After Ubud we decided to head to Nusa Lembongan, an island off the southeast coast of Bali that we truthfully did not know much about before going there. It is part of the Nusa Islands chain, which includes Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Penida, and Nusa Ceningan. We picked Nusa Lembongan because we found places there that had both scuba diving and yoga, two things we were interested in. It also sounded like a beautiful and laid back island, which it absolutely was. It is also a popular surfing destination.
Lembongan is reachable by a 30-minute ride on a fast boat ferry from Sanur on mainland Bali. The ferry company picked us up at our hotel in Ubud and due to traffic, our ferry left about two hours later than scheduled. I think delays are the norm with the ferries. We had to walk with our luggage a good way to the boat from the van shuttle and there was no dock so to board we had to take off our shoes and wade through the ocean up to our shins to get to the boat from shore. The ferry crew loaded everyone’s luggage by hoisting each bag up on their shoulder and carrying it from the beach through the water to the boat.
When we arrived at Nusa Lembongan, we were greeted by beautiful clear blue water and a sandy beach. After disembarking from the ferry and collecting our luggage, a pickup truck with open air bench seating in the back shuttled us to our hotel, which was only a kilometer or so away. We stayed at Chillhouse Lembongan, a lovely homestay run by a local family that was about a block from the beach and right around the corner from the dive shop we planned on using. The island is only 8 square kilometers in size and there were many restaurants and a handful of shops within easy walking distance from our homestay. There is a nice boardwalk along much of the coast, where we enjoyed quite a few seaside strolls. Other than the basic pickups that are used for taxis, there are virtually no cars on Nusa Lembongan. Scooters seem to be the preferred mode of transportation and they are everywhere.
Scuba Diving
We booked a scuba diving trip with Big Fish Diving prior to arriving in Nusa Lembongan so we met at their shop at 8:00 am and got suited up in the wetsuits and gear they provided to us. We then headed out on their boat toward Manta Point, a dive site off the coast of neighboring Nusa Penida. The ride there was rough due to the gigantic swells in the ocean and the boat was bouncing up and down like mad. We were repeatedly sprayed and completely drenched by ocean water. The cliff faces along the shore of Nusa Penida and rock formations in the ocean were gorgeous. Since I was holding on for dear life to avoid being bounced out of the boat I did not take many photos of the beautiful scenery.
Once we arrived our divemaster gave us a briefing of the dive site, known as Manta Point because it is where Manta Rays are often spotted. We were paired with an excellent divemaster and only one other diver; it was fantastic to have such a small group. The Mantas are drawn to Manta Point due to a large underwater boulder that serves as a cleaning station that they like to swim over. After descending into the ocean and swimming about for a while, two large Manta Rays appeared gracefully swimming in circles around the cleaning station. They are majestic creatures and seemed unafraid of us. They swam around the area for quite some time. It was thrilling to be underwater with the Manta Rays and observe them at such close range.
After Manta Point, we moved to our next dive site of the day, Crystal Bay, also off the coast of Nusa Penida. After our surface interval break and a dive briefing on the boat, we descended into the ocean once again. The water was in fact almost crystal clear and the visibility was amazing. The coral reef at Crystal Bay was incredibly vibrant and healthy. It was covered with anemones and beautiful corals surrounded by a wide variety of colorful fish. We were lucky to see some large turtles, eels, clownfish, and many other beautiful fish.
We sadly did not spot any Mola Mola, which can sometimes be seen in the area. The currents at this dive site were the strongest we have ever encountered while diving, which made it challenging at times, but our divemaster did a great job of guiding us through the conditions. Rob lost a fin at the end of the dive but our divemaster rescued it. Thankfully the water was much calmer on our return to Nusa Lemobongan and the boat ride was smooth and comfortable.
Exploring Islands by Scooter
Our homestay offered very reasonable daily scooter rentals so we rented one for the day and took off to explore. We drove over to the west side of Nusa Lembongan to see Devil’s Tears where powerful waves crash against the cliffs to create huge sprays of water and the occasional rainbow. It was a beautiful sight and a reminder of the power and beauty of the ocean.
About twenty minutes after our arrival at Devil’s Tears some large tour groups showed up making the area quite crowded so we left just in time to avoid the big rush. The photo below was taken as we were leaving and the big crowds had just arrived. Groups of day trippers from Bali often come to Nusa Lembongan and Devil’s Tears is a spot visited early or late in the day for the best experience.
