Kelingking Beach on Nusa Penida: T-Rex Cliff Hike

Kelingking Beach on Nusa Penida, Bali

Kelingking actually translates into English meaning Pinkie a term referencing the smallest finger on the hand. Just like a pinkie promise, the land does also appear to take the form of a Kelingking or pinkie finger. However, it is the comparison to the T-Rex that has caused Kelingking Beach on Nusa Penida to become so popular. In this blog post, I’ll share everything you need to know about Kelingking Beach.

Visit Kelingking Beach from Bali

If you are based in Bali you can join the Ultimate Nusa Penida Day Trip Tour from Bali tour with GetYourGuide. They will pick you up in the morning from your hotel in Bali, take you across to Nusa Penida by fast boat, and then bring you back to Bali in the evening after an incredible day of adventures. Remember to tell them which spots are on your Nusa Penida Bucket list and they will make it happen! If you are already on Nusa Penida, I’ll detail how to visit in the paragraph below.

BEST NUSA PENIDA TOURS!

These are the four most popular Nusa Penida Tours. I’ve done all four and they are AWESOME!

• Manta Ray Snorkel Tour (from Bali) – Most amazing experience to swim with Giant Manta’s.
• Manta Ray Snorkel Tour (from Penida) This is the cheaper option if already on Nusa Penida.
• BEST of Nusa Penida Day Tour (from Bali) Most booked day trip fro Bali to Penida with all highlights
• Nusa Penida Car Rental with Driver: Great way to see all the highlights and tourist spots.

How to get to Kelingking Beach on Nusa Penida

Kelingking Beach is located on Nusa Penida Island, in the Klungkung Regency, Bali, Indonesia.

Assuming you’re already on Nusa Penida Island, the quickest way to get to Kelingking Beach is by motorbike or car. You can rent a motorbike or hire a car with a driver if you prefer not to drive. The roads on Nusa Penida are known for being quite rugged, so do be careful. If you aren’t confident in driving, you can rent a car on Nusa Penida with private driver, which is a good option to visit multiple spots safely in a day with a group of friends.

Kelingking Beach on Nusa Penida: What to Expect

On the island of Nusa Penida, you can hire a moped and make the journey to Kelingking, which is about 30 minutes from the harbor. A series of restaurants/warungs are perched on the mountain with some pretty extreme views.

The safety at Kelingking is reliant on the bamboo railing but now some serious infrastructure has been added and I have noticed cement stairs, sturdy hand-rails and a much clearer paths. It was fun before but probably alot safer now. You will see the old, ‘wild’ setup in many of my photos in this blog post.

TOP 3 PLACES TO STAY ON NUSA PENIDA

I’ve written a massive, detailed guide about the Best Places To Stay on Nusa Penida….BUT If you just want me three favorites right now, here they are!

• My TOP Pick: Atalaya Villas – Bungalow Style, Beautiful Palm Trees, Great Location.
• Beach Bungalow: Santen Bungalows– Stay on the beach, Best Value for Money
• Luxury: Nay Palad Hideaway – Oceanfront, Beach Access, Beautiful Pool

View on Booking.com

The Viewpoints at Kelingking Secret Point Beach

Further down from the restaurant area is what could be considered the main viewing point. From here you can enjoy the view all the way down to the beach. This is the perfect spot to fully grasp the shape of the dinosaur or Kelingking. If you look at the picture below you can see the head with the mouth wide open on the left, while the tail seemingly wraps around to the right!

Often tourist spots can be a bit underwhelming, especially rock or land formations that are supposed to be shaped like an animal. However, the T-Rex at Kelingking Beach is one of the most awesome sights in all of Indonesia. Not only is the shape very accurately depicting a T-Rex, the pure scale of the cliffs is impressive enough on it’s own no matter what dinosaur it looks like. It’s quite simply just an awe-inspiring view.

Hiking to Kelingking Beach

Further down from the top viewpoint, you can walk along the ridge or the spine of the T-Rex. There was also a path leading down to the shore. On my first visit to Kelingking Beach, I didn’t venture down to the beach but on my second visit, I made my way down.

The climb is very steep but only short and has railing the whole way. It isn’t easy and if you don’t think you can make it back up I would just enjoy the view from the top. I’ve heard many foreigners and locals exclaiming that it was the ‘hardest hike of their life’. It’s steep but quite short. If you don’t exercise often or didn’t bring good shoes, maybe consider just enjoying the viewpoint.

SWIM WITH MANTA RAYS ON NUSA PENIDA!

