Nusa Penida is the biggest of the three Nusa Islands (and most epic), located just off from mainland Bali. BUT did you know it’s only a 30-minute boat trip from the Sanur Harbor in Bali so it’s VERY easy to reach quickly for a Nusa Penida day trip if you are staying in Canggu, Seminyak, or Kuta. There are so many awesome things to do on Nusa Penida Island and there are two main different Nusa Penida day trip tours I suggest you look at.
The Best Nusa Penida Day-Trips from Bali
In this blog post, I’m going to detail the two most popular Nusa Penida day trips from Bali. The first option is the Manta Ray Snorkel Tour. It’s honestly the most amazing experience to swim with gentle Giant Manta Rays. The tour takes you from Bali to Penida to snorkel with mantas but also to snorkel at other locations where you will find beautiful corals and even spot turtles. The second tour is the BEST of Nusa Penida Day Tour, which basically takes you to all of the most iconic viewpoints and beaches on Nusa Penida in one day.
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.
BEST NUSA PENIDA DAY TOURS
If you are staying in Bali.. take a day trip on a speedboat to explore the highlights of Nusa Penida. It takes just 35 minutes to get from Bali to Nusa Penida by speed boat. Yep, in just one day you can snorkel with Manta rays and visit lots of the best beaches and viewpoints.
Manta Ray Snorkeling Tour
Manta Ray Nusa Penida Tour (from Bali): Snorkeling with Manta Rays is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and one of the best wildlife encounters I’ve had in my life. The Manta Rays are majestic and very friendly. With a wingspan of 5m, these gentle giants cruise around you while you snorkel amongst them. The Nusa Penida Manta Ray Snorkel Tour includes pick up and drop off from your hotel in Bali and all transport and tickets included.
Nusa Penida Highlights Tour
Nusa Penida Highlights Tour: Get picked-up from your Bali hotel, take a 35-minute fast boat to Nusa Penida and then visit the most popular viewpoints, beaches and snorkel spots on the island. This small Nusa Penida Highlights Tour group tour is the most highly reviewed day trip for Nusa Penida Island. You’ll visit all the most popular spots and can request certain viewpoints on your itinerary. Places you will visit are sites like the ones listed below:
- Angel’s Billabong
- Kelingking T-Rex Beach
- Broken Beach
- Rumah Pohon Treehouse
- Snorkeling at Crystal Bay
- Thousand Island Viewpoint
Okay, that was a the brief overview of the two tours I will detail in this article. Below, I’m going to go into the exact details of what each tour involves as I have personally done them both!
Nusa Penida Day Trip – Snorkeling with Manta Rays
This is a tour you simply cannot afford to pass on. I know for some people they are on a budget in Bali or they prefer not to book tours but I guarantee you, it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience to float around with Giant Manta Rays.
- Swim with the massive reef manta rays of Nusa Penida
- Visit Crystal Bay, Atuh Beach, Diamond Beach
- Snorkel in scenic spots around Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan
- Enjoy a delicious beachside lunch overlooking a white sand beach
- Explore some of the most diverse reefs on the planet
CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR TOUR: Manta Ray Snorkeling Tour
The tour includes lunch, and several other snorkeling spots near Manta Point where you can see turtles, corals and tropical fish. You’ll also cruise through a few beaches on top of the Manta Point snorkel.
As soon as we plunged into the water, we found ourselves looking directly at a huge Manta Ray, one of the most impressive beings of the sea. It was completely surprising, I assumed we’d be hanging around waiting for them. More than five of these Manta Rays were making repeated circuits in the bay, delighting the cluster of snorkelers. Unlike turtles or fish that tend to swim away at the presence of humans, the Manta Rays were consistently interactive, circling back time and again. They would often approach you directly and then quickly swerve off to one side at the very last moment.
Snorkeling with Manta Rays Availability
You can use this calendar below to see the availability of tours. It’s important to book this tour in advance during high season as it can be a very popular activity on Nusa Penida and they try and limit the number of boats in the water.
Gamat Bay Snorkeling
As part of the Manta Ray Snorkeling tour, you will get to snorkel at Gamat Bay aswell. We jumped off the boat, and immediately realized the water at Gamat Bay is much colder than at Manta Point and Crystal Bay. I’m not sure why that is. The second thing we noticed was the incredible coral structures and rock formations beneath the surface. The depth ranged from a few meters closer to shore all the way down to perfect free-diving depth of 5-20 meters.
Our guide told us this is where you can see a turtle if you are lucky. We looked long and hard and finally, we found a turtle who let us chill near him for ten minutes as he went about his business. The water clarity at Gamat was perfect!
BEST of Nusa Penida Tour: Epic Day Trip
This BEST of Nusa Penida Day Tour from Bali via fast-boat is the best way to see Nusa Penida in just one day. The itinerary looks like the following:
- Hotel pickup by car
- Fast-boat to Nusa Penida
- 4-5 Sightseeing spots on Nusa Penida
- Fast-boat to Bali
- Hotel drop-off by car
The BEST of Nusa Penida Day Tour is the most convenient way to see Nusa Penida in just one day. There are three set spots on the itinerary but you can customize the schedule and spots to visit by discussing with the tour guide and tour company, which is quite important. You may have some bucketvlist items that you want to guarantee that you see so just discuss that in advance and they will make it happen!
