Location
Nusa Lembongan is a small island off the south-east coast of Bali. It has two closest neighbours: Nusa Ceningan, across a narrow channel and connected by a suspension bridge, and the impressive Nusa Penida, which you can reach by boat in about 20 minutes.
The area of Nusa Lembongan is 8 km².
Administratively, all three islands belong to one of Bali’s regencies: Klungkung. They are separated from Bali by the Badung Strait.
Transport
You can ride around Nusa Lembongan by scooter in about an hour. There’s no heavy traffic or traffic jams, but the road quality is much worse than in Bali.
A one-way ticket for one person costs about 200k; you also need to pay for a child from the age of two. It’s just 20–30 minutes by fast boat from Sanur, and you’ll arrive on a small island with clear turquoise water. You can also get there by private boat.
Lembongan is so stunning, with its beautiful beaches and calm atmosphere, that you’ll want to come back again and again. I genuinely recommend staying on the island for at least two nights.
Lembongan and Ceningan are often seen as one, because they’re connected by a bridge and it’s easy to get between them by scooter. Cars don’t use the bridge, so you’ll need to keep that in mind when travelling around.
It’s almost impossible to get to Lembongan and Ceningan with your own motorbike or scooter. The fast boats that carry passengers don’t take vehicles on board.
The cars and scooters used on Lembongan and Ceningan were brought over in the past under special arrangements.
By scooter
Hiring a scooter on the island is easy. Prices currently start from 70k for a Scoopy and 150k per day for an NMax. Many rental places are located right near the arrival point. You can also look up rental locations on Google Maps in advance, ask around, and arrange for the scooter you like to be delivered to where you need it.
Car hire
There are very few cars on Nusa Lembongan. Any business or local resident who wants to bring a car onto the island must obtain special permission from the village elders.
Among four-wheeled vehicles, pick-up trucks are the most common here. Grab and Gojek don’t operate on the island.
In the past, hiring a car on the island was a major issue: there were only scooters and taxi carts/trucks. A taxi ride costs about 100k one way.
Now there are a few hire options, but they’re pricey: from 800k per day for a manual car. The terrain on the island is quite hilly, and at times the car struggled to climb. If that doesn’t put you off, here’s the contact: +62 812 3790 3821.
There were also other options via this number, but more expensive: +62 812 3790 3821.
By bicycle
Bicycles can be hired at most hotels and guesthouses. Many roads on the island are well paved, but there are also dirt roads with stones.
Bicycle hire costs around 20,000–30,000 rupiah per day.
Scooters can be hired at many hotels and guesthouses. The cost is 50,000–100,000 rupiah per day, depending on the condition of the vehicle.
Atmosphere
The vibe here is very casual and relaxed. Lembongan is much more peaceful and quiet than Bali.
The locals here are Hindu, just like in Bali, and you’ll also see traditional Balinese architecture everywhere.
Lembongan’s climate is similar to Bali’s, but it’s drier here, especially from May to September.
Infrastructure
Withdraw cash in Bali before your trip. There are ATMs on Lembongan, but not many, so they often run out of cash.
Large beach clubs and restaurants accept card payments.
Accommodation
Accommodation on Lembongan ranges from expensive, luxury villas to modest guesthouses. Compared with Ceningan and Nusa Penida, there are far more places to stay here.
My personal recommendation is The Cubang Huts Lembongan. It’s very clean and cosy, and it isn’t mentioned in the article above. The guesthouse is in a great, quiet location near Diamond Beach. The wooden huts are very comfortable and clean. The average price is 400k per night.
Beaches
Most beaches are on the west side. These include Mushroom Beach (where boats from Bali arrive), Dream Beach in the west, Sandy Bay, and Mangrove Beach (beautiful views of Bali and the volcanoes, snorkelling, and a mangrove forest).
Jungutbatu Beach
This is the longest beach on Nusa Lembongan.
All the wooden tourist boats and fishing boats moor here. There are also surf spots in this part of the island.
It’s perfect if you want to enjoy the sunset on the sand or in a beachfront bar.
The best part about a walk along this beach is that Bali’s main volcano, Mount Agung, is always visible in the background.
Running parallel to the beach is the main street, where most cafés and hotels are located. It’s lively, and it’s safe to get around on foot.
Song Lambung Beach
A small but very beautiful beach. It reminded us of Padang Padang in Bali. You can hire a surfboard here, chill in a local café, or simply lounge on the sand.
Pantai Pasir Putih
Here you’ll find charming swings and a stunning view of Mount Agung. A pristine white-sand beach. The shoreline is incredibly beautiful but, unfortunately, the ocean here isn’t suitable for swimming. It’s very shallow, and seaweed is farmed here.
