Crystal Bay Beach
Crystal Bay is one of the more famous beaches on Nusa Penida and is a great location for snorkelling, swimming and watching the sunset.
We visited the beach twice during our stay on the island.
The first time we came to Crystal Bay was for sunset. It was our first day on Nusa Penida and it was so cool! There were groups of friends and couples just relaxing and watching the sun go down with a Bintang in hand.
Since Crystal Bay is one of the only west-facing beaches on Nusa Penida, it is one of the most famous sunset spots; but don’t worry, it really wasn’t too crowded.
It was not the best time to swim since the tide had gone out, but we could walk about and gaze into the tiny tide pools left behind (which was great for snapping some pictures) while admiring the Hindu temple on top of the hill. It was just a really relaxed setting.
The second time we visited was during the day. We were heading over to Crystal Bay’s “Secret Beach” and at this time of the day the water was lovely, turquoise and full. It was filled with boats of budding snorkellers and with bodies eager to catch that summer glow.
What Can You Do At Crystal Bay?
Crystal Bay is famous for its diving, it’s snorkelling and, like mentioned, this is the place to come for sunset as it is one of the only west-facing beaches on Nusa Penida. It is also one of the closest to the accommodation options on the island so it’s not a tough journey.
This makes it quite ideal as a sunset spot as you will be able to navigate the roads home fairly easily in the dark. Crystal bay is right on the main, tarred ring road that circumnavigates the island. If, for example, you chose to visit Banah Cliff sunset spot, you’d first have to drive along some really hectic roads before you make it to the easy-going ones.
Back to the sunset. It was gorgeous, we played around and admired Pulau Batumejinong, the small island out in the ocean – If you look close enough at it you will notice a small Hindu temple on top of the island, with stairs to the top on its south side.
You can grab a beer, coconut or meal from vendors and just relax on your choice of sand, beach chairs or bean bags.
Snorkelling can be done free-of-charge if you have your own gear and you’ll find many others doing a similar thing. Alternatively, you could look for a company to take you on a day trip, where Crystal Bay is likely to be one of the stops.
With regards to diving, we’d suggest only attempting that with authorised companies and tour guides.
The Famous Palm Tree Road
Another thing that Crystal Bay has going for it are the rows of palm trees along the road, a must-stop photo-op spot. You might even spot the family of cute little pigs or cows grazing just off to the side.
Take A Hike To Crystal Bay’s Secret Beach – Pandan Beach
Crystal Bay is not the only beachfront option here. There are actually three beaches next to each other, they are just separated by some land.
Once you find yourself staring directly at Crystal Bay beach, turn left and walk as far as you can go until you reach some stairs that disappear up the mountain, that’s your path. They are a little broken and battered near the beginning but just take a big step and 15 minutes later you should be nearing Pandan Beach.
Jump to our video guide if you’d like a more detailed explanation.
How Much Does Crystal Bay Cost?
Parking: We paid 2K (IDR) to park our bike, but there was no other cost involved.
Hire a Bean Bag Chair: 25K each (We actually hired one on Pandan Beach and these prices are likely to fluctuate with the seasons)
The Best Time To Visit Crystal Bay?
This really depends on what you are looking for.
Snorkelling & Swimming: During the day, at high tide, you are able to swim and snorkel in beautiful turquoise blue waters. Do watch out as there are many snorkelling tour boats all around this area during the day.
Sunset: In the evening when the tide goes out and the magical sunsets begin.
Where To Park?
When you get closer to Crystal Bay some Nusa Penida locals will pull you over, ask for a small parking fee and lead you where to park. There are normally a lot of bikes and cars parked everywhere so you can kind of just follow suit.
X Marks The Spot
Need Some Extra Nusa Penida Help?
First read this ➳ Complete Nusa Penida Guide.
After falling in love with Nusa Penida, we ended up staying there for an entire week. We cannot imagine having spent a single day less. Please, please, please stay if you can! Just read the article above and you’ll see that there’s too much that you absolutely have to do, you can’t cut your trip short.
Of course, there’s also…
The Video Guide Of Nusa Penida
Our Nusa Penida Video guide talks about every attraction, how much they cost, how to get there, when to go, which order to do them in… Everything!
P.S. If you like it, please consider subscribing.
How Do I Get There?
If you are visiting from Bali, you can take a day trip to Nusa Penida.
You can also go by yourself and spend a little longer on the island, which we highly recommend! We ended up staying for a week!
In order to get there, you will have to travel from Sanur harbour in Bali by speedboat or ferry to Nusa Penida. We were told our 30-minute speedboat trip would take 45, but it was a lot quicker than that. We used a company called “Crown Fast Cruises“.
➳ Book here: Sanur to Nusa Penida
➳ Search: Your Own Transport Around Southeast Asia
How Do I Get Around On Nusa Penida?
Once on the island, you will have to rent a bike or scooter. It cost us IDR 390k for the week which was a little better of a deal compared to the standard IDR 70k a day. The island is just too big to walk. Also, since the island isn’t as built up yet, they only have one well-maintained main route that connects all of the attractions, which means that you will have to travel about 45 minutes between each attraction.
➳ Read More: Nusa Penida roads and renting a scooter
WARNING: The roads to all the attractions are very bumpy and are not regularly maintained. Be very careful when driving! Byron and I drove a bike in Thailand for 2 years and there were still times on the island where we almost slid out and we watched many young couples fall! Be careful! …but also, it’s not impossible…
It’s worth mentioning that we absolutely loved driving here, gladly cruising for 3 or more hours a day because of the spectacular scenery, quiet roads, authentic local lifestyle and fresh air. Our favourite spot to unleash the motorcycle yet.
Where To Stay On Nusa Penida?
There are many accommodation options on Nusa Penida. It all really depends on what you are looking for and what your price range is.
We also recommend using Airbnb since they have a lot more budget-friendly options.
We are looking for:
Budget-Friendly ➩ Arie Guesthouse (We stayed here)
Unique ➩ Penida Bambu Green
Luxury ➩ Kompyang Cottage
➳ When you first sign up to Airbnb and book using our code you can score up to R600 off of your first booking and R225 towards an experience!
Do you plan to visit Crystal Bay? What are you excited about on Nusa Penida? Have you been already? Chat with us below!
Try and smash out these other attractions on the same day:
Pandan Beach
Angel’s Billabong & Broken Beach
Bulian Beach
❀ PIN FOR LATER ❀
