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Famous Beaches & Landmarks in East Nusa Penida, Bali

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About Nusa Penida East

The tour to the east coast of Nusa Penida is a less popular thing to do compared to the west. Unfortunately, some miss it entirely, but this way is better for those who decide to visit it, because the east coast of Nusa Penida is arguably the more beautiful side of the island. The reason for the lack of popularity is probably purely logistics. The east doesn’t seem to get a day tour visitors from Bali, so it is much less crowded. Finally, one can easily imagine being on a remote jungle island for a change. Most of the landmarks on the itinerary are in the same place, but it doesn’t matter. This area of Nusa Penida is so beautiful that it would easily swallow your time and attention for a day.

Surprisingly, the road connections are somewhat better to the east side of Nusa Penida and there is a possibility to do some cultural things by visiting the Bat Cave, locally known as Goa Giri Putri Temple. Overall, it is a less crowded version of the Nusa Penida West Tour with at least equally beautiful landscapes. I have dedicated article, where I list-out the advantages and disadvantages of both tours to help you decide which tour is better, East or West Nusa Penida?

Overlooking the Thousand Island Viewpoint. Photo by A.L. [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Connecting the Dots

Tour Details

Map of Nusa Penida

East Nusa Penida is filled with exceptionally beautiful rock formations and cliffs. Photo by Alis Monte [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Connecting the Dots

Goa Giri Putri Temple

The Goa Giri Putri temple is one of the most popular temples in Nusa Penida and one of the holiest places in Bali. It is said to have been built in the 11th century by a Javanese priest and is dedicated to the goddess of the sea – Dewi Danu. The temple is located in a cave on a hill, therefor its visitors have to climb a steep flight of stairs to reach it. The biggest cave in Nusa Penida is said to be home to a sacred spring, which is said to have healing properties. Many people come to Goa Giri Putri Temple for purification but rush to leave the island before night comes. It is widely believed that the powerful demon Mecaling is living on Nusa Penida and his spirit is bound to Pura Penataran Ped Temple.

The fun fact is that translated from the Balinese language “Nusa Penida” literally means “The island of Priests”. Priests, who probably came to the island in order to cleanse it. Nusa Penida is a great example of Hindu and Buddhist teachings of harmony between good and evil.

The stairs leading to the entrance to Goa Giri Putri Temple. Photo by Alis Monte [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Connecting the Dots

Goa Giri Putri Temple has been well known among Balinese Hindu worshippers for a long time, assembling many pilgrims. What hasn’t been known, is that the humans were neighboring a certain species of crabs – Giri Putri Cave Crab. These endemic crabs couldn’t be found anywhere else in the world and were discovered only in 1993. They are very small and critically endangered, so mind your steps!

Have in mind, that if you don’t have a sarung, you’ll have to rent one in a shop across the street to the entrance of Goa Giri Putri Temple. The donation for entering the place of worship will have to be given on the top of the hill near the entrance to the cave. The exploration of Goa Giri Putri Temple and the cave should take about 30 minutes. It is a one-way road. After reaching the back entrance, you’ll have to walk around the hill through a jungle and a local village back to the parking lot by the entrance to the temple. This is a great place to see bits of the typical life in Nusa Penida. Conclusively, Goa Giri Putri Temple is a must-visit on the island for a local cultural experience.

Jungle view from the end of Goa Giri Putri Temple. Photo by Alis Monte [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Connecting the Dots

The Tree House

If you have never been to Bali or similar places, it might sound nice but actually, it is the weakest selling point of East Nusa Penida. The Tree House is basically a watchtower, which you can access for a fee. That alone wouldn’t be a problem, but it is not worth it because you can see similar, if not better, views of the Thousand Island viewpoint from a nearby elevated area. This only emphasizes the fact that Tree House is made for good social media photos and not for vistas. It feels very unnatural, just like many other artificially created places for perfect Instagram photos generating many likes and dopamine levels. To make it even more ridiculous, the Tree House could be accessed only one by one, therefore you have to wait in queue for your turn. In my mind, it is a total waste of time on such a beautiful island like Nusa Penida.

