Nusa Lembongan, Bali: Boats, Island Fee, 12 Places and Where to Stay

Nusa Lembongan is a small island of about 8 sq km in Klungkung Regency, 12 km off Bali's south-east coast across the Badung Strait. Fast boats from Sanur reach it in 35 to 45 minutes, from about IDR 150,000 one way. Klungkung charges visitors an island fee of IDR 25,000 per adult, paid at the Devil's Tear counter. A short yellow suspension bridge links Lembongan to its neighbour, Nusa Ceningan, and Nusa Penida is a 10 to 20 minute boat hop away.

The island is a getaway from the traffic of south Bali, with clear water you can see the reef through and roughly 5,000 residents spread over two villages, Jungutbatu in the north and Lembongan in the south. Most of what visitors come for sits on the water, from manta snorkelling to the reef breaks off Jungutbatu, and our things to do in Nusa Lembongan guide covers tours and activity prices in detail. This guide covers the boat, the fee, the best months, 12 places worth your time, where to stay and what a trip costs in rupiah and rupees.

Nusa Lembongan at a glance

Is Nusa Lembongan worth visiting?

For most travellers, yes. The island's strength is distance, or the lack of it. You can watch waves explode at Devil's Tear, swim at Dream Beach and eat on the sand in Jungutbatu in the same afternoon, because nothing is more than 15 minutes apart by scooter. The water is the main draw. Reef manta rays visit the cleaning station at Manta Point off Nusa Penida year round, the mangrove channels in the north-east are calm enough for first-time kayakers, and the reef breaks off Jungutbatu are some of the best known in Bali.

It is a weaker pick if you want Instagram cliffs on the scale of Kelingking, a big nightlife scene or luxury beach resorts with long sandy fronts. The beaches are small coves, and the west coast swell makes some of them unsafe to swim when the sea is up. Couples, snorkellers, divers, families with older children and anyone who wants Bali's islands without Penida's long drives will like it most. If you are torn between the two, our Nusa Penida island guide covers the other side of the strait.

How to get to Nusa Lembongan from Bali

There is no airport and no bridge to Bali, so every trip ends on a boat. One of the fast boats from Sanur to Nusa Lembongan will take you across in 35 to 45 minutes, and Sanur has by far the most departures. Sanur's passenger terminal opened in 2022, so you now check in at a proper building instead of wading out from the beach. Most operators want you there 30 to 60 minutes before departure. Fares start at about IDR 150,000 one way for the boat alone. Older pages quote IDR 500,000 and tell you to bargain, which mixes up return tickets that bundle hotel transfers with the boat fare.

Check where your boat lands before you book. Most Sanur services arrive at Jungutbatu Beach, others use Mushroom Bay, and some East Bali and Nusa Dua boats use the Yellow Bridge area. Many landings are on the beach, so expect wet feet up to the shins and wear sandals. Nusa Lembongan is not reachable by road or train, so the flight to Bali (Ngurah Rai, DPS) and a 30 to 60 minute drive to Sanur come first. From Delhi or Mumbai the fastest connections take about 7.5 to 9 hours to Bali.

The return is where plans go wrong. As of August 2026 the last scheduled boats leave Lembongan for Sanur between about 4 pm and 5 pm, so a sunset at Devil's Tear and a same-day return do not mix. If you are flying out the same day, take a morning boat and leave at least four hours between landing at Sanur and your flight. For more on the Sanur side, see our places to visit in Sanur.

Nusa Lembongan entry fee and the Bali tourist levy

Nusa Lembongan does have an entry fee. Under regional regulation No. 4 of 2026, Klungkung Regency charges foreign visitors IDR 25,000 per adult and IDR 15,000 per child (ages 4 to 13) for Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. For this island the ticket counter is at Devil's Tear, where officers collect the fee. Cash is preferred at the counter. You can also buy an e-ticket online through easybook.com, the platform named by the Klungkung Tourism Office, but online tickets are valid only for the date you choose and cannot be moved. Rates and payment rules are set out in the Klungkung Tourism Office notice.

Some older pages say there is no official fee and that people might ask for money you should refuse. That is out of date. Pay at the official counter and keep the small paper receipt, because you may be asked to show it again during your stay. Klungkung also announced a separate tourist-attraction charge at named sites, paid by foreign and Indonesian visitors alike, at the same IDR 25,000 and 15,000 rates, from 1 September 2026. On Lembongan the only named site is Devil's Tear, where the island fee is already collected, so ask at the counter whether your receipt covers both.

The Klungkung fee is not the same as the Bali levy. The levy of IDR 150,000 (about Rs 795) is charged by the Bali provincial government to every foreign visitor once per trip, usually paid online at Love Bali before you fly. Indian passport holders pay both.