Mushroom Bay
This is where most boats arrive on Nusa Lembongan.
A white-sand beach that’s ideal for swimming, snorkelling, diving and surfing. You can grab something to eat, relax in a pleasant, laid-back atmosphere, and hire a SUP board.
If you’re snorkelling on your own, it’s better to swim further out to see more marine life.
Life hack: before departing the island, you can spend some time at the hotel right by the departure station. It’s a comfortable place to rest and take a shower.
Blue Lagoon, Nusa Ceningan
An incredible view of a cliff above a turquoise ocean on Nusa Ceningan. You can take great photos here. Walk to the right to see the rocks and, if you’re lucky, spot a turtle.
If you’d like to stay in this area longer, I recommend stopping by the beach club Klyf Club Blue Lagoon.
You can order something from the menu, including soft drinks, and enjoy the view from the infinity pool.
Dream Beach
Located in the south-west of the island. It’s framed by cliffs, turquoise water, colourful reef, and hidden caves.
Avoid swimming on the eastern side of the beach. There’s a fantastic viewpoint from the cliff on the right-hand side, especially at sunset.
There’s a café next to the only resort, where you can order food, change, or take a shower.
Dream Beach is best for watching the sunset: lay out a sarong and enjoy the last rays of the sun. Unlike other beaches on the island, there are big waves here and a rocky entry, so swimming isn’t recommended.
Cafés
There are plenty of cafés on Lembongan to suit any taste and budget. There are inexpensive warungs with budget prices, and there are also European-style cafés, like in Bali, with nice interiors and varied menus.
The Island Fresh
I’d highlight this little shop for healthy products. Everything you can easily find in Bali, you can get on Lembongan in one place here.
Ombak Cafe and Huts Ombak Zero Waste Cafe
This was our favourite café. It’s on the beachfront opposite a surf spot, so you’ll see lots of surfers here. The prices are the best.
The menu has decent bowls and drinks. At weekends, there’s live music in the evenings.
Jungle Bakery
A bakery with classic French pastries: a perfect morning treat. There’s a good breakfast menu and coffee.
Jungle Bakery
Gabet’s Pub Lembongan
If you’re looking for a place on Nusa Lembongan that combines great food, atmosphere and real emotions, head to Gabet’s Pub. It’s an Irish gastro pub with ocean and sunset views, and it’s already a must-visit spot for anyone who wants to spend the evening somewhere special.
People don’t come here just for a quick bite. They come for the mood, for company, and to spend an evening that’s both relaxed and fun. At weekends, the pub comes alive with live music: guitar, vocals, and a real festive vibe under Lembongan’s sunset sky.
The menu features gastro-style food and generous portions, juicy steaks, sharing snacks, and dishes from our own smoker, which gives the meat a rich taste and aroma. And to go with it: a wide choice of drinks and, of course, our pride and joy—draught Guinness, brought directly from Ireland.
View 5
more photo
more photo
Gabet’s Pub Lembongan
Nisi Taverna
A lovely Greek restaurant. I recommend the halloumi and the pita wrap. Prices are above average. A very pretty white-and-blue interior in a Santorini style.
Tigerlillys Beach Shack
A cute beach café. Tasty fruit bowls with açaí and good coffee. Friendly staff. You can also build your own breakfast and lunch at the ‘extra’ station.
The Playful Table by MORIN
A fully vegan café with a stunning ocean view. It’s located on a hill.
Prices are above average, but the food quality and service are worth it.
FIN ISLAND
A great café for a nice dinner with a big group. In the evening there’s live music, and the area is very comfortable for kids to run around.
Ginger and Jamu
They serve healthy and genuinely filling dishes at fairly affordable prices. Excellent smoothie bowls, halloumi burgers, tempeh bowls, vegan tacos and mahi-mahi. A good spot for lunch or dinner.
Ginger and Jamu
Sandy Bay Beach Club
A nice beach club with a pool by the beach near Devil’s Tears. In the evening, the lights look beautiful during dinner.
Sandy Bay Beach Club
Cookies Coffee Shop and Warung
One of the few nice cafés in the Dream Beach area.
All the stylish cafés are on the street along the beach. In this quieter spot, there are more warungs serving standard food. The menu includes chia pudding, granola, bagels with fillings, avocado toast, and local nasi goreng. That’s why ‘warung’ is in the name.
Cookies Coffee Shop and Warung
The Deck
This restaurant is on the waterfront overlooking Jungut Batu Bay. You can drop in any time of day. In the morning, you can order an Australian-style breakfast; for lunch, tacos, burgers or salads. It’s one of the best sunset restaurants on the island not only because of the food and location, but also thanks to regular live music.
