Nusa Lembongan Travel Guide: Getaway from Bali!

Nusa Lembongan is the perfect place to get away if you want to feel more of the island life. Not only the beaches are so beautiful, but there are many interesting spots that you should check out. That’s why I wrote the Nusa Lembongan travel guide and tips for you to enjoy the time here!

I have been to this island 3 times and yet so many new things I have experienced during the trip. The first one was a blur. It was just me and my sister crashing my dad’s friend’s villa because we don’t know anyone there, so we thought we should take any opportunity arise. We stayed at a villa with the wonderful view where I also met a female traveller from Prague. She encouraged me a lot to try travelling outside of my comfort zone and made me realise that all women around the world have the same fear like I do. I think it was the first time I connected with a solo traveller and it kind of built myself inside that I can do what she does too!So what you really should do in Nusa Lembongan for the first time is: Rent The Scooter. Trust me. This is the basic one if you really want to explore the island.

Now you are ready to go, here’s what I really recommend to do:

1. Visit Nusa Ceningan Bridge (Take a risk on the Jumping Cliff!)Nusa Ceningan is the small island on the side of Nusa Lembongan. The bridge that connects that two island is the trademark that you shouldn’t miss. It was kinda scary, as many of my friends almost fell off from the bridge. So please when you are passing it with plenty of scooters behind you, ask them to wait until you arrive on the side. If you bring a child, it’s better if you asked the child to walk instead. Because it would be much safer.

Visiting the Jumping Cliff always the must-to-do list. Even though if you don’t plan to do the crazy jump, the mesmerising view will take your breath away.

Jumping from the cliff was my bucket list since forever!! First time I arrived, I was like.. wow.. the view is exquisite!! Then I looked down, it was.. rrr.. scary.

I didn’t get a chance to jump until my third visit there with a group of friends. There weren’t any people or guide when we got there. But we took the risk and decided to jump instead (Don’t ever consider to do what we did. Seriously. The cliff even closes down now)

But nonetheless, jumping from that cliff never felt so good! I am so glad that I did it even though my thigh were sore the next day. I was the second to jump and the only girl that were crazy enough to do it. My bestie was the one who encourages me to try. Should warn you from now though, jumping can also become an addiction as well 😉

2. Take a stop on the Seaweed farm.

When you are going on the road to Nusa Ceningan, notice the seaweed farm on the side of the road. It has a tremendous view, and I recommend you to stop and get to chat with the locals. They will easily talk to you about anything including the farm if you want to know more.

3. The Devil’s Tears

The intriguing name doesn’t it? Well, you will get amused when you look at what does the name really means. It is a spot where the big wave of the ocean crash the corals and the water splashes really big. I think that’s why they named it “Devil’s Tears”.

First time I came it was splendid! We were wet just by taking the pictures. But the second one it wasn’t much to see. I think it depends on the month and the time you’re going there.

4. Snorkelling, diving, and surfing.

Of course, what else is the reason you would come to this beautiful island? It has tremendous beaches spread out (My favourite is Dreambeach!), good waves to catch for surfing, and plenty of dive centres to join.I haven’t tried any surfing here though, but I think should be good. There weren’t many surfers, so you can surf freely, the waves are good depending on the place and time you’ll go.

Some of the snorkelling spots in Nusa Lembongan are exquisitely beautiful! I totally recommend you to ride the motorcycle to the Mangrove forest, and deal with the boats there to have a better price as it is closer to the spots. You can also snorkel and dive to Nusa Penida from here too.

5. Circle the island with the scooter.

I don’t know if it was a good luck or a bad one. The third trip while I was on the road back from Nusa Ceningan, we got blocked by the Balinese ceremony. We were a bit panicked cos we had to catch the boat home to Bali that afternoon too. It was 2 hours left to go back to Nusa Lembongan.

It was just the 4 of us, two motorbikes and I was one of the drivers. The only choice was to circle to the back of the island, where trust me.. I don’t think any of the tourists even go there. But we did. (and we survived too).The road was good, some are broken but it wasn’t a big deal. The view and nature were the big points in our journey. For you who likes to do challenge and adventure, you really should try going on this way instead. There were some local kids and villagers who are trying to sell souvenirs along the way, but it was just 2 or 3 persons that we stopped by to ask direction.

6. View the island on the peak of the hill

Oh, it has the tremendous view! Many tourists will stop and take a break here when they were about to go to Nusa Ceningan. It will very easy to spot. Even the restaurant already prepared in front of the view! More tourist swill comes when it near the sunset time.If you asked me, would I go to Nusa Lembongan again for the fourth time, I would say “Yes!”. It has a beautiful sunset, places to snorkel, beautiful nature, cute cafes and restaurant with friendly local people. Nonetheless, there were also some other beautiful snorkelling spots that you can go in Bali, one of my favourite is Menjangan Bali! But if you had less time, Nusa Lembongan could be a really perfect gateway of experiencing the island life in Bali 🙂

© 2017 Writing & Images copyright of Marina Utami.