Located across the Badung Strait from Bali’s southeast coast, the tranquil island of Nusa Lembongan truly feels a world away from the bustling traffic and crowds of Bali’s beach areas. Read on to learn more about planning a day trip to Nusa Lembongan with kids, for a fun family adventure exploring the island’s stunning coastline and picturesque beaches.
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Day Trip to Nusa Lembongan with Kids
Nusa Lembongan is only a 30 minute speedback transfer from Sanur, a town on Bali’s east coast. The picturesque, laidback island of Nusa Lembongan is an ideal destination for a day trip from Bali with kids.
Fast Boat Ride from Bali to Nusa Lembongan
There are several options for 30-minute fast boat rides to Nusa Lembongan from Sanur. We booked tickets for a 10am departure with Rocky Fast Cruises, which I would highly recommend especially for families.
I found Rocky Fast Cruises very helpful, professional and accommodating. Check-in is at the Rocky Fast Cruise office in Sanur and afterwards you are brought to the beach where the boat is anchored.
Related: Fun Activities in Bali for Toddlers
You can now save time and money by booking online in advance on the Rocky Fast Cruise website. There is no dock so you put your shoes in the large buckets and wade in the water a few feet from the shore to get onto the boat. The staff were very helpful giving an extra hand to parents carrying kids on and off the boat.
The boat is enclosed with windows and bench style seating and the life jackets (young children’s sizes included) are kept under the seats if required. At only half an hour, the ride goes by very quickly and soon enough, we were watching as the boat pulled into the gorgeous turquoise waters of Jungut Batu bay.
Rocky Fast Cruise depart from Sanur Harbour and Lembongan four times a day. Departure times from Sanur are currently 10am, 12pm, 2pm and 5pm. Return times from Nusa Lembongan to Sanur are 9am, 11am, 1pm and 4pm.
Read latest Rocky Fast Day Cruise reviews on Tripadvisor
One way fast boat ticket fares start from 275,000 IDR (approx US $17) for adult and 175,000 IDR (approx $10.50) for child (ages 3 to 12). Return ticket fares start from 400,000 IDR (approx $24) for adult and 275,000 IDR ($16.50) for child (ages 3 to 12). Ticket fare options that include hotel transfer are also available. Up to date schedule, ticket prices and other details here.
Jungut Batu Beach
The coastline of the village of Jungut Batu on Nusa Lembongan is lined with hotels and restaurants overlooking the stunning, crystal clear water.
Jungut Batu is one of the main arrival and departure points for boats at Nusa Lembongan. We came off the boat to a similar setup as Sanur, stepping into the water a few feet away from shore, retrieving our shoes and making our way to the row of offices along the beach to rent a golf buggy.
There are several shops selling fruit, drinks and snacks along the beach and sidewalk at Jungut Batu.
We stocked up on some bananas, peanuts and water at a small stand before renting a golf buggy to head south to visit some of Nusa Lembongan’s picturesque beaches.
How to Get Around Nusa Lembongan
There are no rental cars or taxis on Nusa Lembongan and the hilly terrain is not ideal for leisure cycling. Most people get around Nusa Lembongan on scooters or, for larger groups, on covered pickup trucks with a tour guide. For the three of us, hiring a golf buggy was the best solution to explore the island on our own.
Visitors can book a 4-seater buggy in advance for a full day hire with prices starting at 800,000 IDR. The offices to pick up the golf buggies are a short walk from where you will disembark from the fast boat at Jungut Batu beach.
There is a steep hill heading out of Jungut Batu, so do keep that in mind and strap your bags down very well if you’re taking a golf cart!
Dream Beach Nusa Lembongan
Dream Beach is one of the most famous beaches on Nusa Lembongan and a popular area for surfing. There are several Dream Beach resorts and nearby restaurants, some perched on the dramatic limestone cliffs, overlooking the beautiful white sandy beach.
There’s a rocky coral floor and the surf is pretty strong at Dream Beach. While not a safe swimming spot with young children, it is a beautiful spot to take in the view, watch the surfers and enjoy playing on the sand and along the shore.
Devil’s Tears
Devil’s Tears is a set of rocky, dramatic cliffs where huge waves crash against the sides, sending water spraying over the edge. The views at Devil’s Tears are stunning and it was amazing to watch the powerful waves crash against the cliffs.
Mushroom Beach
After taking in the island’s dramatic coastline, we headed back in the direction of Jungut Batu to spend the rest of our afternoon at the calmer waters of Mushroom Beach.
We had lunch at Hai’s Beach Bar & Grill which overlooks the beach – perfect for Little T to play while we waited for the food. The food was really good and overall I found the restaurant and resort to be a great place to take a break during our day of exploring.
Read the latest reviews of Hai’s Beach Bar & Grill on Tripadvisor.com
Mushroom Beach is the calmest beach in the area for swimming and snorkelling with young children. There’s an area fit for swimming between one side of the beach with a very rocky floor and the other with boat traffic.
Water shoes are must for swimming at Mushroom Beach to protect your feet from the broken coral pieces and rocky seafloor.
On the other side of Mushroom Beach are these amazing rock formations along the shore.
Fast Boat Cruise from Nusa Lembongan to Bali
After a wonderful day on Nusa Lembongan that went by way too quickly, we headed back to Jungut Batu to return the golf cart and take the 4.30pm fast boat back to Sanur. Little T chose a beautiful wooden turtle at a little souvenir shop next to the boat office which has been a lovely souvenir from our day trip to Nusa Lembongan.
As with the departure from Sanur, everything ran very efficiently with Rocky Fast Cruise and the staff were always helpful with the passengers getting on and and off the boat.
A storm was approaching that evening, so while the ride to Nusa Lembongan was relatively calm, we had rough seas heading back to Sanur. Remember to bring motion sickness tablets or wristbands if you suffer from sea sickness!
A day trip to Nusa Lembongan from Bali is an amazing experience, offering breath-taking scenery from calm, turquoise waters to rocky, dramatic cliffs. There are plenty of outdoor adventures and water activities for the whole family to enjoy around the island, including going out to the famous snorkelling or scuba diving sites and visiting the seaweed farms. I’d highly recommend making the trip out there to visit during a Bali family holiday.
Day Trip to Nusa Lembongan Tips
Bring Cash: The only ATM / cash machine on the island is at Jungut Batu, near the Segara Temple and only a few minutes away from the boat offices. I would, however, recommend arriving on the island with cash – the ATM has been known to run out of money halfway through the day and the queue was over half an hour long.
Another reason to bring cash: the credit card terminals aren’t very reliable and can take an extremely long time to process your debit or credit card after several attempts. To save yourself time, withdraw cash on Bali to bring on your trip to Nusa Lembongan.
Pack Water Shoes: Remember to pack along water shoes or other protective shoes for the beach. Mushroom Beach in particular is rocky and covered with small bits of coral along the shoreline.
Renting a Golf Buggy: You can book a golf buggy in advance for a full day hire with prices starting at 800,000 IDR. Note that you cannot cross the suspension bridge between Nusa Lembongan and the nearby smaller island of Nusa Ceningan with the golf buggy. Only scooters are allowed to cross the suspension bridge.
Bali with Kids Guide
I hope you found this post helpful for planning a day trip to Nusa Lembongan with kids. Read on for more tips and reviews for planning a family holiday in Bali;
Fun Activities in Bali for Toddlers
PIN IT FOR LATER – Bali Day Trip to Nusa Lembongan with Kids
This post was updated on 26 March 2025 with up to date information on planning a Bali day trip to Nusa Lembongan with kids. Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, so if you do click through and make a purchase I may receive a small amount at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!