The Tree House from Thousand Island Viewpoint. Photo by Alis Monte [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Connecting the Dots

Overall, places like these ruin the purity and true purpose of Bali. Sadly, one day it might even completely overcome the traditional spirit of the island. Good thing that the Tree House could be ignored without the East Nusa Penida tour losing any of its value.

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Every different angle to this majestic area gives different perspective. Photo by Alis Monte [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Connecting the Dots

Thousand Island Viewpoint

Thousand Island Viewpoint in Nusa Penida is one of the most beautiful places on the island and in Bali. It is a unique place where you can enjoy the magnificent view of the ocean, countless rock formations, cliffs and Lombok Island. Everything combined make the view from the top of the cliffs trully breathtaking, and as you soon going to learn, it is just a drop in the bucket. Throughout the day, you’ll have time to explore these majestic cliffs in detail, though Thousand Island Viewpoint is probably the most memorable part of it. 

To reach the main viewpoint, you need to walk for about 15 minutes from the parking lot. The walk is not difficult but not for everyone. Luckily the beauty of this area could be embraced without descending to Tree House or the nearby cliffs. Just remember, if you want to enter the Tree House, you have to buy the ticket at the entrance. Everything else is free to explore as nature should.

The shrine on Thousand Island Viewpoint makes it even more picturesque. Photo by Alis Monte [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Connecting the Dots

When you reach the top of the cliff right after the tree houses, you will be amazed by the stunning view. You can see the beautiful beaches, the turquoise water and the white sand. The view is so beautiful that you will never forget it.

What Surprised me is that the viewpoint of Diamond Beach is the same place, just observed from the opposite side than Thousand Island Viewpoint. It might sound like a cheat but the vistas are so exceptional that you are not going to regret it.

Diamond Beach from cliffs. Photo by Alis Monte [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Connecting the Dots

Diamond Beach

Without a doubt, it is the crown jewel of the East Nusa Penida, though it could be argued that Diamond Beach looks better from afar than downstairs. The beach is exceptionally beautiful and the water is unbelievably blue and clear, which makes it a truly mesmerizing sight from the cliffs. Accessing the beach takes quite a lot of steps from which some are actually really difficult. In short, the road down to Diamond Beach is not for everyone. Even more, it is not suited for swimming and during the high tide, the sandy part is not even visible. Basically, what you are going to find here is a small Warung, vistas from a different angle, the only swing that I found fascinating in Bali, and an adventure!

Diamond beach from the ground. Photo by Alis Monte [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Connecting the Dots

Nevertheless, if you don’t fancy the swing on this exclusive beach or some rock-climbing steps, I wouldn’t recommend descending to Diamond Beach. It could be observed from the surrounding cliffs from different angles, which I feel is more than enough to appreciate its beauty. After all, if you want some beach time, Diamond Beach is not the right place to be, but don’t worry – Atuh Beach is perfect for it.

The view from steps to Atuh Beach. Photo by Alis Monte [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Connecting the Dots

Atuh Beach

This is the place, where you are going to spend most of your time during your East Nusa Penida tour or personal trip. Atuh Beach could be reached by steep steps only but they are much easier complete than the ones leading to Diamond Beach. If you have to choose between visiting Diamond Beach or Atuh Beach, I would highly suggest going to the latter one. It brings a totally new angle to this dream-like area of Nusa Penida where you can relax on sandbags enjoying a fresh coconut or Bintang. There is also a possibility to have your lunch in Atuh Beach in one of the dozen warungs lined up against the ocean. You have to pay extra for sunbeds but other seats are available if you buy anything at a warung.

