Nusa Penida in Two Days: West Side, East Side, Mantas, and Where to Sleep

Take the first boat from Sanur at about 7:00 and have a car and driver waiting at the harbour; every guesthouse arranges one. Kelingking first, by 9:00, for the light on the cliff and before the queue at the viewpoint; go down to the beach only if you have the legs and the time, and count on two hours if you do. Broken Beach and Angel's Billabong next, with the tide deciding the swim. Crystal Bay for lunch, an hour in the water, and the sunset, which day-trippers never see. Sleep in a guesthouse near Crystal Bay or the harbour villages; the island's accommodation is simple and the good places book out in high season.

A snorkelling boat from the harbour at about 8:00 runs Manta Point, Gamat Bay and Crystal Bay's outer reef in three hours; the mantas are there year-round and the boat skips the point only if the swell is up. Back on land by 11:30, the car heads east: an hour and a half to Diamond Beach and Atuh, the steps down and up, the Thousand Islands viewpoint and the tree house, and back to the harbour for a boat at 3:30 or 4:00. It is a long second day and it is the one that shows you the island the day trips miss.

If the sea is rough and the manta boat is cancelled, do the east in the morning instead and take a later boat. If two days feel like too much driving, drop the east side, snorkel on day two and spend the afternoon at Crystal Bay again; nobody regrets that. With a third day, cross to Nusa Lembongan for the mangroves and Devil's Tear and take the boat to Sanur from there; see Lembongan vs Penida.

Bring cash; ATMs on Penida fail often and most warungs and drivers do not take cards. Book the car and driver through your guesthouse for both days, fix the price in advance, and give them the plan. The roads are narrow and the driving is slow, so a scooter is only for people who ride daily at home. Sun cover, reef-safe sunscreen and shoes with grip for the steps. For the individual sites, see the Kelingking, Broken Beach, Crystal Bay and Diamond Beach guides, and getting to Nusa Penida for the boats.