3 Days in Nusa Lembongan: The Ultimate Itinerary for Adventure & Relaxation

You can’t visit Bali without taking a quick trip to the nearby Nusa Islands. This three day Nusa Lembongan itinerary is a great mix of fast-pace exploration, underwater adventures, and tranquil relaxation.

You’ll get to see all the highlights of the Nusa Islands including: Majestic cliffs, hidden beaches, manta rays, and of course the iconic T-Rex beach!

Logistics for Your 3 Day Nusa Lembongan Itinerary

I know, I know, you want to jump right into the day-by-day breakdown, but before we can do that, there are a couple logistical items to get out of the way: namely, how do you even get to Nusa Lembongan island, and where do you stay once you get there.

Let’s knock those out first so you have 2 fewer items on your to-do list for your Nusa Lembongan itinerary!

How to Get to Nusa Lembongan

Nusa Lembongan is one of three islands located to the south east of Bali. Assuming you’re already traveling through Bali, the easiest way to get to Nusa Lembongan is by taking a 30-minute fast boat.

You should book your ferry in advance, and can do so using the 12go app or website. It will cost you about 160K- 250K IDR ($10-15 USD) one way depending on whether you include your transfer to/from the port.

Where to Stay in Nusa Lembongan

During my trip, I stayed near Mushroom Bay Beach and thought it was a great area. There were plenty of restaurants and warungs (local eateries) nearby and it felt pretty close to many of the major attractions on the island!

If you’re looking for a mid-range accommodation, I loved my stay at Royal Cottage Nusa Lembongan. It had everything I could have asked for:

• Cozy, clean, and spacious room
• A delightful pool for cooling down in the mid-afternoon
• Delicious, included breakfast
• Friendly staff

I thought it was a great value for the price!

However, if you’re looking for a luxury experience, reviewers seem to really like The Tamarind Resort – Nusa Penida! And if budget travel is more your style, you should check out Castaway Island Hostel which has rave reviews!

Read more: best areas and accommodations by budget in Nusa Lembongan

How to Spend 3 Days in Nusa Lembongan

If you’re coming to Nusa Lembongan and want to experience all the highlights, I recommend at least 3 full days on the island.

That’s how much time I spent on Nusa Lembongan, and I don’t think I would have been satisfied with fewer days. If anything, I would have added another day or two… but there is so much to see in Bali as a whole, so 3 days feels like the perfect amount of time to spend here.

Day 1 in Nusa Lembongan – Explore on Land

Day 1 is all about on-land exploration. You’ll get to explore the mangroves of the island and hit all of the highlights in one day!

Morning Mangrove Adventure

I found out about this AFTER I had already left, so I didn’t get to explore the mangroves on Nusa Lembongan which I’m super bummed about, BUT YOU are not going to miss out!

After enjoying your breakfast, you’ll get picked up for this mangrove tour, where you will spend one hour kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, or clear boating through the mangrove ecosystem. It will be a tranquil way to start your day with the lush plant life and wildlife surrounding you!

Scoot Around Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan

For the next part of the day, you’ll want to be comfortable with driving a scooter around the island. I have a full guide of things you should know before renting a scooter so you can decide if this is a good option for you!

My friend and I just rented a scooter through our hotel, he felt pretty comfortable driving it, and so we went on our way to see all of the highlights of the island:

Now, we ended up taking the most efficient route between all the stops on the island, which you can see in the screenshots below. Note that while Google Maps says you can only walk across Yellow Bridge to Nusa Ceningan, you can actually drive a scooter across and that will drastically reduce your travel time:

After doing the route myself, I actually think there is a better way to see each of these stops. You’ll mostly stick to the efficient route, but make note of the times for sunset and high-tide during your visit.

Time your visit to Devil’s Tears with the high tide for the full blow hole effect, then make your way to Ceningan. If it’s lunch time, try The Dungki Bendega Resto, the Lychee Refresher and Bak Mae Goreng (fried noodle dish) I ordered was one of my favorite meals of the trip!

After lunch, explore the rest of the Nusa Ceningan stops, ending at the Blue Lagoon. Then, for sunset, you’ll want to go to Mahana Point, which is conveniently where I recommend parking for the Blue Lagoon. It has EPIC panoramic views, and you can grab some food and drinks to enjoy along with the sunset!

Day 2 in Nusa Lembongan – Explore Under Water

If you love marine life, day two of the Nusa Lembongan is going to be an absolute treat!

You have two different ways to explore: snorkeling or scuba diving. As a scuba diver, that’s almost always my preferred method, but if you’re not certified, snorkeling is a great option to make sure you don’t miss out on seeing…

MANTA RAYS!

Manta Bay

Manta Bay, located very close to Nusa Lembongan, tends to have a lot of manta rays because this area serves as a cleaning station for the mantas. These cleaning stations are areas in the ocean where certain “cleaning” fish gather and remove the dead cells and parasites from manta rays (kinda like a dentist for the mantas). You can read more about them here, but the main thing is, cleaning stations tend to be a recurring stop for manta rays.

Don’t miss out — book your Manta Ray tour here!

Most snorkeling tours and scuba diving trips will include a stop here, which is great because it’s usually super rare for humans to see mantas in the ocean. During our dive here, my friend and I were lucky enough to see over 10 manta rays, a small shark, AND an octopus! It. was. awesome!

