No trip to Nusa Lembongan would be complete without a short hop to Nusa Ceningan. This island is the smallest amongst the Nusa islands, but does not stop short of highlights.
Secret Beach / Secret Point
Secret Beach is an idyllic little spot. Though not so secret anymore, it was near empty the two times I visited. It’s attached to a restaurant and villa if you fancy a drink while you’re here. The beach can also be accessed by another opening on another other end.
The Blue Lagoon
The Blue Lagoon is a cove and a cliff diving jump point. The waters here are the most opaque, turquoise blue that I’ve ever seen. Strangely beautiful and calming.
At the time of visit, the main opening to access the Blue Lagoon viewpoint has been taken over by a resort. I can foresee it being completely closed off in the near future when construction begins. For now, you can manoeuvre through some ropey barricades to access another viewpoint.
Mahana Point
Mahana Point was my absolute favourite spot in Nusa Ceningan. It’s a cool little café that overlooks the cliff with amazing views of the ocean. They have a cliff diving point within the café, which lets you jump off at a small cost.
It’s a surfing spot which meant fantastic views of huge waves rolling in. The waters were so deliciously clear and blue, and coupled with the sounds of crashing waves… I felt like I could sit out there for a long while.
There’s a nearby beach that you can walk towards, and it looked absolutely gorgeous from where we stood. We skipped on this since we were planning to have our swim back at Dream Beach later on.
Park Cave
Prior to this, I’ve never heard of Park Cave. The guides we were with asked if we wanted to see something more new – of course we obliged. We were brought to Park Cave, a restaurant and café that overlooks Nusa Penida.
It’s a rather long and bumpy ride to here from the other attractions in Nusa Ceningan, and it’s worth a look if you have time. It’s a kitschy little café which has a lot of your very… cheesy, photo-taking booths. But for me it wins for the seclusion. It was nice to have a refreshing drink here while facing Nusa Penida.
You can climb down to a cave below which we didn’t do because we wanted to get back to Lembongan’s Devil’s Tears for the sunset.
Yellow Bridge
So you can’t actually do anything at the Yellow Bridge, but it is iconic. The Yellow Bridge is the connecting point between Lembongan and Ceningan. You can only get through the narrow bridge by foot or by motorbike.
I walked the bridge and it was a short, fun walk. I could truly appreciate the clear blue waters below… and have a bit of a laugh as the scooters that rode past would scream out a cheeky “hello you want get on my bike!!”
Beaches along Nusa Ceningan
Right after the Yellow Bridge, the coastal roads along Nusa Ceningan boasts charming beachside bars and restaurants. The waters here looked shallow, which projected crystal clear, pale blue waters. If I wasn’t on a back of a scooter and had all the time in the world, I would have loved to stop along any one of the cafes and chill for a bit.
Travelling around Nusa Ceningan
Scooter would be the best and cheapest option. A lot of the locations above required more than just a quick stop. I loved hanging out at Mahana Point and Secret Beach, but I would have wanted to return another day and chill along one of the coastal cafes near the Yellow Bridge.
New resolution, anyone?
Since I can’t ride a scooter, I hired a guide with a scooter to take me on as a pillion. Your accommodation can easily arrange for this. The rate seems to be a standard IDR 250,000 for about half a day.
If you’re up for a bit of an exercise, apparently you can easily walk between each of Nusa Ceningan’s attractions since the island is small enough. I can’t vouch for that; I was cruising along on the back of scooter the whole time.
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