The Famous Beaches of Nusa Penida

Welcome back to another Bali post!   These posts are bitter sweet to share because I have a blast editing them and writing the text, thinking about what a great trip it was but on the flip side – I would much rather be in a bikini on one of these Indonesian beaches than in dreary London!   Oh well, time to share a bit more sunshine:  Having already explored the underwater depths of Nusa Penida I opted for a day trip back to the island to see some of the famous beaches

Sometimes it is nice not to have to plan out every little detail and the thought of driving a motor bike in Bali did not appeal to me in the slightest so I opted for the full day tour of Nusa Penida Speedboat Tour: Angel’s billabong, Broken beach and More.  The most famous beach and my famous was Kelingking Beach but we will get to that last.   One thing I like to pride myself on is planning trips well but for some reason during this Bali planning stage I did not look up local holidays and it just so happened to day I went to Nusa Penida was a public holiday so it was swarmed with tourists and locals alike!  An hour speed boat brought us from mainland Bali to Nusa Penida and then we got in a van to traverse the very bumpy roads of the island.  We started off at Angel’s Billabong Nusa Penida – known for it’s a rugged path and very slippery this natural pool surrounded by rock cliffs and an arch.  Then a ten minute walk down the shore brought us to Broken Beach with it’s famed arched tunnel in the cliffs. Take a look: 

As I mentioned before, the day I went was a public holiday and  thus the traffic was even crazier than usual.  This meant the local driver wanted to skip the most famous beach, Kelingking Beach, as it would be swarmed but after some intense conversations another girl from the tour and I convinced them that they could not skip the most famous beach without giving us a full refund – heck, it is the cover of the brochure!  And while the guides were right, I am so glad we went – it was even prettier in person – the gorgeous cliffs with the headland and the narrow stairs all the way down to the secluded beach.  My only regret was that we did not have the time to go all the way down to the water at this point – next time!