We provide daily dive trips and dive courses around the island of Nusa Penida, Indonesia
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Scuba Junkie Penida is situated on Nusa Penida, an island off of mainland Bali. Bali airport, Denpasar Ngurah Rai International (DPS) is pretty easy to get to with many domestic and international flights, so this post is going to focus on how to reach us once you're already in Bali to help you plan your Nusa Penida trip.
You might be staying with us just for your diving holiday and flying in right before coming to us and then flying out after leaving us.
Maybe you're staying and diving with us as part of a longer trip in and around Bali, adding in some of the island's many cultural sites, activities and cool places to hang out.
Or perhaps you're planning on a more independent trip on Nusa Penida and will be joining us for a day of diving, snorkeling or a dive course.
We're thrilled to have you visit us, and the aim of this post is to make it as easy as possible for you, whichever option you're doing.
There are boats from mainland Bali over to Nusa Penida from several points: Sanur; Kusamba and Padang Bai.
If you're coming to Bali and Nusa Penida just for diving with us then your best bet is to land at the airport and head to Sanur to get a fast boat over to Banjar Nyuh, our nearest harbour on Nusa Penida. You'll need to know what sort of flight times to look for:
Domestic arrivals – If you're coming from another airport within Indonesia (maybe from Scuba Junkie Komodo or Scuba Junkie Sangalaki) then you would need a flight landing in Denpasar no later than 3pm.
International arrivals – If you're flying in from further afield then you would need a flight landing at Denpasar no later than 2pm – This is to account for extra time at immigration and customs.
From Denpasar airport it takes 30-40 minutes to reach Sanur, which is where the fast boats depart from.
Here's a list of the fast boat companies and their departure times. The ones listed here arrive into our nearest harbour on Nusa Penida (Banjar Nyuh) – You'll need to arrive at Sanur beach 30 minutes before the boats scheduled departure time.
Heads Up: There is no jetty or walkway to get on to the boat for departures from Sanur. Getting on the boat in requires a short walk through the water. Wearing shorts is the best bet as you have to wade up to knee / thigh height to get on the boat. There will be a basket for your shoes which they will tip out once you reach Penida.
Make sure any valuables or electronics are in waterproof bags or are above the waterline when you get on the boat. The fast boat staff will load your luggage bags for you.
When the boats reach Penida there is a floating jetty or walkway to get on to the beach.
If you can't make it happen that your flight lands in time for a direct transfer, no worries! We recommend staying in Sanur for your first night, this way you are close to the boat departure point for the next day. Then you can choose your transfer time from the list above. Check in time at the resort is after lunch, but if you'd prefer to take an earlier boat to Nusa Penida and then have a day to explore the island, you are welcome to leave your luggage at reception – Check out the different fun places to visit on Nusa Penida!
Contact us to see if it would be possible to start diving on your arrival day, we'll need to check the tides.
TOP TIP: If you don't want to do battle with the haggling taxi drivers at the airport then we can help to book you a private car transfer from the airport to the harbour or to your hotel.
For getting back to the airport after your stay with us you'll need to book a flight at the following times to allow for the recommended 18 hours no fly time after diving:
Domestic departures – You can book a flight at 10:30am or later.
International departures – You can book a flight at 11:30am or later.
Allow for 30-40 minutes boat transfer time plus 30-40 minutes taxi transfer time to the airport.
If you'll already be in Bali for some time before your stay with us begins, then there are a few more options for getting to us from elsewhere in Bali…
Your nearest boat departure point is going to be Sanur beach. Allow extra travel time to reach Sanur though as Bali roads can be heavy on the traffic! Allow at least an hour to reach Sanur (90 minutes from Canggu).
Ubud is only 25 km from both Sanur and Kusamba, and you'll need to allow for at least an hour travel time, whichever beach you plan to depart from.
The boats departing Sanur arrive in to Br Nyuh on Nusa Penida, which is our closest harbour. This means that once you arrive on the island, you're very close to the resort and dive centre!
Departing from Kusamba you will be able to stay completely dry while getting on the boat as there's a walkway and floating pontoon, and there are currently more frequent boat departures from this harbour. Boats from Kusamba arrive into a different harbour (Sampalan or Buyuk), which is 7km (Approx. 15 minutes) from the resort.
From any of the above places then your best bet is to depart from Padang Bai or Kusamba (Kusamba is 8km from Padang Bai).
If you're coming over from Lombok or the Gili's then you will likely arrive into Padang Bai harbour too.
There are fast boat departures from Padang Bai to Sampalan or Buyuk on Nusa Penida, plus the car ferry from Padang Bai to Sampalan!
From Amed and Tulamben allow for 90 minutes to reach Padang Bai or Kusamba.
The car ferry is called the "Ro-Ro" (roll on – roll off) and departs from the main ferry jetty in Padang Bai – depending on the time of year there can be one or two departures each day. Passenger tickets are only Rp 31,000, so this is the cheapest way to travel to Nusa Penida, but make sure that you have a flexible schedule as the ferry times are not set in stone, and it doesn't necessarily depart at the advertised time! It is a lovely, scenic way to reach the island however. Once you arrive in Sampalan you are 7km (Approx. 15 minutes) from our resort and there are plenty of people offering rides or scooter rentals.
If you're coming over from one of our sister islands then you can take a local transfer boat from the yellow bridge between Lembongan and Ceningan. The boats depart throughout the day from the Lembongan side of the bridge, and tickets are Rp 60,000 per person. Boats depart when they are full, so expect to wait a little while for a boat departure.
The boats arrive at Toyapakeh beach which is a 5-10 minute walk from the resort or a short car or scooter ride.
If your questions about planning your Nusa Penida trip haven't been answered in this post then you can also check out Getting Here and Know Before You Go, and don't hesitate to send us an email for further information.
Look out for future blog posts about getting to us from other Scuba Junkie locations!
