Indonesia has over 14,000 islands – Bali being only one of them. We left Bali to visit Nusa Lembongan, which is another island in Indonesia that’s known to be far less busy than Bali and a great place to relax. It also has incredibly clear water that’s aqua blue in color, so many people go there to snorkel.
We sat on some benches lining the beach in front of various store fronts and waited for our boat (which looked similar to this one) that would take us from Bali to Lembongan.
The wooden platforms in front of us that you can see was where everyone placed their luggage. Then the locals would load it on the boat before we boarded.
Inside the boat! This was very different than most “boat experiences” we’ve had before. We were able to go pretty fast since we were within the boat’s enclosure.
Unfortunately, it was a bit cloudy that morning when we took the boat to Lembongan, nonetheless, we enjoyed watching the splash of the waves against the boat (and took the risk of getting pretty wet).
The moment we stepped off the boat and began walking up the beach, locals were already there waiting for us and began asking if we needed a taxi or if we wanted to rent a scooter. Most of them assumed we had just arrived in Indonesia on vacation, especially with it being Christmas and all, so they tried to charge us nearly 10 times the regular amount to rent a bike. At this point, we’d already been in Indonesia for several weeks and were very familiar with bargaining and the prices for renting scooters, so we were able to avoid getting ripped off.
The people with Santa hats (it was Christmas time) helped arriving passengers get their luggage packed on the back of these trucks. When our bags were put up, we sat on wooden benches across from other tourists (from Greece and England) who were also heading to their Airbnb’s.
Our Airbnb in Lembongan was a cabin-like structure with a private porch and a view overlooking the Indian ocean. Although it was beautiful, we learned that wooden sleeping quarters aren’t always the best in tropical climates since they seemed to attract more bugs.
In the mornings, we walked along a stone pathway surrounded by jungle-ly plants that literally made it feel like a maze to get to the cabin where they served a homemade breakfast.
Across from the breakfast area was an infinity pool – we can almost understand why some people might just enjoy hanging out at their accommodation all day.
One of our favorite things about tropical islands – watching the sun set, especially from this view.
Enough about our Airbnb! Lembongan had some great restaurants that we really enjoyed (in Indonesia, we went out for nearly every meal since buying groceries was nearly impossible).
They also had some restaurants that we wouldn’t go to again, but through the advice of other travelers that we met on the island, we were able to get some great recommendations. This one in particular, had some high class food and service.
We began to notice this in Nepal as well, but Asian countries tend to offer a full pot of tea at many restaurants.
These unique structures were along the beach, very near to the restaurant (shown above).
There’s just nothing like the colors of a sunset over water…
Being an island, Lembongan has some beautiful cliff edges where the water changes color to more of an aqua blue and there’s nothing quite like watching the waves splash against them.
The “edge” of Lembongan. Walking along these cliffs and snapping videos was thrilling, but we had to be very careful. If someone were to fall in those waters, it’d be extremely difficult to get back out since the waves were constantly crashing against the rocks.
This video doesn’t do these waves justice. Many of them were at least 10 feet tall.
The swings and this view make a great place for a photo shoot. #onlyinlembongan
Not long after arriving in Lembongan, we decided to visit another island, Nusa Penida. This island is a lot more hilly and drier than Bali, but it’s well known for having great diving spots, incredible cliffs, and as always, gorgeous water. It’s also considered the most exotic out of the 3 “Nusa” islands.
We observed how the locals transported scooters as we got ready to board our boat that would take us to Nusa Penida.
Loving the look of the water as we head to our destination.
On the boat, we rode with a family from Canada who had already been in Lembongan longer than us. They were some of the travelers who gave us great restaurant recommendations.
Once we arrived on the island, we had to rent a scooter and then take about an hour or more ride to reach a gorgeous cliff and beach that you’ve probably seen pictures of: Kelingking Cliff Point & Beach (also in featured photo).
Words can’t really express what we felt when we saw this view for the first time. The adjective, “breathtaking,” takes on a literal meaning.
We heard there was a hike that you could take if you wanted to reach the beach, so we decided to go. It turned out to be the most sketchy hike we’ve ever done because it was very steep with a drop off to the left the entire time. We probably wouldn’t do it again, but the beach almost made up for it.
The water was an unreal color of aqua blue – so beautiful. Since the beach was surrounded by the cliff, it was very small and caused the waves to come crashing in.
It seems that whenever you pull out the camera, the action stops – know the feeling?! Well these waves were constantly coming in at a minimum height of 20 feet, but unfortunately, you’ll just have to take our word for it.
After the hike, we returned to Lembongan. It didn’t take us long to decide that we wanted to go snorkeling, so we booked a tour and headed out for our best snorkeling excursion yet.
Started out the tour with a big group from Australia.
Before we even began snorkeling, we were taken on an hour long ride, visiting several caves, hidden waterways, and other diving spots. To the left of the cave, you can see the cliff that we hiked when we visited Nusa Penida.
As part of the tour, before the “tour,” we were taken to one of the island’s hidden waterways.
We passed by Kelingking Cliff Point & Beach again, this time from the water, not the beach (or the cliff). If you look closely, you can just make out the little path that we took down the cliff to the beach.
The snorkeling portion of the tour took us to 4 different spots and we went as far as the end of Penida island, so from Lembongan to the end of Nusa Penida, which is quite far if you look on a map.
As I said, we were with a big group, which was loads of fun! The company we booked through provided all the gear.
The man sitting in the back left of the boat (dark blue shirt) was an incredible instructor who made sure we had our equipment on correctly and dove with us at each spot. Despite being mute, he was very enthusiastic and went out of his way to help us. At one point, he dove down with me and showed me which anemones to touch.
After snorkeling, we went back to Lembongan. Pictured is a local woman, presumably returning to her home.
Lastly, we also visited Nusa Ceningan, which is between Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida. We were able to reach it from Lembongan by crossing the Yellow Bridge, which was a narrow suspension bridge connecting the 2 islands.
The Yellow Bridge, picture taken on Lembongan island.
The bridge was obviously not made for cars to cross and had hardly enough room for 2 scooters to pass each other.
On Ceningan, we found a private beach and no one else was there.
We plan on keeping this place in mind in case we go back to Indonesia again someday…
Although Ceningan is especially known for having good surfing, it’s also known for its gorgeous water and we enjoyed walking around more cliff sides to get a better view.
From what we saw of Indonesia, we can confidently say it’s beautiful and well worth a visit.
Hi! I'm originally from the the midwestern part of the U.S. and I love to see, experience, and learn new things as I travel around the world with my husband, Hunter. We hope you enjoy following our adventures!