Thai Pantry
A retro-style food truck serving the best, most authentic Thai food. Green curry, pad thai, wok-fried vegetables and all the other Thai staples—everything is cooked just like in Thailand.
Come early to enjoy the sunset.
Pondok Baruna Warung
A bit more expensive than a local warung, but the food is tasty and worth it. The crowd favourite is fried fish fillet (ikan goreng) in a rich tomato sauce.
Mama Mia Bar and Grill / TAWE Warung
These two places are next to each other, and both face the ocean. Both have great seating for watching the stunning sunset on the west side of the island.
Dhipa Warung
Hai Ri Zen
B’fresh Juice Bar
A good place for breakfast. Prices are reasonable, and they have everything: from smoothies to tasty banana pancakes and light lunches.
Activities and sights
Most activities on the island are water-based: swimming, cliff jumping, snorkelling, diving and surfing.
There are no nightclubs here, but some cafés and restaurants may host small live music evenings.
If you want a more active weekend, MybaliTrips.com organises a two-day tour to the islands of Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. The packed programme includes snorkelling with manta rays, the main photo spots, excursions, and an overnight stay in a bungalow.
Walking
Nusa Lembongan is a great place for walks: coastal paths connect almost all guesthouses, hotels and restaurants. Most walks take less than two hours.
You can walk to Nusa Ceningan across the Yellow Bridge suspension bridge.
In the hottest part of the day, walking isn’t as comfortable, so it’s best to plan walks for the morning or evening.
Bali Hai Cruises Pontoon
There’s a decent pontoon with water activities: snorkelling, water rides, viewing corals from a semi-submarine, parasailing, and water slides. It’s a 5–7 minute boat ride from the island. You can buy a ticket at any tourist kiosk.
Devil’s Tear
A rocky bay where the ocean waves crash in a spectacular way.
Be careful when taking photos here. Sometimes tourists, chasing impressive shots, get too close to the cliff edge, thinking every next wave will be the same size.
But the waves are unpredictable and sometimes break over tourists, knocking them off their feet, scraping them on sharp rocks, and soaking photo and video equipment.
Entry costs 40k per person. With the ticket, you can enter an unlimited number of times—so it’s a one-off payment. It’s best to come during high tide and a good swell; otherwise, instead of a natural fountain you may just see a calm, quiet bay.
Mangrove forest
It’s located in the north-east of the island. Mangrove forests not only attract tourists, but also protect the coastline from erosion and natural disasters.
To get into the mangrove forest, you need to hire a kayak and paddle through narrow channels. Prices are usually negotiable. Kayak hire can cost from 100,000 to 150,000 rupiah.
You can also hire a boat for 200k, with a guide who will accompany you and do the rowing.
The ride to the end of the route takes about 10–15 minutes. It’s a very atmospheric place. Sunbeams break through the leaves, and patches of sunlight dance across the surfaces. From time to time, the forest is filled with birdsong.
If you go kayaking, choose high tide. Otherwise, the channels will be very shallow.
The route starting point is marked here.
Gala-Gala Cave
This is an underground home dug out by a hermit. The space is about 500 square metres. There’s nothing particularly special inside. People prone to claustrophobia may find it psychologically difficult.
Yellow Bridge
This famous suspension bridge connects two islands: Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. It’s a great place to take amazing photos if you catch it when it’s not busy and not during low tide.
Rai Art Space gallery
The gallery’s founder and artist is Rai. He creates beautiful paintings about island life and more. You can stop by to look around and choose something to buy.
Surfing
There are three main breaks on Lembongan; two are in the upper half of the west coast. Another, less well known, is to the south-west of Nusa Ceningan.
They suit intermediate surfers and experienced riders, as they all break over coral reefs.
You can surf here year-round, but the best waves come from April to September/October.
Diving
Between Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Penida are the best diving spots in the area, where you can see manta rays, huge mola mola fish, and dolphins!
The boat trip from Nusa Lembongan to Manta Bay takes 20 minutes.
Even though the best dive sites in the area are off Penida, there are plenty of centres on Lembongan that take divers there by boat.
Snorkelling
Good snorkelling on Lembongan is available right from the shore. The two best areas are Mushroom Bay on the west coast and the beach in front of the mangroves at the northern tip of the island.
You can hire gear at your hotel or on the beach. Depending on the quality, it will cost 75,000–100,000 rupiah to hire a mask, snorkel and fins.
If you want to go snorkelling in Penida to see manta rays, a dive centre can sell you a snorkelling spot on a dive boat.
Also, local boatmen can take you by boat to various snorkelling spots.
Lembongan Snorkelling Trips
From this location, you can hire a boat and snorkel further away from the beach.
Boat hire costs 150k per person, but if you bargain, you can get it for 100k (there were four of us adults).