Best time to visit Nusa Lembongan

The best time to visit Nusa Lembongan is from April to October, when the weather is dry and rain is rare. This is the best time for water sports like surfing, diving and snorkelling, with the clearest water and the calmest crossings. There are no entry or exit times on the island itself. Mornings are still the best part of the day for water sports, because the sea is calmer and the wind picks up after lunch.

Two dates matter more than the weather. On Nyepi, Bali's Day of Silence, all transport stops for 24 hours, boats included, and in 2027 that falls on 8 March. The Nusa islands also keep a separate sea-silence day, Nyepi Segara, when boats do not run, so check it with your operator before you book. In the wet season, high-wave warnings for the Badung Strait can stop crossings at short notice. For the rest of Bali, see our best time to visit Bali.

12 best places to visit in Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan

These are the 12 places most worth your time, starting on the south-west coast and ending at sea. Our things to do in Nusa Lembongan guide goes deeper into activities, tours and prices.

Devil's Tear

On the south-west coast of Nusa Lembongan, between Sandy Bay and Dream Beach, lies the island's best-known sight. Waves hit the low limestone ledges with force, smash into the rocks and send up an ocean spray that often makes a rainbow in the late sun. The island fee counter is here. The rock edges are wet, guardrails cover only the most dangerous spots (put up in 2019), and visitors have been swept off by rogue waves, so stay well back from the dark, wet zone and never turn your back to the sea for a photo.

Dream Beach

Next to Devil's Tear, Dream Beach is a white sandy cove of clear water, backed by cliffs, with restaurants and a resort with an infinity pool above the sand. It is the island's most photographed beach. Swim only when the flag and the lifeguards say so. On days with a big south-west swell the shore break and currents here are strong, and the pool is the safer swim.

Sandy Bay (Sunset Bay)

Sandy Bay is another small beach, a short walk north of Devil's Tear, for those who want to be away from the crowds. It faces west, which is why many call it Sunset Bay, and a beach club on the cove serves food and drinks. Private villas line the cliffs behind it if you want to stay somewhere quiet for a night.

Mushroom Bay

Mushroom Bay, known locally as Tanjung Sanghyang, is the best beach on the island for families with young children. The water inside the bay is calm on most mornings, and cafes and restaurants line the sand where you can get something to eat. Some fast boats from Sanur land here, and snorkel trips leave from the beach.

Jungutbatu Beach

The long north-west beach in front of Jungutbatu village is where most boats land and where the island's budget stays, dive shops and warungs sit. From here you can watch surfers on the reef breaks offshore (Shipwrecks, Lacerations and Playgrounds), and on clear evenings Mount Agung shows up across the water on Bali. It is also the easiest beach for a seafood dinner.

Mangrove Forest

In the north-east, around Mangrove Point, channels run between dense mangroves that fringe the shore. You can take a boat tour, where a local guide poles a flat boat through the trees, or rent a kayak and paddle the channels on your own. Go at high tide, because at low tide the channels drain and the boats cannot get in.

Gala-Gala Underground House

Inland on Nusa Lembongan (map listings give a Jungutbatu address, some guides place it in Lembongan village), Gala-Gala is a network of tunnels and rooms that a local man dug out of the rock by hand over roughly 15 years, said to be inspired by a cave home in the Mahabharata. It is cool, low and a little cramped, and it takes about 20 minutes. It makes a good stop for kids and a break from the midday sun.

Yellow Bridge

The narrow yellow suspension bridge over the channel is the only link between Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. It was rebuilt after the old bridge collapsed in 2016, and it carries people on foot and scooters only, so cars and trucks stop on either side. Cross in the late afternoon, when the light turns the water below green and gold. Local boats to Nusa Penida leave from the beach next to it.

Blue Lagoon, Nusa Ceningan

On Ceningan's west coast, the Blue Lagoon is a small cove ringed by limestone cliffs, where the water turns a deep, electric blue when the sun is high. It is a place to look rather than swim, as the waves surge in and out of the cove. The road from the Yellow Bridge is short but steep, so ride slowly.

Mahana Point

Just along the same Ceningan coast, Mahana Point is where the cliff jumping happens. A platform and a small bar sit above a deep channel, and jumpers pay a small fee to leap off ledges of different heights. Jump only when the sea is calm and staff say it is safe, because the swell changes the depth fast. Mahana is also a surf break for experienced surfers.

Seaweed farms

Before tourism, seaweed was the main income on both islands, and you can still see the farms in the shallow channel between Lembongan and Ceningan at low tide. Farmers tend rows of seaweed tied to stakes in the water, then dry it on tarps by the road. It is the clearest view of island life outside the resorts, and the farmers are used to visitors who stop to watch.