Next we stopped at Dream Beach just around the corner. This beach is gorgeous and there is a restaurant and a resort on the rock cliff just above the beach. For 50,000 IDR per person (about $3.50 USD) you could hang out at the resort’s infinity pool for the day and use their bathroom and shower facilities. We did not stay too long since we had more exploring we wanted to do but it would be a great place to spend the day.
We made our way over the yellow suspension bridge that connects the nearby island of Nusa Ceningan to Nusa Lembongan. The bridge is only wide enough to cross on foot or on a scooter. We stopped at The Sand restaurant on Nusa Ceningan and enjoyed a nice lunch of vegan burgers and smoothies overlooking the sea. It was low tide while we were there so the sea was pretty far off in the distance.
Next we swung by the Blue Lagoon, a spot where the water is so bright turquoise it almost doesn’t look real. Nusa Ceningan is not very large and the whole island can be pretty much covered by scooter in an hour or two.
Next we went back to the northeast side of Nusa Lembongan to check out the Mangrove Forest. There a local woman offered to paddle us around the mangroves in her boat for around $10 USD. The mangroves were beautiful and quite peaceful. Since they are mostly in the shade it was a great place to escape from the mid-day heat as well.
Nusa Penida
Our homestay hosts lined up a day tour for us to the neighboring island of Nusa Penida. We didn’t know much about what the tour would be like except that it would visit four specific places. In the morning we took a twenty minute boat ride along with about ten other travelers to Nusa Penida from Lembongan. My first impression of Nusa Penida was that is looked a bit run down and dirty. Once on the island we piled into two minivans and were driven over an hour on some very bumpy and narrow roads to the sight known as Angel’s Billabong, which looks like a natural infinity pool next to the ocean.
We walked down a path up the hill from this spot where we saw the beautiful Broken Beach, an incredible bay where the ocean enters through an archway. Thinking about how long it must have taken for the land to be eroded away by the ocean into this incredible formation is pretty mind blowing.
Next we headed over to Kelingking Beach, which is a beautiful spot overlooking a rock formation that resembles a T-rex head beside one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. Our driver said we only had 45 minutes to enjoy this spot so sadly we did not have time to walk down the many stairs to the actual beach and only were able to see it from above. One of the drawbacks of visiting Nusa Penida on a day tour was that we did not have nearly enough time as we would have liked at each spot we visited but we still enjoyed the day. The island is not all that developed yet and the roads are very rough so it takes a while to get around. The island’s beauty is really amazing once you reach some of its natural treasures.
The last stop on our day tour was Crystal Bay, the same bay where we had been a few days before by boat on our scuba diving trip. The beach was really crowded with people and all the shaded seating was occupied. We noticed some crumbling concrete stairs with no signage at the far end of the beach and decided to see where they went. After walking up many stairs and then descending back down a rough path, which took around twenty minutes, we arrived at a gorgeous beach that was practically deserted. There was a small wooden sign that said “wellcome (sic) to Pandan Beach.” Some locals had set up a little shack selling drinks and snacks. They also had a swing and some bean bag chairs with shade umbrellas you could use for a small fee. There were only about ten other people on the beach and had the feel of a hidden private beach.
Rob ordered a cold Bintang beer and I bought a fresh coconut and we sat back and enjoyed the little slice of paradise we had accidentally stumbled across. This was our favorite stop on the day tour of Nusa Penida and the perfect ending to the day.
We really enjoyed the five days we spent based on Nusa Lembongan. We found plenty of healthy restaurant options and most were quite affordable. We travel with refillable water bottles and a steripen purifier so we can avoid buying drinking water in plastic bottles as much as possible. We appreciated that most restaurants on Nusa Lembongan offered water bottle refills, either for free or for a very small fee, which was so convenient and eco-friendly. I took a nice yoga class at the Yoga Shack Lembongan one morning and we watched the sunset from a beachside restaurant together almost every evening. We found the local people to be overwhelmingly friendly and welcoming. It was an ideal island destination where we enjoyed a great balance of adventure and relaxation.
Love the pics of you two! I’ve never seen Rob that tan before! 🙂