After spending nearly a year in Australia – living, working, exploring – Bali was the final destination in what turned out to be a year and a half in four continents. I had quickly acclimatized to Australian seasons, putting a sweater on when the temperatures dropped below 24C and after having “endured” a Cairns winter (which still involved going to the beach, so can that really be called winter?), the prospect of Bali was like a vacation from my extended vacation.

Most of my time in Bali was spent exploring the jungle atmosphere of Ubud, eating my way through so many vegetarian-friendly cafes and, as always, scoping out the best beaches around. The Nusa Islands of Lembongan, Ceningan and Penida were high on my list of must-see locations in Bali so when a week away from the sea felt too long, I booked the next boat that would take me from Sanur to Nusa Lembongan.

Stepping off of that ferry and into some of the most turquoise water I’ve ever seen, I instantly knew I had made the right decision and I spent the next four days exploring the tiny island of Nusa Lembongan. I had a list of places I wanted to see and experiences I wanted to do before I left so when I woke up the next morning I took off to hit up some of the most popular sights on the island.

DREAM BEACH

Nusa Lembongan is small and so, a bit scared of the prospect of driving a scooter for the very first time in my life, I walked to my first stop: Dream Beach. Dream Beach is exactly that; it’s a dreamy cove tucked away down a steep set of stone steps and an incredibly popular spot for tourists to visit. When I arrived early in the morning, there were few people there and I lucked out to have the entire beach pretty much to myself. Resting just above the beach is a hotel that has a popular pool for anybody wanting to spend the day lounging poolside with a view overlooking the ocean. And no, you don’t have to be staying at the hotel to use the pool – you can pay for the day!

After a stroll along the beach I grabbed a coconut water and sunk into the sand to take it all in for a little while. When more people started rolling in, I took it as my cue to go and set off for Devil’s Tear.

DEVIL’S TEAR

Just around the corner from Dream Beach, Devil’s Tear is a giant, horseshoe shaped blowhole that puts on a spectacular show of the raw power of Mother Nature. Watching the swells roll in again and again is mesmerizing and seeing the massive sprays and simmering mist was really something else.

It’s a unique thing to see and definitely on the list for many – you’ll notice bus loads of tourists coming in with tour companies all throughout the day so the best time to come is super early in the morning. That being said, you can catch some of the best sunsets here.

If you’re eager to escape the crowds, you can walk a little further on past the parking lot and street vendors to a little path that will lead you out onto the cliffs. There is a warning sign here, so be careful and don’t be too trusting of the edges. This was a fun place to explore with only a few other people there and some beautiful natural tide pools and sprays.

MUSHROOM BEACH

With the day heading into the afternoon and eager to find myself on a beach for the rest of the day, I made my way to Mushroom Beach, one of the two main villages on Nusa Lembongan. This spot is a popular place with some restaurants and tour companies that set up shop here and definitely one of the most touristy spots on the island. The beach itself is long and narrow, a place where a lot of boats arrive and depart from. I found that the best area for a swim along here was right down at the far right end of the beach, where you can lay your towel down and go for a dip away from all of the boats.

JUNGUT BATU

Jungut Batu is the other village on the island and, after visiting them both, my favorite area on Nusa Lembongan. From where I was staying on the opposite side of the island, the walk was a little over half an hour but a quick 10 minutes on a bike. The atmosphere is relaxed and laid-back, local restaurants and boutiques line the main street and cafes with gorgeous sunset views line up along the beach. As far as tourism goes on the island, Jungut Batu is geared towards those who like healthy, vegetarian-friendly food, holistic living and wellness activities.

If you stop at the view in the picture above you can see Mount Agung standing in the distance on a clear day. I spent all of my evenings here to grab some food, watch a sunset, and explore. The best beach spot I found was here, right up at the end of the main road backing on to the Mahagiri Resort. Fluffy, white sand, only a handful of people with beach blankets laid out, and a sparkling turquoise sea. The sea floor here is made up entirely of bits of broken coral over the sand so it isn’t the most pleasant thing to walk on but if you get out far enough, you can enjoy a proper good swim.

SNORKEL OR DIVE

One of the best things that the Nusa Islands have to offer are snorkel and dive tours thanks to their surrounding ocean habitat being home to plenty of manta rays. Snorkeling with the mantas was actually my main reason for visiting the island but unfortunately, my timing just wasn’t right. My visit to Nusa Lembongan was during the continuous earthquakes which were devastating the island of Lombok and evacuating the Gili Islands. The earthquakes went on to create incredibly rough wave conditions which stopped boats from running at all. While we were still able to get out to sea on a boat, the conditions were too choppy to attempt a manta swim. While it was disappointing, everyone still had a truly enjoyable day out in the water, being pulled along by the currents and taking in the colorful sea life beneath the surface. One of the most unique stops was the underwater Buddha statues off of Nusa Ceningan – designed to create an environment for coral to continue to grow. The opportunity to dive down to see these life-size Buddhas face to face was beautiful.

Unfortunately, I did see some pieces of garbage floating in the water throughout the day – from candy wrappers to plastic bags. Something we can all do to minimize the damage of litter is to pick up bits of garbage that you see floating through the water and bring it back on board with you to dispose of properly. Despite the trash issue in Indonesia, it was amazing to see initiatives to lessen the waste. Many bars and restaurants were serving plastic-free straw, shops and cafes sold re-usable bamboo or metal straws, and there were even regularly-scheduled community beach clean ups.

One travel blogger in particular has been creating a stir in the movement of environment awareness. Jackson Groves is the man behind the “Adventure Bag”, where for every adventure you take (whether it’s a hike through the mountains or a walk along the coast), you leave with an adventure bag – a bag filled up with trash that you have picked up along the way. It’s a small yet effective gesture to reduce the amount of trash littering the Earth and one that I wholeheartedly support.

My days spent on Nusa Lembongan were joyful and gave me a few new experiences. This little island was the first place I learned how to drive a scooter, the first place I had ever seen underwater sculptures, and also my first time experiencing the shakes, rumbles and aftershocks of a 6.1 magnitude earthquake. For all of you with dreams of visiting, it is a lovely little place with a far different vibe than that of mainland Bali, despite being a short ferry ride away.