When you go for a trip with friends, it’s always fun to engage in some adventure sports. That was the thought behind my Nusa Lembongan visit when I travelled to Bali. But the trip provided more than adventure as the island with beautiful beach was a joy to watch at.
Nusa Lembongan is a tropical island located 12 kms south east of Bali and a perfect island getaway from Bali. It is a tiny island which is just 8 sq km in area. There is no public transport to the island. We have to go on private hired boats. We booked a Bounty Cruise, charges of which varies from Rs.2500 to 4500. Bounty cruises offer water sport activities along with island visit.
Bounty cruise is actually a comfort catamaran cruise with a capacity to take 600 passengers. It has three decks. Lower deck is fully air conditioned while the half of middle deck is air conditoned and the other half is open .Top deck is completely open .
We started our cruise around 9 15 Am. We were served break fast (croissants, muffins , and juice) in the lower deck. Seating was very comfortable and we could watch the sea through the huge windows on side. There was live music in the open middle deck. Band played throughout the cruise time and also during lunch time. They mostly played English songs. But was surprised when they also played a few hindi numbers in between.
At 10.30Am, we were shifted to activity boat equipped with sports activities and water slides which was moored around 1 km from the island. We were divided into two groups. First group , went for island visit and second group stayed back and did the water sports activities like banana boat ride, snorkelling, aqua board , glass bottom boat ride etc. We were a part of first group and were taken to the island in a smaller boat.
We were dropped near the shore where water was below our knees. We had to walk to shore. Water was crystal clear and turquoise blue. The pristine white sand beach was lovely to watch.
We were taken to the interior of island in small trucks. Road was bumby and we had fun riding in the tiny truck. We were dropped near a rocky outcrop on the south western coast. This place is called devil’s tear because the outcrop sucks in water before it explodes out with a boom creating the tears of devil. We couldn’t witness the devils tear. But were enthralled by spectacular crashing waves and water plumes.
Nusa Lembagon has much more to offer like mushroom bay, jungut batu beach, sandy bay, mangrove forest etc. But since we came as a part of package tour, we missed exploring all those. From the shore we could see our activities boat and cruise at a distance. We returned to the activity boat by 12.30 pm.
We were served a grand buffet on board. Food was extremely delicious. Live band played in the background. After lunch we wore life jacket and started our aqua activities at around 1 pm .
First we attempted aqua slide. It was 44 mt long winding slide. Finally we end up in sea, from where with the help of a guiding rope we climb back into the boat. Slide is similar to the one at Veegaland. Only difference being that we end in the sea, which gives u a more intense adrenaline rush.
Next we went on a banana boat ride. Banana boat is an unpowered , inflatable boat meant to be towed. Our boat accommodated 8 riders . We had to sit on a main tube and rest our feet on two lower flanking tubes which stabilises the boat. Main tube is yellow and banana shaped and hence called banana boat. Our banana boat was towed by a motor boat. Ride was just for 5 mts but it felt like forever as you concentrate on tightly holding the handle so as not to fall off as the boat cruised the water at 15 miles / hour. Fear of falling off was more when the boat took sharp turns every few seconds.
Then we went for snorkelling. Again we were taken from our activity boat in a smaller boat to a stationary deck where snorkelling equipment was stocked. Snorkelling was a disappointing experience as were not given proper guidance by the ground staff. We just had one or two glimpses of ocean floor and a few fishes. Tubes given were faulty and so we couldn’t stay underwater for more than 10-15 sec.
Our next activity was glass bottom boat ride. Glass bottom boat is a boat with transparent material below the waterline that allows the passengers to observe the underwater environment from within the boat. We observed many stunning coral formation, colourful fishes, turtles etc. By the time we reached back it was 2.20 pm. We changed our wet dress and boarded our cruise boat. We started our journey back by 2.30pm. We all were damn tired and so rested comfortably till we reached the port around 3.30pm.
It was quite a day – a perfect balance of natural beauty and adventure. People often tend to overlook this tiny island when they visit Bali. But I would definitely recommend adding it to your Bali itinerary. It is one place I want to return, stay overnight and explore further.
For more photos related to my trip please visit https://www.facebook.com/Wind-in-my-hair-308490250040609/