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Nusa Penida, for many not yet a common term, because the small island is still in the shadow of the neighboring island of Bali. The emphasis is on still, because Nusa Penida is a hot insider tip in terms of untouched nature, secluded beaches and breathtaking natural sights. Tourism and infrastructure are still in their infancy, but a few hotels and bungalows are sprouting up among the palm trees. Who has now got wanderlust, which can read in our blog transfer Indonesia already times, as he gets best on the island!
We chose to stay near Cyrstal Bay for our multi-day stay, as this beach is one of the most beautiful on the entire island. It is also centrally located, so the perfect starting point to explore the rest of the island. We started our trips from here to the still upcoming highlights of Nusa Penida. The bay itself is easily accessible by scooter or on foot, for example we walked five minutes from our accommodation to the sea. On the beach itself is a diving school, a snack bar and a small bar, but there is still no talk of crowds and noise here. Most visitors come with snorkeling or diving boats to make a short stop here, but at the latest at 2 pm you have the whole beach to yourself again.
Besides relaxing in the sun and dozing, you can also go snorkeling from the beach. Crystal Bay has a rich and very intact underwater world, but it is still not comparable to our stay on Koa Tao in Thailand. If you want to do some sports, you can also hike to the neighboring Pandan Beach. This is only accessible on foot and attracts with a deserted, paradisiacal sandy beach.
But the quiet and relaxing stay on the beach became a real test of patience for our nerves within seconds. On the day of our arrival, the owner of our accommodation told us that they had spent 24 hours on a mountain during the devastating earthquake that had hit Lombok hard. We ourselves had felt this earthquake in Bali at Padang Padang Beach. We didn't worry about it for the following days on Nusa Penida until we wanted to walk to the sea in the morning on the second to last day. On our way to the beach, all of a sudden the palm trees started swaying coming from the sea and it sounded like a strong wind was blowing. When the swaying palm trees reached us, the ground under our feet suddenly became all spongy and moved in different directions. We immediately realized that it was an earthquake and tried to move away from the palm trees to avoid being hit by falling coconuts. A minute later the haunting was over and we were considering whether or not to return to our accommodation. Ok, we thought, let's look at the sea, it can't be that bad.
When we arrived at the sea, the entire bay was without water, which was not the case the days before. We got to do it with the fear. Immediately we had the images of a tsunami in our heads, where the sea also first retreats, and then hits the land with full force. For us it was immediately clear that we had to go back to our bungalow. After all, we didn't want to be left behind in the event of an evacuation. Once we arrived at the accommodation, normal business continued and no one talked about the earthquake. We informed ourselves and found out that there was no warning, nevertheless decided to spend the day rather at the pool.
As already mentioned, Crystal Bay was our place to stay while exploring the island. And is there anything better than having a picture-perfect bay on your doorstep after a busy day of sightseeing? So what are you waiting for? Explore Nusa Penida with us from Crystal Bay, how about starting with a hike to Pandan Beach?