Indonesia / Nusa Islands / Nusa PenidaNusa Penida
Kelingking Cliff, Manta Rays and Crystal Bay
The big, wild island 45 minutes by fast boat from Sanur: the T-rex cliff at Kelingking, Broken Beach and Angel's Billabong, Diamond Beach's carved staircase, and snorkelling with manta rays. Roads are rough and steep, so a day tour barely touches it; a night or two lets you see the east and west coasts. Pay the island levy on arrival.
Highlights
- Kelingking T-rex cliff
- Broken Beach and Angel's Billabong
- Diamond Beach staircase
- Snorkel with manta rays
- Crystal Bay sunset
- Atuh Beach
- Goa Giri Putri cave temple
- Tree house at Thousand Islands viewpoint
Things to do
- West coast: Kelingking, Broken Beach, Angel's BillabongMorning · 6h
- East coast: Diamond Beach and AtuhMorning · 5h
- Manta ray snorkelling tripMorning · 4h
- Crystal Bay sunset swimEvening · 2h
- Goa Giri Putri cave templeAfternoon · 1h 30m
Tours & tickets
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When to go
Best time: April – October
Plan around this
Nyepi: Bali Closes for 24 Hours
⚠️ On Nyepi (Monday 8 March 2027, from 06:00 to 06:00 on 9 March) all of Bali stops: Ngurah Rai airport is closed to every flight, roads, beaches and shops shut, the internet is switched off, and visitors must stay inside their hotel. Don't book a flight, boat or transfer for that day, and allow for full flights and boats on the days either side.
Worth knowing
Rough Seas: Fast Boats Cancelled
In the wet season the Lombok Strait and Badung Strait can be rough for days, and fast boats to the Nusa islands and the Gilis are delayed or suspended (they stopped in February 2026 in 4 m waves). Book a flexible ticket, keep a spare day before your flight home, and consider flying to Lombok for the Gilis.
- Nyepi (Balinese Day of Silence) and the ogoh-ogoh parades — The Balinese New Year. On the eve, villages parade huge ogoh-ogoh demon effigies through the streets and burn them, worth seeing in Ubud, Kuta and Denpasar. Then for 24 hours the whole island stops: Ngurah Rai airport closes, no traffic, no lights, beaches shut, and visitors must stay inside their hotel (hotels keep serving guests indoors). Do not plan to land, leave or travel in Bali that day.
- Galungan and Kuningan · Galungan 17 Jun, Kuningan 27 Jun — Bali's biggest Hindu festival, every 210 days: ten days when the ancestors are believed to visit. Every street is lined with tall bamboo penjor poles, families in temple dress fill the temples, and the island looks its most beautiful. Some shops and drivers take the main days off, and temples are crowded; wear a sarong and sash to visit.
- Christmas and New Year peak — Bali's dearest fortnight: villas and resorts set minimum stays and gala dinners on 24 and 31 December, and Indian, Australian and Indonesian holidays overlap. Book rooms and the Gili and Komodo boats by October, and expect rain: it is the wet season.
Part of a longer route
Nusa Penida is a stop on a curated circuit through Indonesia.