Nusa Penida And Nusa Lembongan Islands, Indonesia

 

 

Nusa Penida And Nusa Lembongan Islands, Indonesia

The islands of Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan are just a short one-hour ferry ride from Sanur Beach in Bali.

Nusa means “An Island” in Bahasa, the Indonesian language.

There are 300 different native languages and dialects spoken in Indonesia. 

In order for people from different islands to understand one another, the Bahasa language was chosen as the national language, and it is used by 200 million people as their second language.

We came to stay on these islands in order to dive for a week.

We chose to stay on Lembongan island because it is the most developed of the three Islands that are clustered together. 

Nusa Penida is the biggest island in term of land mass, but not much of it has been developed.

Nusa Ceningan, the smallest of the three islands, is connected by a bridge to Lembongan island, and lastly, there is Nusa Lembongan, which offers a variety of good accommodation choices and many restaurants, and it is only a short boat ride to many of the dive sites in Nusa Penida.

The ferries from Bali to Lembongan are run by competing companies which are very well organized and efficient.

For about $30 round trip, they will pick you up at your hotel in Bali, take you to the harbor in Sanur, load your luggage, ferry you to Lembongan and then take you to your hotel or hut on Lembongan, and do it all again when you are ready to return to Bali.

Lembongan has a very different vibe than Bali.

It has no heavy traffic, and there are many relaxed beach restaurants, huts and family run cafes and restaurants where they are more than happy for you to spend many hours lazying around.

Our favorite food in this hot weather has become a fruit smoothie bowl, made of freshly frozen tropical fruit like purple dragon fruit, mango, pineapple and bananas, blended together and topped with fresh fruit, nuts and a little roasted granola.

We have been eating these smoothie bowls, which are served in wooden bowls and eaten with wooden spoons in many restaurants, and they are always delicious.

The only difference is the price, which ranges from $3-$5, based on how nice the restaurant is, what view they offer and how nice the decor and location are.

Many places offer live music or cheaply priced BBQ in order to attract the tourists.

There are a few places to drop off your laundry, although not many.

Taxis are open air buggies with seating in the back, and have become very pricy.

I read some stories of past visitors to the island who said that the local taxi fares used to be around $5.

This is no longer the case.

The price seems to be fixed all around the island, and it is $10-$15 for a ride that takes only seven to ten minutes.

But many restaurants will pick you up and drop you back at your hotel for free.

You can hire a scooter for the day or a buggy, that you can drive for yourself in order to see the island.

It takes about one hour to drive around the island.

We preferred to explore the island on foot, which made it seem bigger and more exciting.

We either ran or walked to all the different areas of Lembongan.

If you are planning to come to Lembongan not to dive, but just to have a beach vacation, and your idea of the perfect beach vacation is toes in the white sandy beach, you might have to do some research before you come.

Some beaches are lined with seaweed farms, some have ferry boats tied to the shore which makes bathing there not so enjoyable, and some have rocky shores with no beach at all, yet these are all beautiful scenic spots where we watched the waves splash as they exploded over the rocks.

Almost immediately after arriving, we experienced a sense of tranquility, as we relaxed into the vibes of the island.

The streets smell of the salty sea mixed with Plumeria, Jasmin and mangoes.

Vibrant bougainvillea in fuchsia, orange, crimson and pink colors, decorate the entrances to seaside huts, hotels or vacation villas.

Nusa Lembongan is a calm place with untouched wilderness, diverse beaches and crystal water.

Jules told me that he imagined that this is what Bali once looked like, before it became developed.

A place with breathtaking views and really kind people…

From Lembongan with love,

Tali