Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
couple of hundred birds microchipped and free to roam the island. The easiest place to spot
them is at the
Nusa Penida Bird Sanctuary
, where they congregate for food; staff will lead
you round the small site. The foundation also accepts volunteers for its starling programme
and more island conservation projects.
Sampalan
The largest village on the island,
SAMPALAN
, 4km from Ped, is a metropolis by local stand-
ards, with a couple of banks (MasterCard ATMs), warung, shops and a central
market
(daily
6-11am) all spread out behind the coast. The bemo terminal is in the middle of the village.
Pura Goa Giri Putri
Karangasari • Daily dawn-dusk • Donation around Rp20,000, includes sash and sarong
It's a spectacular ride south from Sampalan on a coast-hugging road that offers views of
prahus
on beaches and seaweed-farming plots, as well as vistas of Lombok ahead. About
10km south, in the village of
Karangasari
, a steep flight of steps leads up to the limestone
bat-cave temple of
Pura Goa Giri Putri
. Squeeze through a narrow gap in the rock and you
enter a 300m-long cavern which houses several small shrines, countless bats and a meditation
cave. Walk past the lot and you'll emerge blinking into sunlight at the far end having walked
right through the hill. Balinese people consider this a very powerful spiritual site.
The south coast
Turning inland at Sewana (or Suana), from Pura Goa Giri Putri, you climb to the central plat-
eau and eventually reach the village of
Batukandik
. A long winding trip should eventually
see you wind up on the
south coast
, where spectacular limestone cliffs rise sheer out of the
ocean. A side road leads 7km south to the edge of the cliffs and a precipitous 200m descent
to the
Guyangan freshwater spring
at their base. This is typical of the whole southern coast
of the island; there are several spots where equally hairy descents to the sea are possible.
Beyond Batukandik, turn left at Batumadeg to
Sebuluh
, where the road ends 200m beyond
the village green and numerous paths run through the village to the cliffs. There are two
temples
here, one on a promontory linked to the mainland by an exposed ridge, and the other
at the bottom of a path that winds down the cliff to a freshwater spring.
Returning to Batumadeg, the road skirts close to the summit of
Bukit Mundi
, at 529m the
highest point on the island, crowned with wind turbines, then descends from the plateau,
dropping through the village of Klumpu and on to
Sakti
.
Crystal Bay
From Sakti it's 3km southwest down a very steep hill to
Crystal Bay
, a postcard-perfect nook
of white-sand beach and outstandingly clear water. It's a popular dive site with operators from
Nusa Lembongan - most come in the morning, so if you are here in the afternoon, you're
likely to have the water to yourself - but there's good snorkelling here too and a shrine on an
offshore islet. That said, currents in the bay can be fierce in certain tide states. It's a gorgeous