Below I’m going to detail each of the spots on the itinerary and/or those spots you can add to the itinerary by customizing it!
Atuh Beach
Atuh Beach is one of the most picturesque and beautiful beaches on Nusa Penida, an island off the southeastern coast of Bali, Indonesia. It’s s a stunning white sand beach surrounded by the huge cliffs and remarkable rock formations. An arch sits directly out from the shore while several islets string off in the distance.
Read the full blog post: Beautiful Atuh Beach on Nusa Penida
Diamond Beach
Diamond Beach, found on the far eastern edge of Nusa Penida Island in Indonesia, is famous for its incredible natural scenery. The beach showcases an extraordinary setting marked by clean white sands, transparent turquoise waters, and high cliffs. The beach’s distinct rock structures, which look like shining diamonds, give this beach its unique name. A carved staircase descending the cliffs allows entry to the beach, presenting stunning wide-angle views on the way down.
But the key feature here is the rock shaped like a diamond in the shallow waters. After all, I think this diamond-like rock is what gives the beach its name.
Read the full blog post: DIAMOND BEACH ON NUSA PENIDA ISLAND
Nusa Penida Treehouse (Rumah Pohon)
The Tree House (Rumah Pohon) on Nusa Penida has become something of an iconic spot. It is perched up on the mountain at Thousand Island (Pulau Seribu) viewpoint near Atuh Beach.
It is part of the Thousand Island viewpoint area costing only 10,000 rupiah to park and enter, which is less than $1 USD. The best part about this treehouse is that it is actually a house and you can rent it out for pretty cheap considering how popular this spot has become and how insane the view is.
Read the full blog post: The Nusa Penida Treehouse (Rumah Pohon) Airbnb
Teletubbies Hill
Teletubbies Hill is a great spot to understand just how diverse the landscapes are on Nusa Penida and it was incredibly interesting flying the drone here scoping out all the different contours, valleys and canyons in this region.
Angel’s Billabong
Angel’s Billabong is one of the magical spots to visit on Nusa Penida. A crystal clear tide pool cascades into the ocean on the east coast of Nusa Penida. Angel’s Billabong is an enchanting natural wonder located on the island of Nusa Penida, Bali, Indonesia. This unique rock formation, nestled on the island’s southwestern coast, forms a tranquil natural infinity pool that overlooks the vast Indian Ocean. During low tide, the pool’s crystal clear water provides a safe and serene spot for swimming, revealing a mesmerizing underwater world.
Read the full blog post: Angel’s Billabong on Nusa Penida
Broken Beach
Broken Beach is an incredible little cove on Nusa Penida island. The highlight of the cove and the reason it is called Broken Beach is due to the archway that wraps around the bay allowing water to flow in and out from the ocean. Broken Beach is also one of the spots on the Ultimate Nusa Penida Day Trip Tour from Bali.
The arch at Broken Beach has been formed over many, many years and is now a true spectacle. From above the cove appears almost circular and closed in, however, at eye level the arch is quite high.
Read the full blog post: Broken Beach on Nusa Penida
Kelingking Beach
The Instagram famous coastal cliffscape, which truly does look like a T-rex doesn’t disappoint. I still remember the moment I laid eyes on Kelingking Beach. I watched the crystal clear water slowly form into a wave before crashing below us, in what seemed like slow motion.
Nusa Penida has so many amazing views making it hard to pick ‘the best one’. But when the cliffs form in the shape of a Tyrannosaurus Rex at Kelingking Beach it is bound to be a crowd favorite. Kelingking Beach on Nusa Penida is one of the MOST epic spots in all of Indonesia and worth voyaging out to visit from Bali.
Read the full blog post: Kelingking Secret Point Beach
Crystal Bay
Crystal Bay is probably the most popular beach on Nusa Penida for a number of reasons. It is the best sunset beach, facing directly west. This alone makes it a winner for people trying to have a sunset beer and watch the sun go down.
It’s also the jump-off spot for snorkel tours and is only a 30-minute drive from the main port, Toyapakeh. Most importantly, unlike many of the crazy beaches on Penida, you can snorkel and swim with relaxing conditions.
Of course, if you have more time than just a day trip you can check out my blog post about my 27 favorite things to do on Nusa Penida and enjoy exploring the island.
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
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
Package Nusa Penida
Saturday 16th of April 2022
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Ciprian M.
Friday 13th of September 2019
What an awesome blog, the article is well written, impartial and the photos help massively ... it helped me decide what to do with my time in Bali and after reading it, I've decided to go for the West tour given I only have one day. This is my little thank you note. Keep up the good work!
Nusa Penida Tour
Saturday 1st of June 2019
This blog is so helpful! We are a travel agency based in Bali can organize it for nusa penida tour as well Check it here https://touristbali.com/bali-tours/nusa-penida-day-tour/penida-tour-package.php