From Bali, we hopped on a speed boat to Nusa Penida for just over a week. Renting a scooter to explore the island gave us complete freedom to hit some of the island’s highlights: Atuh Beach, Diamond Beach, Rumah Pohon tree house, Suwehan “hidden” Beach, Tembeling Beach and Forest, Paluang Cliff, Cap de T-Rex/Kelingking Beach, Smoke Beach, Broken Beach and Angel’s Billabong. After 2 days of sightseeing, we were ready for some underwater sights and signed up for a 6 day, 18 dive package with Scuba Junkie Penida. These guys were great and we enjoyed our week of diving the best that Nusa Penida had to offer. Sadly, it was out of season for Mola molas but we did see some resident mantas at Manta Point, as well as a nice variety of marine life. Overall, we were happy to have added Nusa Penida on our Indonesian itinerary and were especially glad we didn’t opt to do a whirlwind day trip here (as many visitors do as they zoom in and out from nearby Bali).
Nitty gritty:
Scuba Junkie Penida: We took advantage of their “dive & stay” package which included 7 nights in a private room with AC, daily breakfast, boat diving with 3 dives per day, guide, dive equipment and lunch on board the boat. And because we booked at two other Scuba Junkie resorts, we got an additional 15% all of our bookings which added up to some significant savings! Total price for all of the above was $575 each person.
Scooter rental: Bikes can be rented from your guesthouse. We paid 70,000 IDR for 24 hours.
Seaside temple; Nusa Penida
Entrance to a temple; Nusa Penida
Woman with a tall basket of fruit balanced on her head carries it to a nearby temple; Nusa Penida
Natural arch at Atuh Beach. This hidden paradise is located on the eastern tip of Nusa Penida
View of pretty Atuh Beach
Becky walking down the stairs to Diamond Beach lookout
Becky on the steps of Rumah Pohon tree house. What a phenomenal view!
Another view of Rumah Pohon tree house
Posing at the Thousand Island (Pulau Seribu) viewpoint
Suwehan "hidden" beach, a wild and remote beach that can only be reached via a challenging hike
Robby on our scooter rental, a great deal at 70,000 IDR for the day
Natural pool at Tembeling Beach and Forest
Stacked rock piles at Tembeling Beach
Colorful temple entrance
Pura Paluang (Car Temple) is a clifftop temple with extensive sea views and stone shrines built to look like small cars
One of Nusa Penida's top attractions is the gorgeous Kelingking Beach (also known as the T-Rex Beach because the cliffs form the shape of a Tyrannosaurus Rex)
Becky on the stairs leading to Kelingking Beach
Bird's eye view of Kelingking Beach
Selfie at Kelingking Beach; Nusa Penida
Bay adjacent to Smoke Beach
Smoke Beach
Temple complex; Nusa Penida
Manta made from driftwood; Sanctum Eco Dive Resort
Wall mural; Nusa Penida
Street art in Nusa Penida
Our room at Scuba Junkie; Nusa Penida
Becky enjoying 2 for 1 cocktails at Joglo Penida
School of longfin batfish
Hawksbill sea turtle
Elephant rock formation; Nusa Penida
Rock formation off Nusa Penida's coastline
Balinese jukung (Indonesian outrigger canoe)
One of the resident manta rays at the aptly named Manta Point
Broken Beach is a horseshoe shaped circular cove in Nusa Penida
Another view of Broken Beach
Rugged coastline next to Broken Beach
Souvenir & food/drink shacks near Broken Beach
Local using a traditional fishing rod to fish from a cliff; Nusa Penida
Angel's billabong
Figurine at a shrine in Nusa Penida
Delicious, fresh and cheap fruit juices are a must in Nusa Penida!
Breakfast delivered to our front porch each morning
Omelette, ramen and fruit for breakfast
Blue ribbon eel
Mantis shrimp
Banded sea krait
Pufferfish hiding in coral
Hawksbill turtle
A sow wallowing in the mud
Mount Agung volcano as seen from Nusa Penida
Coastal temple; Nusa Penida
A fisherman in a jukung boat
Dive master Phil and Robby rest between dives
Becky holding up a tuna
A stray dog begs for table scraps
Porcupinefish
A green sea turtle with two remoras rests on some coral
Spotted boxfish
Clarks anemonefish
A school of juvenile striped eel catfish
Beautiful underwater scene
Titan triggerfish chomping on coral with other opportunistic fish hovering nearby
Bar Jack
Returning to shore after a 3 tank dive day
Piglets in a small village near Scuba Junkie Penida
Wall mural
Artwork at Holy Penida restaurant and bar
Artwork at Holy Penida
Burgers, fries and a milkshake - we needed a break from local food! The spinach burger buns were a different twist
Vibrant marine life
A pair of filefish
Glassfish on a bommie formation (outcrop of coral reef or rock formation)
