Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan are two small islands off the east coast of Bali in Indonesia.
They offer a respite from the overcrowding in the south of Bali, and at the time of writing don’t have the traffic issues of south Bali.
They are connected to each other by a long bridge only wide enough for scooters and bicycles to cross.
Lembongan is reached by taking a boat from the town of Sanur on the main Bali island. There are a number of ferries, so you can choose the one that arrives on the part of Lembongan you want to start from. Costs may differ and locals get a much cheaper rate, so if you know a local you may be able to get cheaper tickets.
The best way to explore them is by scooter and these can be hired for a reasonable cost per day on Lembongan. You can also travel by taxi or trucks but these won’t be able to cross the bridge so you would need to transfer across.
Lembongan is mainly populated in the south west and in a strip up the west coast. The main street runs up the west coast a little inland. There are many hotels, shops and restaurants along this road.
Ceningan is more sparsely populated but has some good stop off points along its coast.
The islands do have beaches, but they are more popular for surfing and diving, and Lombok’s beaches probably are better if beaches are what you want.
But if you are wanting an escape from Bali they are certainly much more relaxed. Some of the best spots are down rough tracks, so your scootering skills may be tested. You can do loops of both islands and go down tracks to the spot you want to reach. A couple of days would probably be enough to get a good idea of both islands.
From Nusa Ceningan you can see Nusa Penida across a channel between them. There was a boat between them that took 15 minutes. It’s only a short distance. Check if it is still running.
When we were there the ATM was out of service on the main road. There are a couple on other parts of the island but probably best to bring enough currency for your time on the islands.
Image : from Ceningan to Penida