Manta Point snorkel trip

Manta Point sits off Nusa Penida's south-west coast, a 30 to 40 minute boat ride from Lembongan, and reef manta rays come there to be cleaned by small fish. Almost every snorkel trip from Lembongan stops here, usually with Crystal Bay, Gamat Bay or the Lembongan mangrove reef. Seeing mantas is likely but not guaranteed, and the water can be choppy, so take seasickness tablets if you need them.

Snorkelling, diving, surfing and beach clubs

The island's money is in the water, and the shops that sell trips are clustered in Jungutbatu and Mushroom Bay. Book snorkel and dive trips the day before, and ask which sites the boat will visit and whether it is a shared or private boat.

Mola mola (ocean sunfish) appear at Crystal Bay off Penida in the cooler months, roughly July to October, and are a dive trip rather than a snorkel. Surfers should know the breaks sit over shallow reef and work best on the dry-season trade winds. For more ideas across the main island, see our guides to snorkelling in Bali, scuba diving in Bali and water sports in Bali.

Getting around Nusa Lembongan

Most visitors get around Nusa Lembongan by scooter, renting one for the length of the stay to ride the island's loop road. Rentals cost about IDR 100,000 a day, and the island is fairly flat apart from the climbs on Ceningan. Wear a helmet, because the roads are narrow, sandy in places and shared with trucks.

There are very few cars, not none. Hotels collect guests from the boat in open-back pickup trucks, and those same trucks work as taxis for a fixed fare that you agree before getting in. Golf buggies are a good choice for families who do not ride. Walking works within Jungutbatu or between Devil's Tear, Sandy Bay and Dream Beach, which are close together, but the full island is too spread out to walk in a day. Ride-hailing apps do not work reliably on the island.

Where to stay in Nusa Lembongan

Pick the area first, then the hotel. The island is small, but where you sleep decides whether you walk to dinner or ride to it, and whether you get calm water or cliff views.

On the Jungutbatu hillside, Batu Karang has villas with ocean views and a clear sight of Mount Agung. For a villa with its own space, see Villa Casa del Mar. Mid-range rooms on the island cost about IDR 600,000 to 1,200,000 a night, and clifftop pool villas cost several times that in July and August, when the best ones book out weeks ahead.

Nusa Lembongan vs Nusa Ceningan vs Nusa Penida

The three Nusa islands sit side by side but feel very different. Lembongan is the base most people choose, Ceningan is its quiet neighbour across the bridge, and Penida is the big, rugged one.

Our tip is to stay on Lembongan and take the 10 to 20 minute local boat to Penida for a day with a driver. Read our Nusa islands guide for how the three fit together.

Nusa Lembongan itinerary: day trip, 2 days or 3 days

Day trip from Sanur

1. Take a 7 to 8 am boat from Sanur and land at Jungutbatu or Mushroom Bay by about 9 am.

2. Join a morning snorkel trip to Manta Point and the mangrove reef, back by about noon.

3. Eat lunch on the beach at Mushroom Bay or Jungutbatu.

4. Ride or take a truck taxi over the Yellow Bridge to the Blue Lagoon on Ceningan.

5. Stop at Devil's Tear and Dream Beach on the way back, paying the island fee at the counter.

6. Be at the harbour by 3.30 pm for a 4 pm to 5 pm boat back to Sanur.

Two days

Day 1 covers the boat, check-in, the Yellow Bridge, Blue Lagoon and Mahana Point, then sunset at Devil's Tear and dinner at Sandy Bay. Day 2 starts with the manta snorkel trip, then a mangrove kayak at high tide, Gala-Gala and an afternoon boat back to Sanur.

Three days

Add a day trip to Nusa Penida from the Yellow Bridge with a driver for Kelingking and Broken Beach, or a dive day at Crystal Bay. Surfers can use the third morning for the Jungutbatu reefs.

Nusa Lembongan budget for Indian travellers

A two-day, one-night trip costs about IDR 1.1 to 2 million per person (about Rs 6,000 to Rs 10,500), sharing a mid-range room and a scooter. The figures below are per person, at about Rs 5.3 per IDR 1,000.

Bali's IDR 150,000 levy is extra and paid once per trip. Carry enough rupiah for the fee counter, truck taxis and warungs. There are a few ATMs in Jungutbatu and near Mushroom Bay, but they run out on busy weekends and card machines are not everywhere. If you would rather have the boat, transfers and hotel arranged together, our Bali tour packages can add a Nusa Lembongan night, and there are honeymoon packages and family packages for Bali as well.

