Rp 470,000-700,000). Book a named operator and a fixed departure time rather than a ticket touted on the sand, and allow a buffer at the Bali end, as the road from Sanur to the airport or Ubud is slow and traffic-clogged. Between the islands, short hopper boats run Penida-to-Lembongan in about 30 minutes.
Should I hire a scooter on Nusa Penida?
On Nusa Penida specifically, first-timers are usually better off with a car and a local driver (about Rp 600,000-800,000, ~£25-34 for a sightseeing day). Penida's roads are steep, narrow and broken, and GOV.UK flags poor traffic discipline and rising motorbike accidents across Indonesia. If you do ride, you legally need an International Driving Permit with a motorcycle entitlement, or your travel insurance won't pay out on a claim. Scooters are far more manageable on small, flat Lembongan and Ceningan, where distances are short.
When is the best time to visit the Nusa Islands?
May, June and September give the best mix: dry-season seas and sun without the July-August peak. The dry season runs roughly April to October, when crossings are smoothest and the water is clearest for snorkelling and the mantas. The wet season (November-March) brings heavier afternoon downpours, rougher channel crossings that can cancel fast boats, and lower prices and crowds. Manta rays cruise Manta Point off Penida's south coast year-round, though calmer dry-season water makes the snorkelling easier.

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