Nusa Penida Island

Nusa Penida is a wonder island, an ecotourist’s dream, a diver’s paradise, located 12 km southeast of Bali and for a long time remained in the shadow of its more popular neighbor. Traveling here is usually compared to traveling in a time machine: despite the dynamically developing infrastructure, only the northwest coast of the island remains truly developed. However, if you deviate from the routes recommended by the guides and go in the southeastern direction, you will have a unique chance to go back 30 years and imagine how Bali and other Asian resorts looked like at the dawn of their tourist “career”, before backpackers’ landing parties reached them.

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Video: Nusa Penida

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General Information

‘ Bali Nusa Penida is separated by Badung Strait and nearly half an hour by speedboat. Usually travelers combine a visit to the island with a vacation at a nearby resort, which makes sense. With nature, ecology and backgrounds for beach selfies on Nusa Penida everything is more than fine, but tourists who came to Southeast Asia for civilization benefits and club drive, in a protected corner will be a bit boring. For this reason, travel gurus recommend the island as an option for a three-day tour, during which you can bypass most of the iconic sites, practice snorkeling on the coral reefs and even splash with manta rays.

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Basically, Nusa Penida is a mini paradise for those who are tired of the perpetual crowds on the beaches, mainstream Asian attractions and pushy salesmen selling everything. Authenticity on the island, too: the indigenous population makes a living farming seaweed, does not try to divvy up visitors for money and almost does not speak English, preferring to Shakespeare’s language its own dialect, very different from Balinese.

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To be fair, it’s worth noting that enjoying the natural and architectural attractions of Nusa Penida is not easy for tourists. The relief of the island is formed by three massive plateaus, of which only the northern one is located at sea level, while the entire southern part of the coast is a steep cliffs. Consequently, to reach the local sanctuaries and sunbathe on the luxurious sandy beaches, you’ll need comfortable shoes and some calf muscles. The paths and simple stairs leading to the sea and viewpoints of Nusa Penida are often vertical and can only be climbed by the most persistent and trained.

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Climate. Best time to travel

‘ The Indian Ocean is equatorial-monsoonal, so the local year is divided into two seasons: dry and rainy. It’s generally hotter and drier than neighboring Bali, although there are no drastic weather differences between the islands. Beach season on Nusa Penida opens in early April and stretches until November, so that from the second spring month speedboats with travelers and freedivers call at local ports more often.

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To get acquainted with the sights of Paradise Island in winter and fall is not as pleasant as in high season, but it is quite realistic, if not embarrassed by thunderstorm showers and humidity from 85%. You will have to give up snorkeling, though, as the visibility of the sea bottom after storms is zero. Beach vacation at this time of year is also not particularly impressive: despite the fact that the ocean water remains warm, places for bathing in the rainy season look unrepresentable due to the accumulation of algae and debris nailed to the shore. But since December prices for accommodation and tourist services begin to fall. Accordingly, if you want to relax among exotic nature with a big discount, welcome to Nusa Penida in winter.

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