Nusa Lembongan & Ceningan: Blue Lagoon, Dream Beach & Devil's Tears
Cliffs that explode with the swell, an island reached by a yellow bridge, and the best sunset of our whole Bali trip.
September 2023. Our Bali route ran Canggu, Sekumpul, Kawah Ijen, Ubud, Gili Air, Nusa Lembongan and Uluwatu. our Bali route
Nusa Lembongan is the island most people mean when they say they want the Bali that Bali used to be: small, slow, ringed by clear water, and just far enough offshore to keep the crowds thinner. We came for three days, rode a scooter across a yellow bridge to a second island, watched waves detonate against a cliff at sunset, and had the single best sky of our trip over a beanbag on the sand.
If you're planning Nusa Lembongan and trying to work out what's worth your days, where to stay and what it actually costs, this is exactly how we did it. Real spots, real prices, the honest misses, and the practical stuff nobody tells you, including where to go if you get sick out there.
How to get to Nusa Lembongan
Most people come from the Bali mainland by fast boat from Sanur. The crossing takes about 30 minutes and a one-way ticket runs roughly 150,000 to 250,000 IDR depending on operator and season, with several departures a day to Jungut Batu and Mushroom Bay. Book a round trip and you usually save a bit. We book these crossings through 12Go Asia, which lists the operators and departure times in one place and is the easiest way to compare and reserve in advance.
We came in from Gili Air. Our boat ran to Nusa Penida first, then a short hop across to Lembongan. Worth a warning if you do it this way: our crossing had real swell, a few people started to panic, and everyone stepped off looking a little green. If you're prone to seasickness, take a tablet before you board, not after.
Once you're on the island, a driver or your hotel can run you to your stay. Then the first thing to sort is your wheels.
Getting around: rent a scooter
A scooter is the way to see Lembongan. The island is small, the traffic is calm compared to the Bali mainland, and it lets you reach the cliffs, beaches and the bridge to Ceningan on your own schedule. We got ours free for three days from our guesthouse after a booking mix-up, but rentals are cheap here anyway. Bring cash: card acceptance is patchy and ATMs are limited, so pull out what you need before or on arrival.
Where we stayed: The Niti Huts
We booked The Niti Huts, a tidy little bungalow set-up (111 euro for three nights) that looked lovely in photos and held up in person. There was one hiccup worth mentioning because of how well they handled it: they had a double booking and no room for our first night. The place next door had a spare, near-identical bungalow, so we slept there, and they threw in the free scooter for the whole stay to make up for it. Small island, real hospitality.
Breakfast came at the hotel each morning, usually a pancake with banana and a smoothie. With a base and a scooter sorted, the island opens up. We'll take you through it the way we rode it.
Nusa Ceningan and the Blue Lagoon
From Lembongan you ride over the Yellow Bridge, a narrow crossing you'll recognise instantly, onto the smaller island of Nusa Ceningan. This is where the famous Blue Lagoon sits: a slot of deep blue water below sheer cliffs. It's a strong spot for photos, and it's where I flew the drone for some of the best aerial shots of this stretch. If you only cross the bridge for one thing, make it this.
From there we rode back to explore Lembongan's own coast, and the beaches were a mixed bag, so we'll be straight about which are worth it.
The beaches: Dream Beach, and one to skip
We started at the beach near Lumbung Bali, and it didn't do much for us: too many boats sitting in the water, not the postcard you picture. We carried on, parked, walked, and that's how we found the day's win.
Ohana's Beach Club was the one. We took beanbags right on the sand and stayed the whole day. The sunset that evening turned the entire sky solid gold, the best of our trip, and we still bring it up. If you want one easy, no-plan day on Lembongan, this is it.
The next day we took loungers at Dream Beach. The waves here come in hard, so it's not a calm swimming beach, but the setting is worth the day and the drone shots of the swell were some of my favourites. Two beaches, two very different moods, and both better than the boat-filled first stop.
Dream Beach Nusa Lembongan shot from above by drone
Golden sunset at Nusa Lembongan after spending the day at Ohana’s beach club.
Devil's Tears at sunset
Save an evening for Devil's Tears, a stretch of cliff on the southwest coast where the swell rushes into the rock and blasts back up in sheets of spray. At sunset, with the light behind it, it's the kind of place you stand and watch on repeat. We got some of our strongest footage here.
One real warning if you fly a drone: keep it high and well back from the edge. The spray is unpredictable and comes up by the metre, and losing an aircraft to salt water takes one bad gust. We'd already lost one earlier in the trip, so we flew this one carefully.
After a few days of cliffs and beaches, there's one more practical thing worth knowing, because it happened to us.
Tips for Nusa Lembongan
- Take a seasickness tablet before the boat, especially if you come via Nusa Penida in swell.
- Rent a scooter: it's how you reach the cliffs, the beaches and the Yellow Bridge on your own time.
- Bring cash. ATMs are limited and cards aren't accepted everywhere.
- Cross the Yellow Bridge to Nusa Ceningan for the Blue Lagoon, it's the aerial highlight.
- For a lazy beach day, head to Ohana's; for waves and drone shots, Dream Beach.
- Do Devil's Tears at sunset, and fly any drone high and back from the spray.
- Skip the boat-filled beach near Lumbung Bali if you want the postcard version.
Frequently Asked Questions: Nusa Lembongan
How do you get to Nusa Lembongan? By fast boat from Sanur on the Bali mainland, about 30 minutes, one-way around 150,000 to 250,000 IDR with several daily departures. You can also reach it from Nusa Penida or the Gili Islands by boat.
Is Nusa Lembongan worth visiting? Yes, if you want a slower, smaller island with clear water and dramatic coast within easy reach of Bali. Three days was enough to see the highlights without rushing.
Where is the Blue Lagoon? On Nusa Ceningan, reached by riding over the Yellow Bridge from Nusa Lembongan. It's a deep-blue inlet below cliffs and a top spot for drone shots.
Do you need a scooter on Nusa Lembongan? It's the best way to get around. The island is small and the traffic is calm, and a scooter gets you to the beaches, cliffs and Ceningan freely. Bring cash for the rental.
How many days do you need? Three days is a comfortable amount for the Blue Lagoon, the beaches and Devil's Tears without feeling rushed.
Is there medical care on the island? Yes. We used the Nusa Medica clinic and were seen quickly with good care.
Would we go back?
Nusa Lembongan is easy to love: small enough to ride end to end, wild enough at Devil's Tears to feel remote, and slow enough that a golden sunset over a beanbag counts as a full day well spent. After the crowds of the Bali mainland, it was exactly the reset we wanted. Give it three days, rent the scooter, and don't miss the bridge to Ceningan.
Next in our Bali series: Uluwatu, the far south, a bubble hotel on an empty beach and the sundowner spot we'd go back for.Read the Bali itinerary →
Who we are: We're Marcel and Kathleen, a couple with corporate jobs, one big trip a year and a drone that comes everywhere with us. I (Marcel) plan every route down to the ferry timetable, Kathleen trusts the plan, and everything on this blog is something we did and paid for ourselves. [More about us →][0]
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