Food, bars and temples

Seafood is what to eat here. Look for the local warungs in the north of the island, in Jungutbatu, where the catch is grilled on the beach in the evening. Mushroom Bay is the place for pizza and cafe food by the water. Vegetarians find nasi goreng, gado-gado and tempeh dishes on most menus. Our list of restaurants near Nusa Lembongan has the full picks by area.

Nightlife is small and mostly beach bars in Jungutbatu and sunset spots at Sandy Bay and Mushroom Bay. Our guide to bars near Nusa Lembongan has the names. For village temples such as Pura Puseh and the shrines in Lembongan village, see our guide to temples near Nusa Lembongan.

Nusa Lembongan travel tips: things to know before you go

Bring rupiah from Bali, because the island runs on cash and its few ATMs empty on busy weekends. Pay the IDR 25,000 island fee, keep the receipt, and plan to be back on the beach well before the last boats leave between about 4 pm and 5 pm. Never swim at Devil's Tear or the Blue Lagoon. Those four habits head off most of the problems visitors write about. The island fee below was checked against the Klungkung tourism office notice in November 2026, and the rupee figures use about Rs 5.3 per IDR 1,000.

Before-you-go checklist

ATMs, cash and cards on Nusa Lembongan

There are ATMs on Nusa Lembongan, but not many, and you should not plan your trip around them. A handful sit along the main road in Jungutbatu and a couple near Mushroom Bay. They cap each withdrawal, and on long weekends and in the July and August peak some can run dry. Draw what you need for the whole stay in Sanur or the airport, use ATMs attached to a bank branch or a minimart in daylight, and cover the keypad.

Indian debit and credit cards work in Bali ATMs once your bank has switched on international use, so do that before you fly and expect your bank's forex markup on every withdrawal. UPI is not accepted. India and Indonesia announced a QRIS link with UPI in July 2026, aimed at the end of 2026, but it was not live when we checked in November. Our budget section breaks down what two days actually cost.

Is Nusa Lembongan safe? Currents, cliffs and scooters

Nusa Lembongan is safe for most visitors, and petty crime is rare. The real risks are the sea and the roads. Stay well back from the edge at Devil's Tear and the Blue Lagoon. The rocks are wet, the guardrails cover only part of the edge, and big waves arrive without warning. People have been swept off those ledges.

Currents run hard around the whole island, and Dream Beach is the worst for swimming. The calmer water is at Mushroom Bay, Coconut Beach and in front of Jungutbatu, close to shore. The famous snorkel spots, Crystal Bay, Gamat Bay and Manta Point, lie off Nusa Penida across the channel, and Lembongan's own Mangrove Point is reached by boat as well, so go on a guided boat trip rather than swimming out from the beach, and keep children within arm's reach. The narrow channel under the Yellow Bridge also runs fast, so do not try to swim across it.

Wear a helmet on the scooter and ride slowly on Ceningan's steep roads. Sand collects on the bends, and on Lembongan the open-backed truck taxis take the middle of the lane. Only scooters, bicycles and people on foot can cross the Yellow Bridge, so Ceningan has no cars or trucks. Fuel is easiest to find on the main Jungutbatu road; elsewhere it is sold in glass bottles at roadside warungs, so top up before you head for Ceningan. An insurer can refuse a crash claim if you had no valid motorcycle licence.

Tides, drinking water and the island clinic

Check the tide before you plan the day. Mangrove boat trips go deepest at high tide and get cut short at low tide. At low tide the reef in front of Jungutbatu drains and the seaweed farms show, so the walk out to a waiting boat is longer and wetter. Do not drink the tap water. Most hotels, dive shops and cafes will refill a bottle for a small charge or free.

East Medical Care Center (EMCC), a private clinic in Lembongan village a few minutes from Mushroom Bay, runs a 24-hour emergency line and ambulance team, and it is the place to go for cuts, coral scrapes or a stomach bug. Anything serious goes back across the strait by boat to the hospitals in Sanur and Denpasar. That is another reason to keep the last boat in mind and to carry insurance that pays for the transfer.

Habits that make the trip easier

• Take seasickness tablets before the crossing if you need them, as the strait can be rough, especially in the wet season.

• Wear sandals for the beach landing and pack a dry bag for phones and passports.

• Carry your own snorkel mask if you have one. Snorkel and surf gear can be rented on the island, but quality varies.

• Use reef-safe sunscreen and do not stand on the coral.

• Do not litter on the island. Rubbish has to be shipped back to Bali, so take your plastic back with you.

• Carry a sarong and sash if you plan to step into Pura Puseh or a village temple, and give way to ceremony processions on the road.

For a wider plan of the island chain and the main island, start at our Bali travel guide. If you would rather have the boat, transfers and a Lembongan night arranged together, our Bali tour packages can add it.

Edited by TravelTriangle