Crystal Bay

The second dive site I visited in this area was Crystal Bay. Aptly named, as the water is some of the clearest I’ve seen, which meant I saw SO MANY colorful fish! I was a relatively new ocean diver at the time, and I couldn’t believe my eyes… it was actually like swimming in an aquarium!

This is also a super popular snorkeling spot, so most tours will bring you here to experience for yourself!

One thing I will say is that because these locations are so popular, it’s better to go with a private tour, if possible – this one has great reviews. With a private tour, you’ll be able to get away from hordes of tourists and be able to have a more peaceful experience at the sites,.

However, if you’re looking for a more budget option, I wouldn’t let that stop you! This group snorkeling tour will take you to the same sites and for a much more affordable cost!

Scuba Diving

If you already have your scuba certification and are looking for a dive shop to go with – I loved Siren Diving!

The dive masters were super helpful and pointed out so many unique things… including a small seahorse that I would have totally missed! Plus the office staff was actually able to book all of our transfers to the island and make several recommendations for what to do during our non-diving time! It was very appreciated. ☺️

Day 3 in Nusa Lembongan – Day Trip to Nusa Penida

For your last full day in Nusa Lembongan, you’ll actually be hopping over to Nusa Penida via a 15-minute ferry.

Make your way down to Yellow Bridge early in the morning and book your return ferry ticket. Don’t forget to confirm the final departure time for getting back to Nusa Lembongan! If you prefer to do this in advance, you can use 12Go to book your tickets before getting to Yellow Bridge.

Nusa Penida is a huge island with so much to see, so you’ll most likely focus on one side of the island in a single day. Here are the highlights for each side of the island:

West Side

The west side of Nusa Penida is the one that is typically visited because it’s easier to get to from the ferry port. Key spots to visit include:

East Side

Meanwhile, the east side of Nusa Penida is a bit quieter to visit, and you’ll likely need a private tour or driver to reach these locations. The key spots to visit include:

Getting around Nusa Penida

The infrastructure in Nusa Penida is not so great – think lots of pot holes, steep hills, and backed-up traffic. Because of that, I think the best way to get around is to actually hire a driver for the day or book a group tour.

My friend and I did not follow that advice, and we ended up:

• falling off our scooter
• sitting in an hour and a half of miserable traffic under a blaring hot sun
• visiting only a single spot on our list

Read more: Why I regret my day trip to Nusa Penida and how I would do it better next time

Should you hire a private driver or a group tour?

The pros of hiring a private driver are that the itineraries tend to be more flexible, you’ll move at your own pace, and you’re only spending time with the people you’re traveling with. With a private tour like this one, you may even be able to see both sides of the island in a single day! However, with it being a private experience, it tends to be a bit more pricey.

Hiring a group tour will typically cut the costs, have a set itinerary (great if you don’t want to deal with all the planning yourself), and gives you an opportunity to meet other, like-minded travelers. The biggest con I find with group tours is that you will need to move at the group’s pace when you may want to linger a while longer at a certain spot or if you’re ready to move on earlier.

What if You Have More than 3 Days in Nusa Lembongan?

I mentioned earlier in the post that I almost wish I had an extra day or two in Nusa Lembongan. I say “almost” because I loved the rest of my trip, had a set number of days I could travel, and I wouldn’t have wanted to give anything else up.

That being said, if you are able to spend another day or two on the island, these are some options you could add onto your Nusa Lembongan itinerary:

Spend an Extra Day in Nusa Penida & Experience the Other Side

The first thing I would suggest with an extra day in Nusa Lembongan is to take a second trip over to Nusa Penida and experience the opposite side of the island!

You could even just decide to spend a night on Penida if you prefer not to go back and forth, but personally, knowing that the infrastructure on Nusa Lembongan is better AND that it’s pretty difficult to drive yourself on Penida, I think taking two day trips is the better option.

Read more: Why Nusa Lembongan is the better base for most travelers

Plus, the ferry ride over is pretty affordable (less than $10 USD) and it means you don’t have to repack and unpack your bags as frequently!

Get Your Scuba Certification

While you can definitely have a great marine life experience on a snorkel tour around Nusa Lembongan, if you have the extra time, why not go ahead and get your scuba certification while you’re here and have your first dive sites be some of the best in the world?

Open water scuba certs — the base level of certification — take four days to complete; two of the day are done in the pool, which you could do with a local dive shop prior to your trip. Then you can complete your final 2 days of diving while you are in Nusa Lembongan.

If you’re interested in this option, I had a great experience diving with the crew at Siren Diving and think they would take great care of you during your certification dives!

Take a Surf Lesson

If you’re looking for a different type of activity compared to the rest of this itinerary, give surfing a try! There are a ton of surf shops along Jungut Batu beach and several offer surf lessons.

So get out there and catch a few waves! Plus you’ll be building a lifelong skill that you can take with you on future travels… my favorite type of souvenir!

Enjoy the Slower Pace

Finally, it’s worth mentioning that an extra day in Nusa Lembongan is a great time to relax and enjoy the slower pace of the island. If you’re tacking this Nusa Lembongan itinerary onto a Bali trip, you’ll probably appreciate the calmer island life on Lembongan: so grab a book, head to one of the beaches or the hotel pool, and enjoy some down time!

Need to find accommodation? Check out my Nusa Lembongan area & accommodation guide next –>