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Nusa Lembongan and Ceningan : A Complete Guide

Nusa Lembongan : waves crashing over rocky coves

The Nusa Islands, what a dreamy name ! Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan are among the most popular islands in Indonesia for travelers. Here’s a complete guide for your Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan gateway.

You are tempted by a little excursion to Nusa Lembongan or Ceningan but you don’t really know what to expect ? You landed on the right Nusa Lembongan blog post.

As I already did a Nusa Penida Complete Guide, this article will be exclusively dedicated to its two neighbors. Before diving right into the 5 best spots of those insane places, here are the answers to frequent questions. 

Nusa Lembongan Trip : What You Need to Know

Where are the Nusa Islands ?

Nusa Lembongan is an Indonesian island located off the coast of mainland Southeast Asia in the Indian and Pacific oceans. The island is part of the Lesser Sunda Islands, at the southeast of Bali. The Nusa Ceningan island is right next to it.

How big is Nusa Lembongan

It is 8 square kilometers and its population is estimated at 5 000 permanent residents. There are 12 kilometres between the main island of Bali and Nusa Lembongan

Is Nusa Lembongan worth visiting

A hundred percent ! You’ll find astounding natural landscapes, made of insane rock formations, crystal clear blue water, lagoons and more. You can have an amazing Nusa Lembongan surf session, this island is known for its world-class waves. If you’re also interested in some Nusa Lembongan snorkeling or even a good Nusa Lembongan diving session, this is your place !

Nusa Lembongan : billabong at sunset woth clouds reflecting on the sea
Nusa Lembongan : Devil’s Tears Billabong

How to get around Nusa Lembongan ?

If you choose a Nusa Lembongan accommodation in the south, everything will be cycling distance, which makes it all much easier, cheaper and better for the environment ! Renting a bike is as cheap as 40k per day and it gives you amazing freedom. 

how to go to Nusa Lembongan from Bali ?

The Nusa Lembongan Bali road is really well served, so you’ll find yourself offering multiple offers at the Sanur Harbour in Bali. It’s very easy to take a boat from Sanur to Nusa Lembongan harbor for 2OOk. A lot of different companies do this road every morning, therefore you won’t struggle to find one in the early morning. 

Nusa Lembongan Where to Stay ?

Just like the North of Bali, Nusa Lembongan has some incredible villas. Most of the Nusa Lembongan hotels or hostels are in the south, while the Nusa Lembongan villas are often in the north. So I would tell you about two high quality options for different budgets ! 

Nusa Lembongan Private Pool Villa 

La Kabane is a luxury seafront villa located on Jungut Batu Beach, in the north of Nusa Lembongan. You’ll enjoy a view on Mount Agung and on the sea from the swimming pool as the villa is situated just right in front of the beach. That is to say, the house has everything you need for a relaxing stay with your lover or friend : air conditioning, a king size comfy bed,  an outdoor bathroom and kitchen, and several sofa areas.

  • Nusa Lembongan villa accommodation contact : Bali Passion
  • Approximate price : around 130€ per night

Nusa Lembongan hostel

For a backpacker stay, I couldn’t recommend Gunung Hostel more. For very small money, you get a great bed, a stunning swimming pool, a yummy breakfast and nice people who can even pick you up when you arrive and rent you a bike !

  • Nusa Penida hostel contact : Gunung Hostel
  • Approximate price : around 4€ per night

Now that you know everything, let’s jump into it. What are the best Nusa Lembongan things to do ? Here is our top 5. 

Nusa Lembongan what to do ?

Nusa Lembongan Snorkeling

You can find snorkelling tours all around the Island. They’ll usually take you to 4 spots : Manta Point, Crystal Bay, Gamat Bay and Mangrove Point

If you’re looking for a Nusa Lembongan dive center, then I highly recommend Nusa Paradise Adventure. You’ll get to swim with the well known majestic giants, the Nusa Lembongan ray mantas, and with a lot of colorful fishes. All that for 250k !

The only thing is that you have to keep in mind that YOU are the one visiting their underwater world and not the opposite. Respect them and their environment, don’t chase the animals or go too close and don’t touch anything !! Coral dies as soon as it’s touched, which has terrible consequences for the ecosystem. But as long as you’re being respectful, it’ll be a once in a lifetime experience and you’ll always cherish those memories. The ray mantas are incredibly big creatures and seeing them move like this in the water is magical. If you want more information, I wrote a complete manta rays guide for my travel agency Bali Passion.

Nusa Penida : ray manta swimming in the blue water
Nusa Penida : Manta Point

Dream Beach

There are a lot of beautiful Nusa Lembongan beaches, but my favorite of them all is Dream Beach. The vibe there is really chill, the sand is white and soft, you can get in the water and there are a few great restaurants to fill your stomach or have a drink after a swim.

Nusa Lembongan : beach with multiclor pillows and decorations
Nusa Lembongan : Dream Beach

Devil’s Tears

My favorite spot of the Nusa and one of the highlights of all my Indonesian trips… This place is absolutely unreal. I recommend going there at golden hour to really enjoy it as long as you can. It’s a mix of water puddles in front of the sea with sky reflections, breathtaking waterblows because of how powerful the waves are and the most incredible billabong I had ever seen. When the waves crash on the cliffs, they enter two holes and some smoke comes out of them.  It’s safe to say that this place blew me away !

Nusa Lembongan : waves crashing over rocky coves
Devil’s Tears Nusa Lembongan

Nusa Ceningan what to do ?

Nusa Lembongan to Nusa Ceningan bridge

Believe it or not, the bridge between the two islands is an attraction on its own. You won’t need a boat to Nusa Ceningan because it is connected to the Nusa Lembongan island by a cute as hell Yellow Bridge. I believe it’s the only way to get to Nusa Ceningan for tourists. Therefore, you can either drive or walk on it.

Nusa Lembongan : yellow bridge between two islands
Nusa Lembongan : Yellow Bridge to Nusa Ceningan

Blue Lagoon

The Blue Lagoon of Nusa Ceningan is a 10 minutes bike drive from the Yellow Bridge. In other words, it is definitely worth visiting because the water is SO incredibly blue and the waves are really powerful. For the most adventurous, there’s a cliff jump spot from the restaurant. To be honest, the hardest part is not to jump but to swim in the waves afterwards. But even if you’re not jumping, the view is mad.

Enjoy your Nusa Adventures and let me know your Nusa Lembongan and Ceningan favourite spots ! I hope my Nusa Lembongan Ceningan guide gives you the motivation to set off on an epic adventure of your own. If you fell in love with Indonesia, I suggest checking out this complete guide on how to get a work or internship in Bali!