Islands to visit around Bali

Nusa Penida & Nusa Lembongan

These two islands are located in the South-East of Bali, and are much less busy. Indeed, for Balinese, those islands have the reputation for hosting demons. That’s why this place is less crowded than Bali. But also it is because tourists generally never heard about Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan, while Bali and The Gili Islands are more famous.

Nusa Lembongan: In comparison with Bali, this little island has beaches with shining white sand, but some of them are not for swimming. It is better to practice diving or snorkeling to have an intermediate level of it to enjoy the beauty of life under the sea. Being quiet, this small island is a little piece of paradise.

Nusa Penida: It is bigger than Nusa Lembongan but wilder. Most of the time, visitors come to admire the huge hills, the seaweed fields and the beautiful beaches at the South coast. It is an amazing place to dive, thus making Nusa Penida ranked as one of the best spots for diving.

How to get there? The easiest way is to go to Sanur beach and use the speed boat. The cost can be expensive for foreigners, you should bargain to have an affordable price.

The Gili Islands
The Gilis are composed of three islands: Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air.
Those islands are really famous and a lot of tourists go there mostly to have a party in the middle of a beautiful background, especially in Gili Trawangan. This island has the reputation to host epic parties and full moon parties. But this island is not only about parties.
Gili Trawangan is the most popular and the most developed area to invest. There are more and more businesses popping up like spas, a lot of coffee shops, bars and even cooking lessons!
Gili Meno has the best beaches amongst the other Gili Islands, where it is a little paradise with the least population and underdeveloped in comparison with the two other islands. It is the most untouched Gili island, thus it has the finest beaches and best snorkeling waters.
Finally, Gili Air is also developed like Gili Trawangan but is more authentic. Gili Air has the largest population among other Gili Islands, where they welcome the tourists without losing their own identity and culture. It is a rewarding island where you can find plenty of businesses while discovering a population.

How to get there? There are shuttle boats which drive you in the morning at 9 a.m and in the afternoon at 4 p.m. Usually, the price is around 30.000 IDR.

Lombok
Located to the East of Bali, Lombok is often called the “unspoiled Bali”. With amazing waterfalls, beautiful beaches, the volcano of Mount Rinjani and a low rate of tourists, Lombok is a paradisiacal tropical island. The natural landscape and the traditional culture remain unchanged for hundreds of years. Local families run a lot of businesses on the island where you can find a huge variety of merchandise, food, toys, hardware, etc. You can get to Lombok by boat or by airplane. By airplane, you will take off from the Domestic Airport of Ngurah Rai (Denpasar) and land at Lombok International Airport. It takes 30 minutes of flight and costs around IDR 350K. By boat, you can take the public ferries from Padang Bai Harbour (Bali) to Lembar Harbour (Lombok) and the price is around 40k Rupiah.

Moyo Island
Located a few kilometers from the North coast of Sumbawa, Moyo Island owns a beautiful natural reserve with some deers and a great variety of birds. There are beautiful beaches of white sand, where you can observe amazing coral reefs by diving or snorkeling. There aren't a lot of habitants in the island, with around 21 villages concentrated in the North. You can also admire a breathtaking view from Mount Tambora, the highest mountain of Sumbawa.

You can also visit the Moyo Island, A National Park of Indonesia.

How to get there? You need to go first to Lombok, by plane or boat. Then from Lombok International Airport to Sumbawa (30 minutes) and the departure of the boat to Moyo Island leaves from the fishing hamlet of Ai Bari, which is 45 minutes drive. It cost between IDR 800.000 and IDR 3 million Rupiah to take the boat to Moyo Island. More expensive in comparison with the other islands, but it worths it.