Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan - Indonesia

Nusa Lembongan 

After around half an hour or so for more passengers, we took the speedboat from Nusa Penida to Nusa Lembongan for 50,000 Rupiah each.  Upon arrival our driver Deko, recommended to us by Jason at Blue Corner Dive, was waiting as promised to pick us up and take us to our humble residence at Coconut Village Guest House, where just 4 detached basic villas are looked after by a lovely local family.  One reason we stayed here, was that it had good reviews and was close to the more upmarket D'Nusa resort where our good friends Ryan and Ice would soon have their wedding ceremony.  

Smiles all around on Nusa Lembongan

There were some great restaurants nearby however, with Tropical Burger and Grill plus many other options in walking distance.  The hotel is also in close proximity to the mangroves and the nice coastal bars on the north and north west of Lembongan island.  

Delightful burger at Tropical Burger & Grill

Stag night out on Nusa Lembongan

We had a free day before the wedding so we asked our driver Deko if he could provide something of a tour so he took us to a few nice spots:

Mangroves:

The mangroves were well worth a visit, and cost 50,000 Rupiah per person to go around via a punted boat for approximately 30 minutes.  Saw some nice birds and worth it for the tranquility.

Mangroves at the north of Nusa Lembongan

Mangroves at the north of Nusa Lembongan

Mushroom Bay:
Not much to it, lots of boats coming in and out in an otherwise quite nice bay area with restaurants and bars - there are better spots

Mushroom Bay Nusa Lembongan

Devil's Tear:
Definitely worth a visit.  It's a beautiful spot with nature showing off it's power with waves crashing against the jagged coastline and spewing the resulting spray up into the air and occasionally over bystanders who get too close! Be careful, the waves here are unpredictable and a few of us got soaked whilst taking a picture but I could imagine how it could be worse...

Deko charged us 500,000 Rupiah (around $35 USD) for up to 10 people to join so we split this between us making it super cheap and cutting out any driving.  If you need a driver on Lembongan, why not give Deko a call or WhatsApp? +6281239377391

Chilling with Deko at Devil's Tear

Wedding at D'Nusa
The wedding at D'Nusa was a lovely occasion and the weather held out.  The food was also very good and I'll let the photos below do the talking!

Wedding at D'Nusa Resort Nusa Lembongan

Wedding at D'Nusa Resort Nusa Lembongan

Wedding at D'Nusa Resort Nusa Lembongan

Nusa Ceningan

We then crossed the narrow, Yellow Bridge to get to Ceningan Island to the south east of Lembongan to explore somewhere new for a few days.  We were staying at a delightful little spot with an infinity pool called 'The Bridge Huts' (not slumming it these days!).  It wasn't far from the bridge.

The Bridge Huts Nusa Ceningan

The Bridge Huts Nusa Ceningan

We rented bikes for a couple of days and with friends explored some of the sights, as well as the bars and restaurants, on the island.

One of the first places we stopped to soak up the sights was Mahana Point, popular with surfers and thrill seekers looking to do the jump from the restaurant into the ocean. You could easily sit out here on a nice day and watch the surfers bobbing like corks and catching waves with a nice mango smoothie. 

Mahana Point Nusa Ceningan

After a brief pit stop we decided that we wanted to keep going and took the inland road towards Ceningan Cliffs, another nice cliffside cafe-restaurant with amazing views, this time looking over Nusa Penida.

Ceningan Cliffs with view of Penida

We spent the rest of our time on Ceningan living the holiday life.  One of our favourite spots was Seabreeze Ceningan where I was able to take this dramatic sunset shot.  This is a great spot for such an occasion and a good place to meet people and soak up the views from their own infinity pool.

Sunset at Seabreeze Ceningan on Nusa Ceningan

Another very honourable mention goes to Mangrove Restaurant, which is also home to Ceningan Divers.  We were upset that the weather had meant we weren't able to dive with the mantas on this occasion but we were extremely grateful for having had the opportunity to dive with the Mola Mola (sunfish) from Nusa Pendia already on this trip.

Mezze Platter at Mangrove Restaurant 

We had loved every spot we had visited, but for convenience we would likely recommend giving Nusa Lembongan a miss if you're on a strict time table.  We had a little more time and had the benefit of exploring the island a little more and there are definitely some spots worth visiting, but the convenience and accessibility of Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan made for a great chance to explore via moped and not feel like you spent too long on the bikes.  We can't wait to head back to explore more of Indonesia but for a 2 week holiday, Nusa Penida, Lembongan and Ceningan make for the perfect getaway.