BEST TOUR: Enjoy swimming with Manta Rays on Nusa Penida Island with the most popular tour in Bali.

Option 1: Manta Ray Nusa Penida Tour (from Bali)

Option 2: Manta Ray Snorkel Tour (from Penida)

Book Manta Ray Tour

Kelingking Beach

Once we reached the beach, the waves were insane. It is a shore-break beach and the waves were barreling and dumping. This isn’t a beach for novice swimmers and the sets came out of nowhere. Please don’t swim if you aren’t 100% sure you can handle the conditions.

There have been a number of rescues and deaths at Kelingking Beach so please don’t play around here unless you are sure it is calm enough in the waves and you are a good swimmer.

My friends and I body surfed until the sunset. It was the most magical night of our time on Nusa Penida. Kelingking Secret Point Beach was and still is my favorite spot on Nusa Penida.

Kelingking Beach Caves

Down the far end on Kelingking Beach is an incredible cave. It’s truly massive. If you are looking for some shade or a quiet place to hang out for a while, this is it. It’s also an amazing place to frame a unique photo of Kelingking Beach.

Kelingking Beach Sunset Cliff Viewpoint

Here is a great little tip for enjoying Kelingking ‘Secret Point’ Beach from a unique angle. Instead of hiking down the stairs towards the beach, head to the right along the cliffs. There is a worn path along the cliff edge but no railing so be careful.

Here you can find multiple epic viewpoints, with arguably a better look at the beach than the hike. You’ll pass through a bit of farmland, but eventually find yourself a chill spot along the cliffs to hang out away from the tourists and crowds.

It’s an awesome spot for sunset and doesn’t involve any hiking for those of you out there looking for the easy option. We came back two nights later after our beach session down at the bottom and just caught the sunset up on these cliffs. Definitely one of the best sunset spots on the island of Nusa Penida and a unique angle of Kelingking Secret Point Beach.

How Did Kelingking Beach Get it’s Name

Kelingking Beach on Nusa Penida Island, Indonesia, gets its name from its unique topographic shape which resembles a T-Rex dinosaur. “Kelingking” in the local language translates to “pinkie” or “baby finger”, but visitors often see the shape of a T-Rex when they look at it from the viewing platform.

The naming of the beach as “Kelingking” reflects how locals interpreted the cliff formation. However, it’s the interpretation by tourists as a T-Rex-like formation that has made it globally recognizable and popular. Regardless of whether you see a dinosaur or a pinkie finger, there’s no denying that the striking landscape and beautiful beach make it a must-visit spot.

How to get to the Nusa Islands

There are three main options to get to Nusa Penida depending on your budget and how many logistics you want to manage. Here are the three options with the cheapest first:

1. Book your ticket: Sanur (Bali) to Nusa Lembongan – Book a regular ferry that leaves from Sanur to Nusa Penida on the reliable website 12go. You then need to moped or taxi across to Nusa Penida via another ferry/boat.
2. Book a fast boat: Sanur (Bali) to Nusa Penida – This option is great as you go direct from Bali to Penida without having to stop in Lembongan. This option is only slightly more expensive than stopping in Lembongan. This is my favorite option of the three and can be booked on Klook.
3. Book a fast boat with hotel pick-up: Sanur (Bali) to Nusa Penida – This option includes a fast boat from Sanur (Bali) to Nusa Penida but also includes pick-up from your hotel in Bali in a van. This option from GetYourGuide is a bit more expensive but takes all the hassle out of the transit from Bali to Nusa Penida.

MORE NUSA ISLANDS BLOG POSTS

There are a ton of epic things to do on Nusa Penida, but I also wrote detailed guides for all of the adventurous things to do on Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Ceningan. You can explore more of my guides by clicking one of the links below.

• NUSA ISLANDS GUIDE: LEMBONGAN, PENIDA, CENINGAN
• 27 AWESOME THINGS TO DO ON NUSA PENIDA
• 9 AWESOME THINGS TO DO ON NUSA LEMBONGAN
• 5 AWESOME THINGS TO DO ON NUSA CENINGAN
• BEST CLIFF JUMP SPOTS IN BALI, INDONESIA
• WHERE TO STAY ON NUSA PENIDA: EAST & WEST REGION
• THE PERFECT 3-DAY NUSA PENIDA ITINERARY
• BEST NUSA PENIDA DAY TRIP TOURS FROM BALI
• HOW TO GET TO NUSA PENIDA FROM BALI VIA FERRY/BOAT