Since I was spending a few days on Nusa Penida, I knew I wanted to head to some beautiful natural attractions a bit off the main tourist path.
After coming across the Tembeling Beach, Forest & Natural Pools, I knew this was a perfect place to add onto my Nusa Penida itinerary.
It is a one of a kind place on the island with a ton to offers its visitors and this guide will go over exactly what to expect at Tembeling and how to go about a visit there.
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1) How to Reach Tembeling Beach
Since Tembeling is off the main tourist path, you won’t find many (if any) larger group tours making their way to the area. There really are two ways to go about a trip there – either by scooter rental or by private driver.
» If you are comfortable enough on a scooter / motorbike, you can rent one from the harbor area for as little as $5 – $10 USD per day. Some of the roads of Nusa Penida are in very poor condition, with tons of uneven terrain throughout.
I have heard of plenty of accidents happening on the island with those who were not experienced enough – I even saw a crash right in front of me. So please do not rent a scooter if you do not have the expertise.
» If you want to play it safe, I would recommend hiring a driver for the day that can take you to Tembeling Beach and any other attractions you would like to visit. Expect to pay around $40 USD for a full day driver on the island. You can either find them at the harbor area or have your hotel help set one up for you.
» Add Tembeling Beach to a longer Nusa Penida Itinerary when visiting the island
↔ In the next couple sections I will go into a bit more detail on where Tembeling is located, the parking situation, and how to go about getting down to the beach itself.
2) Tembeling Map & Directions
If you just simply type in Tembeling Beach into Google Maps, you won’t necessarily get to the correct location since the app doesn’t have the final pathway in its routes.
You really just need to get to the final turnoff point off the main road and you should be good to go from there.
So instead of typing in Tembeling Beach, you can either search for “Tembeling Street” or “Pos Ojek Tembeling”.
The red icon highlighted on the map below is the turnoff point from the main road onto the steeper scooter path, which I will talk about more in the next section.
I have also highlighted the path from the turnoff to the final parking area, the parking area for scooters just before the final staircase down, as well as Tembeling Beach itself.
3) Tembeling Beach Parking
While renting your own scooter and hiring a driver for the day are your two main options, you should note that Tembeling works in a bit different way than many other attractions on the island.
Essentially as you get closer to Tembeling, there will be a point where you will turn off the main road.
At this intersection you will see signs pointing you down to Tembeling alongside a small roadside hut with some locals (pictured below).
After this turn off point is the final stretch of pathway heading down to Tembeling and only scooters have the ability to actually drive down this portion of road.
This means if you have a scooter you should be good to go, and will be able to drive down on your own.
However, if you don’t have a scooter and opted for a driver for the day, you must park your car at this intersection and either walk the 45 minute scooter path OR you can hire one of the locals at the hut to drive you down.
They charged around 50.000 IDR – 75.000 IDR ($3 – $5 USD) for the round trip journey.
Once you reach the bottom of the path either by your own scooter, by foot, or by hopping on a local’s scooter, there will be a 5-10-minute staircase that you must continue down by foot. Once the staircase ends, you will finally reach the main Tembeling area.
IMPORTANT NOTE: the path down from the turn off point to the final parking area can be a very steep and dangerous path for scooters. I WOULD NOT head down on your own scooter unless you are very confident in your driving abilities. This can also be tough for those walking back and forth – if you don’t do well on inclines/declines, I would not recommend the walk either. To play it safe, I would advise just hiring a local to take you up/down the route.
4) Tembeling Beach, Forest & Natural Pools
After finishing up with the ride down and heading down the staircase, the first thing that you will see is this beautiful natural pool right in front of you.
It is a perfect place to take a dip and relax in, and you can even go for a small cliff jump if you are up for it. Right alongside the natural pool is the Pura Taman Panca Gangga, a sacred shrine site.
It is such a relaxing spot here, as not only will you be away from the crowds but you will also be surrounded by the Tembeling forest and all its greenery.
Once you have had enough time enjoying the natural pool, continue along the paved path for a couple minutes. Soon, on your right hand side you will see a rock arch and hundreds of these small stacked stone piles.
Seeing these rock piles with the ocean out in the distance and the massive cliff walls of Nusa Penida is a site to be seen.
Next up is the second Tembeling natural pool that sits overlooking the ocean. This one is a bit smaller and shallower than the first one but makes for a nice place to just sit back and relax.
Finally, right next to this second natural pool, you will come across the Tembeling Beach. While it is beautiful place to enjoy by just sitting on the sand or nearby rock, it is just too dangerous of a spot to actually head into the water.
The area is full of rocks, both small and very large in size and the waves can be pretty rough. Due to this I would not advise trying to go for a swim here. If you do want to take a dip then definitely head to one of the natural pools instead.
Once all done with Tembeling Forest, Natural Pools, and Beach, it is time to follow the path back to the entrance and up the staircase.
From there you will either hop on your own scooter, make the uphill walk back, or have your local scooter driver give you the lift back up.
5) Where to Stay in Nusa Penida
Nusa Penida is relatively new to the tourism landscape which is why many of the roads throughout the island are just not up to standard. You also won’t find too many tourist hotspot areas like an Ubud or a Seminyak. Many of the accommodation options are just sprawled throughout.
A lot of the popular spots though are more on the western side of the island closer to the harbor area. Below are some highly rated options based on price point in that area.
What is also great about Nusa Penida is that it is budget friendly with the most expensive options not even $100 per night.
Luxury: Semabu Hills Hotel Nusa Penida | Daphila Cottage
Mid Range: Singabu Bungalows | Sawit Garden Cottages | Crystal Bay Bungalows
Budget: Miko Bali Bungalow | Prasi Sunset Bungalows
Book Your Stay at Sawit Garden Cottages Today!
7) Nusa Penida Itinerary
If you are planning a visit to Tembeling Beach, odds are you will want to visit other attractions nearby. I would recommend the following itinerary for the day when going about your visit.
Note: you will want to go to Angel’s Billabong around low tide. Below is an itinerary based on a low tide opportunity earlier in the morning
Stop 1 | Angel’s Billabong
The first stop of the day will be Angel’s Billabong. This is a beautiful natural rock pool that has crystal clear and calm water during low tide.
If not visiting during low tide, you will experience the waves crashing down from ocean and spilling into the tide pool.
» Learn more in the Angel’s Billabong Guide
Stop 2 | Broken Beach
Right nearby Angel’s Billabong, you will find Broken Beach. The beach is not accessible, rather you will get to enjoy the view from above as the water from the ocean makes its way through the rock arch.
» Learn more in the Broken Beach Guide
Stop 3 | Kelingking Beach
One of the most famous of places in all of Indonesia is Kelingking Beach. From the viewpoint up top, you will take in the landscape of the t-rex rock formation jutting out from the island, alongside the beautiful beach. A treacherous climb down to the beach will give you a chance to enjoy your time down below.
» Learn more in the Kelingking Beach Guide
Stop 4 | Tembeling Beach & Forest
Stop 5 | Crystal Bay
You can then complete your day with a perfect sunset at Crystal Bay Beach. Located on the western side of the island, you will be able to enjoy the final hours of the day as the sun goes down out in the distance.
» Learn more in the Crystal Bay Beach Guide up on the site
I hope this guide has cleared up any questions you may have had about visiting Tembeling Beach. If you do have any other questions or comments though, feel free to write them in below.
Also be sure to check out the other Indonesia itineraries and guides up on the site (like the 7 Day Bali Itinerary or 3 Days in Ubud). Have fun out there and safe travels!
