Besides the day I visited Kelingking Beach by motorbike, I spent another day around Nusa Penida on a motorbike. So at least 2 days were needed to see the major attractions on the island. On this day I went by myself. My first stop of the day was Diamond Beach.
Diamond Beach
Diamond Beach is exactly on the opposite side of the island from where I am staying, therefore it took quite a while to reach the beach- more than 1h. I had to go all the way to the other edge of Nusa Penida but it was worth it. There are some nice views along the way as I ride along the ocean. There are some very steep parts too, closer to Diamond Beach.
Once near the beach itself I decided to attempt reaching it for free. It was a bad idea because I ended up paying the entry fee anyway haha. So on “Maps.me” I saw this trail mentioning free entry to Diamond Beach so I decided to give it a try. The thing is that information is outdated and if there was free access before, now there isn’t, or at least I didn’t find it. If there is, it must be a tricky way through the vertical cliff. Plus, the entry fee isn’t that high.
Still, I went from Pantai Pelilit to Diamond Beach. I found a trail among the bushes and kept following until I reached an under-construction place. I’m not sure if that place will be a future viewpoint, but the views from here were really beautiful and I could see Diamond Beach down there surrounded by a treacherous sea and a deep Bali blue tones of water. Views from this place were good, but from the conventional path to Diamond Beach are better. It was still nice to witness a different view of this beautiful place.
There were a lot of people at Diamond Beach. I didn’t go all the way to the bottom because I did not intend to get in water or whatever. The currents here are strong, big waves and I don’t particularly like this kind of beach. I think it is the same type of access that leads to Kelingkling Beach because I saw people climbing ropes. But the path seems to be like this in a shorter length of trail. Anyway, I was happy with the view I had so I didn’t attempt to climb the rocks down to the beach itself.
The place is super windy OMG! I could barely open my eyes at some point at the very top of the hill.
Atuh Beach
Just opposite Diamond Beach is Atuh Beach, a way more pleasant one for a bath I think. It doesn’t look so dangerous to swim in. It looks beautiful too, with a different shade of blue. Very beautiful! Down there I can see the sand is filled with beach chairs and tourists. I believe that people prefer to choose Atuh Beach for a beach day. As I had more places I wanted to see that day and visiting all takes time, I didn’t stop to enjoy this beach either. I just looked at Atuh Beach from above.
Guyangan Waterfall Nusa Penida
Next on my day was Guyangan Waterfall Nusa Penida which is not that near either. It took about 1 hour to reach it from Diamond Beach. In this area, there are some very beautiful views of the ocean. Beautiful shades of blue can be seen close to the edge and vertical cliffs finish off this landscape. I came across some tourists who claimed to have seen manta rays jumping in the water from the cliff. WOW! I went to the same spot as them to try to see the animals in the water but I couldn’t. Guess it is really up to your luck ultimately.
To go to Guyangan waterfall you must be wearing a sarong or something long. I had a scarf with me so I tied it around my legs and they allowed me to go. Otherwise, you can pay to rent a sarong just there.
Another tiring hike down awaits you. The cliff is purely vertical so get ready for a very steep way down. There are some metal stairs, some proper paths too, easy access I would say as you will not have to do any time of climbing, but it is tiring! I walked across a lady with a twisted ankle. She had fallen at the bottom of the place because it was very slippery. I was extra careful after seeing her. Going to the bottom will take some time. Be ready to spend quite some time in this place.
At the bottom of the hike, there are some swimming holes. Basically, natural pools overlooking the ocean. The floor was soaked and I understood why the lady I met slipped. The rock is very smooth with some slippery algae attached. Need to be extra cautious walking in here. There is also a waterfall flowing directly into the ocean and some temples. I didn’t see many foreigners at this spot. It isn’t that overwhelming but it is still charming. It is nice to see and appreciate the blue shades of the ocean and how powerfully the waves crash into the rocks. Very powerful!
From this spot, I headed to the last spot of the day which is around 1h away by motorbike from Guyangan Waterfall. The streets to move around are not the best, very windy, that’s why it takes so long to reach a different destination because, in fact, those places are only around 20km apart.
Crystal Bay
My last spot of the day was Crystal Bay. On my way here something unexpected happened. My fault though.
Running out of fuel
I ran out of fuel on the motorbike. I didn’t make the proper counts and this trip needed too much fuel haha.
Luckily I ran out of fuel in a good spot let’s say. It could have been a pain in the a* if it had happened some minutes before, because I rode across many places where there is nothing and no one around. So the fact that I ran out of fuel in front of a shop was real luck, and I was aware that besides the unfortunate event, I was kinda lucky.
My motorbike stopped working in front of a paint shop so I asked the guy who was there to help me. Luckily he could speak some English and understood my problem very well. I was very relieved once he told me that there was a “petrol station” around the corner. It would have been a 10-15 min walk away. How lucky am I haha- It is not really a petrol station. It’s these stalls where people sell plastic bottles of fuel.
What I wasn’t expecting was for him to hand me his motorbike keys and tell me to go there on his motorbike. WOW. What a kind act! He borrowed his motorbike to a stranger just like that. It was his idea, I didn’t ask for it. It is amazing how you discover that people around the world are much better than you would have been taught back at home. I probably wouldn’t have done it for others. He didn’t take me there, he just handed me the motorbike and keys. How awesome is that!?
I thanked him very much as he saved my day. He was clearly happy to help and the people in the shop too, because we were all laughing in the end. Oh My.
Crystal Bay is a popular destination for sure. The place was packed with people. I had no clue that so many people would be there. I arrived already late in the day so I couldn’t witness the true colors of this beach, but it didn’t look that amazing. There must be something to Crystal Bay otherwise not so many people would be found there.
Anyway, this is where I stopped to watch the sunset and then I went back to the hostel that wasn’t very far away. It was a full, tiring day, but very worth it.
And with this, I wrapped my stay in Nusa Penida to move to Nusa Lembongan which isn’t far away by boat. Nusa Penida was very worth it. See more beaches I visited while on Nusa Penida HERE!
