Backpacker’s Ultimate Travel Guide to Indonesia: Exploring Lovina to Nusa Penida

After spending 100k to watch dolphins in Lovina, I took a car from Lovina to Denpasar at noon. Upon arrival, I took a motorcycle taxi to Sanur Harbour and then a boat to Nusa Penida.

1️⃣ Minibus

From Lovina, take a motorcycle taxi 🏍️ to the bus station 🚌 (Terminal Sukasuda). The bus departs about once an hour, and it leaves when there are seven people. The journey takes about two to three hours. If you’re in a hurry, it’s recommended to find someone in Lovina to share a car to Denpasar, as this bus ride is quite long [crying emoji][crying emoji].

I got on the minibus alone at 1 PM in Lovina and arrived in Ubud at 2 PM. The driver said we had to wait for half an hour in Ubud. I had booked a boat ticket for 3:30 PM, and I was running out of time. I had to negotiate with the driver to leave earlier. The driver raised the price to 100k (it should be 50k if there are enough people).

After arguing for over ten minutes, I had to agree temporarily because I was in a rush [disappointed emoji][disappointed emoji]. Later, the bus picked up some local passengers along the way. When we arrived, the local passengers only paid 50k, so I continued to argue with the driver. In the end, I paid 75k (about 35 RMB).

Since the bus only goes to Denpasar Station 🚉 (Teriminal Ubung), I still needed to take a motorcycle taxi 🏍️. There are people at the station who will solicit customers, and they usually charge more than Gojek. They wouldn’t go for less than 20k [disappointed emoji][disappointed emoji] (Gojek only charges 10k).

2️⃣ Boat

A. Booking through Klook
On Klook, a ticket from Sanur Harbour ➡️ Banjar Nyuh Harbour costs 66 RMB.
From Banjar Nyuh Harbour ➡️ Sanur Harbour costs 77 RMB.
If departing from Sanur, you need to find Axe Stone Fast Cruise to collect the ticket.
If departing from Nusa Penida, you need to find Kantor UPP Kelas II Nusa Penida to collect the ticket.

B. Booking through idolaexpress
This method was told to me by a Chinese sister from Malaysia. This website allows you to book boats departing from two different harbors on Nusa Penida, which are quite far apart. You can choose according to your situation. Since I didn’t collect the ticket, you can contact customer service via WhatsApp to ask for the ticket collection address [laughing and crying emoji][laughing and crying emoji].

At Banjar Nyuh Harbour, walk to the left to rent a motorcycle. You can try to bargain down to 150k for two days. I paid 160k for two days without any deposit.