Nusa Penida is an archipelago located in Klungkung Regency, Bali. Based on its administration, Nusa Penida is located in one sub-district, namely Nusa Penida District. In Nusa Penida, there is one beach that is quite famous, namely Kelingking Beach Nusa Penida. This place has become a tourist attraction for many people visiting Bali. For those of you who want to visit Bali and are looking for the best tourist spots in Bali, Nusa Penida is one of the must-visit choices. Here is a complete explanation about Kelingking Beach Nusa Penida.
a. First Found
Kelingking Beach Nusa Penida was first discovered around 2003 by foreign tourists from the Czech Republic and Australia. At that time, Bali Beach was still a bush and not much visited as a holiday destination. This Czech tourist discovered Kelingking Beach Nusa Penida while diving.
From the sea, he saw that this place was good for Bali tourism. If you look at the height of the cliff, Kelingking Beach looks short. However, this beach is actually very wide.
This beach is around 80 meters large with the fine white sand. If the sea water is low, you can see manta rays swimming around Kelingking Beach Nusa Penida.
b. Interesting Facts about Kelingking Beach Nusa Penida
As an amazing holiday spot, Kelingking Beach Nusa Penida has a variety of interesting facts. You can learn here.
1. Cliff Shaped like a “Kelingking” in Indonesian or Little Finger and the Neck of a T-Rex
The first interesting fact is the shape of the Kelingking Beach cliff which juts out into the middle of the open sea and is shaped like a little finger. On the western side, there is a beach that is not very wide with reddish white sand (pink when washed by the waves).
Apart from being shaped like a little finger, there are also those who say that Kelingking Beach Nusa Penida is shaped like the neck of an ancient animal, Tyranosaurus (T-Rex). This is because the Paluang cliff, when viewed from above, looks like an ancient animal.
2. Difficult and Dangerous Area
You can enjoy Kelingking Beach Nusa Penida from the top of the cliff and you can also enjoy it towards the beach. However, to get to the beach, it is very difficult to reach from above.
This is because the slope of the cliff is very steep, which is around 70 to 80 degrees. Not only that, there are no good roads and minimal handrails. The distance from the cliff to the beach is 300 meters.
3. There are Manta Rays and Mola-Mola
Tourists who like diving will get a better atmosphere in the Kelingking Beach area of Nusa Penida. This is because the Kelingking Beach area of Nusa Penida is inhabited by many beach rays and sunfish.
For sunfish themselves, generally they will come when the weather starts to get cold, namely from July to September. However, if you are lucky, on normal days, these fish also often appear. This is also one of the attractions here.
Moreover, visibility is very clear because of the clear water at Kelingking Beach Nusa Penida. So, not only diving, you only need to snorkel and you can also see manta rays in this area.
4. Free Entrance Ticket
Apart from beautiful and instagrammable places, what tourists are most looking for are tourist attractions that have no entry fee or are free. So, if you want to go to Kelingking Beach Nusa Penida, you do not need to worry.
Because the beach area in Karang Dawa Hamlet is land owned by residents, there is a parking fee. For fees, especially motorbikes, you are charged IDR 2000 or $0.13 (USD). Meanwhile, for car vehicles, the fare is around IDR 5,000 or $0.32 (USD).
As for the facilities at Kelingking Beach Nusa Penida, there are food stalls and restaurants. Apart from that, it is also equipped with public toilets.
5. Known since 2016
Kelingking Beach Nusa Penida only became known to tourists around 2016. The initial popularity of Kelingking Beach Nusa Penida came from posts on social media. After the Nusa Penida Festival, Kelingking Beach Nusa Penida became increasingly famous and the government helped improve road infrastructure. Communities who live around the coast are also positively impacted. Economic life has improved and customary funds originating from parking have also increased.
6. Often Gets the Best Nickname
Another interesting fact about Kelingking Beach Nusa Penida is that this beach is often called the best in the world. Most recently, Kelingking Beach Nusa Penida was included in the list of the best beaches in the world, 2023 or Best Beaches in the World 2023. Kelingking Beach Nusa Penida is ranked 16th out of the 25 best beaches in the world in 2023. This list is part of the Travelers’ Choice Awards 2023 from the travel site TripAdvisor. In 2021, Kelingking Beach Nusa Penida is also one of the most instagrammable beaches. The number is around 26 million Instagram hashtags with the keyword being Most Popular Beach in the World.
7. Prohibition on Swimming
Behind its charming beauty, this Bali beaches is the most dangerous area with evidence of many times tourists having accidents. Based on data from the Klungkung Regional Disaster Management Agency, from January to June 2023, there have been 3 recorded incidents of tourists being swept away by waves while playing on the beach. 2 victims survived and 2 other victims died. The two people who died were tourists from India who were forced to swim at the beach even though there was a prohibition board at the tourist attraction location.
The Klungkung Regency Government has actually banned tourists from swimming in Bali tourism. Tourists are recommended to enjoy Kelingking Beach Nusa Penida only from the top of the cliff.
Head of the Klungkung Tourism Service, Ni Made Sulistiawati, said that prohibition boards were installed at 2 points. However, there are still tourists who insist on getting down and swimming. Meanwhile, for supervision, Klungkung only has 5 beach lifeguard officers guarding all the beaches in Nusa Penida so supervision is still not optimal.
c. The Best Time to Enjoy Kelingking Beach Nusa Penida
There are many tourists who choose daily tours to Nusa Penida, generally including Kelingking Beach Nusa Penida and Broken Beach. To avoid peak visiting times between 11am and 3pm, it is recommended to plan your visit well.
However, keep in mind that the beach is in the shadow of the cliffs in the morning. If you just want to enjoy the view from above, a suitable time is between 4 pm and 5 pm.
While sunsets are amazing, they may not be ideal for riding a scooter in the dark. Especially if you are not comfortable doing that.
Apart from having interesting facts, Kelingking Beach Nusa Penida has several public facilities on offer such as food and drinks being sold on the beach. This certainly means you can include Kelingking Beach Nusa Penida as one of your must-visit holiday lists.
