Tips to visit this gem and have the most amazing experience
You’ve probably seen the Insta-famous photographs of the Kelingking Beach. And in our opinion, it definitely deserves all the fame. Not only is it famous, the 200-meter vertical drop overlooking incredible cliff and the beach is just mind-blowing.
Kelingking Beach is relatively new, only “discovered” in 2003 by a few tourist divers who reached the beach by boat. Today, Kelingking Beach is probably the most Instagrammed spot in Nusa Penida… and I’m sure you can see why from this photo. It has a staggering 642k posts on Instagram.
A little trivia – Kelingking means “pinkie” in Indonesian, as in your little finger! We’re not sure why it’s called that, because it looks more like a T-Rex to most people.
That secluded Azure Beach at the bottom? You can descend to it provided you ignore the warning sign at the start of the path, which tells you not to go to the beach. The path is very broken and nobody will be held liable in case of an accident. So yes, you can go down to the beach, but the path is narrow, half-broken, and very steep on some parts (climbing style steep).
Get a local SIM card. While getting around we relied heavily on Google Maps for directions. We recommend Airalo eSIM, so you’ll have data transfer as soon as you land.
Note! Your mobile phone has to be eSIM compatible to use this option.
How to get to Kelingking Beach
- One of the best ways to visit many of the best Nusa Penida’s epic sites in one day is on this Ultimate Nusa Penida Day Trip Tour from Bali – they pick you up in the morning from your accommodation in Bali, take you across to Nusa Penida Island by speedboat, and then bring you back to Bali in the evening after an incredible day of adventures. Remember to tell them which spots are on your Nusa Penida Bucket List and they will make it happen!
- You can also rent a scooter and drive around the island yourself.
Price for rental: Rp 70k – 100k (US$5) a day.
NOTE! The roads on Nusa Penida are, mildly said, in bad state. Lots of holes, ignorant van drivers, gravel parts… We’d avoid this option if you’re not experienced scooter driver. - The option we once did (and would highly recommend it) is you can rent a car on Nusa Penida with private driver – great option to visit multiple spots safely in a day with a group of friends.
More information about Nusa Penida Island.
Tips:
- Arrive as early as you possibly can.
- Day tours to Nusa Penida start at 9am, so make sure to arrive to Kelingking before this time – it gets crowded after.
- The beach is in a shadow of a cliff in the morning. Depending on the scene you wish to observe it might be better to arrive after 3pm, when the entire area is bathing in sunlight.
- Start to follow the stairs leading down for about 5 minutes – you’ll encounter less and less people!
- Or walk all the way to the right from the viewpoint to have a spot all to yourself.
- Take the pictures before you descend to the beach – you’ll look way less photogenic after.
General information about Kelingking Beach:
- Rp 5,000 parking fee per vehicle
- No entrance fee (for now! In August 2024 the construction was going on for something new, so they might close the access by 2025) – check the NOTE below!
- The first part are stairs, well maintained. Second part while going down to the beach is more difficult. Might be slippery due to dust on the rocky path. Rocks, steep, narrow. It gets blocked easily if more people pass by.
- From Toya Pakeh harbour it takes around 40 minutes by scooter to get to the viewpoint above the beach thanks to the partially broken road.
- MONKEYS. The famous viewpoint over Kelingking Beach in on the main stairs. Almost every morning wild monkeys come running around. They’re not harmful to visitors if you leave them alone. Don’t touch them, don’t pet them, don’t try to hold the baby monkeys. They’re not aggressive, but IF they bite it’s rabies and serious infection straight away.
NOTE: We mentioned there is currently no entrance fee (August 2024). At the time of our latest visit the construction was undergoing – check this Instagram reel and see what they’re building =(
So the best time to visit Nusa Penida’s famous T-Rex Kelingking Beach is NOW!
We visited Kelingking Beach in the early morning and it was the best experience of our entire Nusa Penida trip. We were alone on the famous viewpoint stairs, almost alone hiking downstairs to the beach and there were perhaps 4 other people on the beach. So we’d definitely recommend to visit Kelingking Beach early.
