Nusa Penida is the largest of the three Nusa Islands, a rugged limestone plateau of about 200 square kilometers lying across the Badung Strait from Bali's southeast coast. Its southern and western shores fall away in sheer white cliffs above deep blue water, and in little more than a decade it has gone from a rarely visited outpost to one of the most photographed places in Indonesia.
For centuries the island stood apart. It came under the Klungkung court after a seventeenth-century conquest and was long used as a place of banishment. Balinese tradition links it to Ratu Gede Mecaling, a powerful spirit honored at Pura Dalem Ped, one of Bali's most important pilgrimage temples. The surrounding waters form a marine protected area of over 20,000 hectares, created in 2010, and the islands are also a sanctuary for birds, including the critically endangered Bali starling.
Travel here is slower and rougher than on the mainland. Roads twist over dry hills, past cassava gardens and small temples, before ending abruptly at clifftop viewpoints. Mornings bring the clearest light and the fewest people at the famous sites, while the east coast feels quieter and more local. Most visitors come on a day trip, but staying a few nights reveals a calmer, more rewarding island.
Highlights
- Clifftop viewpoints over the Indian Ocean
- Manta rays and seasonal mola mola
- Pura Dalem Ped pilgrimage temple
- Quiet east-coast villages
Good to know
- Book morning boats in the wet season, when afternoon crossings are rougher and can be cancelled.
- Hire a local driver if you are not an experienced scooter rider, as roads are steep and broken in places.
- Split the island into west and east days rather than trying to see everything at once.
On the map
Bali 2027 Travel Guide
The complete island guide: where to go, how to get around, what to avoid, health and safety, and the phrases that open doors.