The beach itself, in my opinion, is the most substantial advantage compared to the West Nusa Penida tour and its counterpart – Crystal Beach. Located at the bottom of the cliff on the east coast of Nusa Penida, Atuh Beach is well-known for its crystal clear water and amazing cliff formations. Atuh Beach is not only beautiful, but also has a very good snorkeling spot. You will find many kinds of marine life in the water here. Like anywhere else, the beach is also a good choice if you are looking for a place to take some beautiful photos. Regarding your interests, I’m sure that you are going to have a great time here.

Atuh Beach offers exceptional views of rock formations in the Ocean. Photo by Alis Monte [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Connecting the Dots

Teletubbies Hills

A strange random feature of Nusa Penida is that some part of it reminds of the hills, where the fictional Teletubbies from a popular children’s TV show have lived. The hills are exceptionally green during the rainy seasons but is a quite a pleasant sight throughout the year. Nevertheless, if you lack time, I would suggest cutting out this part as the sections of the East Nusa Penida tour are much more unique on a global scale.

Teletubbies hills are located a bit further inland from everything else on the tour, therefore it is rational to start or finish your journey with it. If you really want to see the hills, I would suggest starting with them because, after the rest of the landmarks on this tour, they might just seem underwhelming. Especially, if you had spent some time in Nusa Penida already and have seen similar mountainous areas which are not entirely unique to the island. Teletubbies hills are a nice diversification of the sights for the East Nusa Penida tour but it is definitely the weakest link, targeted at a certain generation who grew up with the TV show. If it was named Hobbit hills, maybe it would have generated more of my curiosity as well.

Is not that easy to squeeze in to Goa Giri Putri Temple. Photo by A.L. [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Connecting the Dots

Personal Experience

I had a strong feeling about the east side of Nusa Penida being comparable to or even more beautiful than the west one. The taste for beauty is a relative question but one thing is for sure, smaller crowds doesn’t produce as much nuisance, thus the overall experience of the tour is much better. Another thing is safety, the descends to Atuh beach, and especially to Diamond beach, have steep narrow staircases, which are difficult on their own, but some people simply doesn’t understand how to behave safely in these kinds of passages. Acting like fools they endanger not only themselves but others as well, therefore in touristic places, I prefer as few people as possible.

Despite the itinerary of your preference, the diamond beach area will blow your mind away. Nusa Penida East Tour was one of the highlights of my visit to Bali.

The gates to Atuh Beach from cliffs separating it from DIamond Beach. Photo by Alis Monte [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Connecting the Dots

Book East Nusa Penida Tour

While every natural and cultural landmark on the list could be accessed by your own transport, I don’t recommend it. The road quality and difficulty are much more severe than in Bali. I absolutely discourage driving in Nusa Penida by car and only recommend driving scooters to people who have experience in mountainous narrow roads. Otherwise, it might be a wise idea to hire a driver for your East Nusa Penida day trip. Contact your hotel for cheaper drivers, but if you want to book in the front and get a guarantee of quality service and an English-speaking driver, I suggest booking your tours via GetYourGuide.

Book Now

You can cancel your tour on GetYourGuide up to 24 hours in advance before the tour date, or apply for a full refund if you are not satisfied with the quality of the tour.

All content and photos by Alis Monte, unless stated differently. If you want to collaborate, contact me on info@ctdots.eu Photo by Alis Monte [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Connecting the Dots

What Can I do to Protect the Pristine Beauty of Nusa Penida?

Nusa Penida is arguably one of the most beautiful corners in Bali. Mostly, thanks to the fact of being a separate islet from the main island. Compared to Bali, tourism in Nusa Penida is a relatively new thing, therefore it hasn’t been affected by the over-tourism as much as Bali itself. The most beautiful places like the area around Thousand Island Viewpoint are already being excavated for the mega-hotel projects, which in best case scenario will totally ruin the pristine beauty of this majestic corner, and in the worst-case scenario is going to get canceled like many ghost unfinished hotel projects in Bali.

 

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