Wander Responder tip: If you’re renting a scooter depart from the accommodation as soon as it dawns. We arrived at 6.45am and only left the beach at 9am. By the time we got back up to the starting point it was already way more crowded.
NOTE: Check the tide times! High tide goes really high (on the date of our visit that was 11am and during high tide there is no more beach visible, it’s all underwater), low tide makes beach beautifully visible. Swimming is possible during low tide if you’re a confident swimmer. Pay caution at all times due to some currents. Waves can be pretty rough, even if you’re a strong and confident swimmer.
Officially, swimming at the beach is prohibited after somebody drowned in February 2023. A lot of people still do it to this day at their own risk.
A lot of people attempt to descend, but most stop at the halfway point – where the stairs turn into rocky path. There are thin railings made of tree branches to hold on to, and as you get lower, the path gets steeper and steeper with more sharp rocks.
Personally, I went barefoot, because flip-flops were just dangerous to wear (but I’m used to walking barefoot, so my feet aren’t sensitive!). It would be way more comfortable wearing snickers or at least closed shoes. It turns out that as you get lower, not only the path gets more and more steep and sharp, but it also gets more broken.
The descend takes around 30 minutes (less if you’re sure-footed and there aren’t many other people stopping you, more if you take extra caution!). The beach is secluded, there is no other access to it other than the mentioned path and access from the sea. Occasionally, the water currents will bring some debris from other parts of the island, but that’s rare.
There’s a small drink stall at the beach which opens around 9.30am, when the man running it brings the fresh and cold drinks down to the bottom. Enjoy your time here, swim if you wish!
NOTE: Just in case, I’d ask the locals (at the parking lot for example) before descending to the beach about the jellyfish status. Occasionally (rarely, but it happens!) many jellyfish appear in the small bay and remain there for a few days. You wouldn’t want to get stung and had to ascend all the way back up as well. It’s a simple safety precaution.
Most people find the descend hard, yet alone the ascend after. People hike it in the middle of the day in the hottest time with sun battering them directly. You’ll see individuals too scared to move, entirely out of breath, dehydrated, passed out etc. However, if you’re in a fairly good condition and have hiked before, you’ll definitely make it! Hence the tip to get there early, before the sun gets too strong.
NOTE: Do not attempt the descend in rain.
We would also advise against staying at the beach until sunset – ascend would be extra dangerous in low visibility. If visiting with your own vehicle it might be dangerous to drive back to the main road from Kelingking Beach in the dark.
Would we recommend visiting Kelingking Beach? Absolutely yes!
Would we recommend descending to the beach? Another absolute yes. In our opinion it was worth every extra breath needed. If you check Google for reviews you’ll read many comments about the dangerous path. Come prepared (bring water as well) and you’ll make it!
BEST NUSA PENIDA DAY TOURS FROM BALI
If you are staying in Bali… you can join a group and take a day trip on a speedboat to explore the highlights of Nusa Penida. Trips usually take whole day, but everything is organised. So you can literally wake up in Bali, they pick you up in your accommodation, you grab a speedboat to Nusa Penida, you can snorkel with Manta Rays and visit lots of the amazing beaches and viewpoints … in just one day.
Manta Ray Snorkelling Tour on Nusa Penida (from Bali): Snorkelling with Manta Rays is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and one of the best wildlife encounters we’ve had in our lives. The Manta Rays are majestic and friendly animals with a wingspan of 5m. The gentle giants cruise around you while you snorkel amongst them.
This tour includes pick-up and drop-off from your accommodation in Bali and all transports and tickets are included.
Nusa Penida Highlights Tour (from Bali): This tour is the most highly reviewed Nusa Penida tour there is. You’ll visit all the best spots, like Angel’s Billabong, Kelingking (T-Rex) Beach, Broken Beach, Rumah Pohon Treehouse & Thousand Island Viewpoint. Also included is snorkeling at Crystal Bay! It’s a total win and we highly recommend it.
MORE NUSA ISLANDS BLOG POSTS
There are loads of adventurous things to do on Nusa Penida, but we also wrote detailed guides for all of the epic things you can do on Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. You can explore more of our guides by clicking one of the links below.
