A Day Trip to Nusa Pineda from Sanur

This series of ten posts comes from a three week trip to Indonesia. I traveled to the islands of Java, Bali and Lombok with G-adventures. Along the way, I saw incredible cultural sites, enjoyed delicious foods, met great people, and took in beautiful views. Here’s the story…

Arriving in Sanur

Our time in Java came to an end and we flew to Bali. The drive to the airport was a bit crazy as we were stuck in traffic due to a military parade or convoy. Our driver made up for the time by weaving in and out of busy lanes of traffic. He even moved to the emergency shoulder to get us to the airport on time.

Once at the airport, we checked in and boarded the flight. Our flight was less than 50 minutes and we landed at the Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, Bali. The landing was amazing as the runway juts out into the ocean and we seemed to almost land on the waves.

Around Sanur

Our Hotel – Puri Dalem

Our hotel was located in Sanur, about an hour from the airport. Although the hotel was located on a main road, once inside it was a beautiful, tranquil garden. Rooms surrounded two blue tiled oval-shaped pools. There were a few Hindi statues with small piles of offerings. And everywhere there was covered in lush green plants and flowers.

While the garden was amazing, the rooms were a bit dark. Some travelers complained of bugs. The laundry was more expensive here, four times as much as Java but I really needed a few items washed as we moved forward.

Harbor Area

From our hotel, we walked just five or ten minutes to reach the coast. People picnicked and flew kites but the area was much more of a harbor than a swimming beach. The streets were lined with restaurants with English language menus posted outside, souvenir shops and tour guides. I noticed so many tourists; now we were clearly in a different region of Indonesia compared to the few international travelers that we saw in Java.

Our group that traveled from Java gathered for one last meal together. We dined at the Retro Kitchen and Bar. There was a solid Happy Hour menu and wine was  finally on the menu, so I had two! The massive menu had many Western and Indonesian choices and everything looked delicious. I had a creamy tomato soup and mie goreng (fried noodles) with chicken.

This was the Goodbye dinner for many in our group. Some had been traveling together for 16 days through Sumatra and Java. Here, I also said Goodbye to Ellie, who had been an amazing roomie and travel buddy for the last eight days. At the end, I was exhausted and went in the first group back to the hotel. The restaurant actually paid for our taxi to and from the hotel for our patronage. Maybe it’s just for big groups or tour companies they know.

Day Trip to Nusa Penida

I had a free day in my itinerary with G-adventures so I took a day trip to Nusa Penida. I joined Anita and we signed up for an excursion on “GetYourGuide.” I didn’t know what to expect, but I was there to see and do as much as possible in the time I had.

Getting on the Boat

In the morning, the harbor area was packed as hundreds of people headed out on day trips around Bali. We found our tour company out of a two dozen tents organizing trips. Although online our group size was limited to five people, we combined with tons of other groups for the boat transfer to Nusa Penida.

Everyone took off their shoes and waded in the water out to the boat. Fortunately the bottom was sandy but the small waves were deceptively strong. Once we left the port, our “fast boat” arrived at the dock on Nusa Penida in less than an hour.

Driving Around

Our small group was five travelers hailing from the US, Colombia, Germany and the Netherlands. Our guide, Devas, was from Bali and does this same trip almost every day. He knows every curve and pot hole on the roads.

Driving around the island was both treacherous and beautiful. The roads twisted up and down providing stunning views of the ocean and the island. However, all the ups and downs, sprints and sudden stops left me feeling quite motion sick. Most roads were only wide enough for one vehicle and passing required slow, careful maneuvering. Even our expert driver dented the fender when he backed into a rock wall while letting another jeep pass.

There were also motorbikes all over Nusa Penida. The motorbikes work great for the locals who are experts in driving and know the terrain. But, many tourists who rent a bike for the day really were really struggling. One couple tipped their bike but they were not injured.

The island was bigger than I anticipated and we spent a lot of our day in the vehicle. We drove 45 minutes to an hour between some of the sites. While the views we saw were spectacular and I wouldn’t have wanted to miss anything, I felt like we spent too much time driving. If I did it again, I would spend more time to soak in each location for longer.

Kelingking Beach

This beach is a well known photo hot spot. At this first stop, it quickly became apparent to me how many tourists came to Nusa Penida for their Instagram moments. Some people hike to the famous view point up from the beach below; others, like us, drove to the top and looked down to the beach.

I have an intense fear of heights, so I worried about everyone taking their pictures too close to the edge. There was only a small, delicate fence with a step cliff and people took their selfies a little too close for my comfort. Monkeys also were busy stealing offerings from a small temple near the site and people jumped when they got close. It’s a wonder there aren’t more accidents.

Broken Beach and Angel Billabong

These next two locations were also prime spots for instagrammers. There were even wooden boxes built around the inlet so tour guides and photographers could grab individual pictures.

Broken Beach had a rock archway with all shades of beautiful blue water and waves below. Over the hill, Angel Billabong was a canyon-like inlet where the waves made a huge splash. Travels swarmed each area taking thousands of photos.

Lunch

We stopped for lunch inland at Angel Billabong Family restaurant. The touristy spot had a menu in English with pictures of each item. However, they didn’t have any of the Western food at the moment. I had a delicious chicken satay and an iced milk coffee. The location was great and we could have hung out longer but our next stop was the beach.

Crystal Bay Beach

The beach was packed with tourists from around the world. It was like a mini United Nations with dozens of languages all around and women sporting all sorts of swimwear preferences, from bikinis with thong bottoms to full coverage niqabs. A few brave swimmers made it out past the breaking waves. Most stayed on the shore and just dipped their toes in the water like myself. I enjoyed chatting under the shade of a giant palm tree.

Along the beach there was also a large Hindu temple. Like the rest of Bali, the residents of the island mostly practice Hinduism. Every home had a Hindu statue or a small temple, some more elegant than their actual dwelling. People left offerings everywhere, on temples, in front of homes and businesses and even on car windshields. I saw many small banana leaf square boxes with rice, colorful flowers and incense.

Getting Back

There was a long wait to return to mainland Bali because of all the small group tours converging on the busy dock. Then, once we boarded, we waited another forty minutes because one of the motors didn’t start. We finally got moving, and ten minutes later, we stopped out in the open water. Traveling doesn’t always go as planned.

Eventually we made it and arrived back at the harbor area right at sunset. Like in the morning, the boats couldn’t pull in all the way to shore. Everyone had to jump out into knee or waist deep water. This caused quite the scene as Indonesian guys were carrying small children and holding people’s hands to keep them upright. Others carried huge luggage. A few travelers got overcome by the waves and fell in the water. It surprised me that they haven’t found a better solution, given that they do this every day and hundreds of travelers pass through.

After making it to shore, we quickly walked back to the hotel. The new arrivals from G-adventures joined this afternoon. I went to dinner with them at “Sunset” restaurant on the beach before going to bed early after a beautiful but exhausting day.

Next Stop, Munduk!