Kelingking Beach & Manta Point SnorkelNusa Penida

Nusa Penida is thirty minutes by fast boat from Bali's Sanur Beach and a world away in atmosphere. This private day trip covers two of the island's defining locations.

The morning begins at Manta Point, a cleaning station off the island's southwest tip where large manta rays, wingspans reaching four metres or more, congregate through much of the year to feed on plankton and have small fish remove parasites from their skin. You enter the water at the guide's signal and drift above the station in silence as the rays spiral beneath you. The water here runs deep and cool, often rich in plankton, and sightings are frequent, though never guaranteed, since these are wild animals coming and going as they please.

Conditions demand real respect. Currents at Manta Point can run strong, the swell can make the water surge, and this is not a place for nervous swimmers. Your guide stays in the water throughout, sets safe distances and tells you when to enter; keep at least three to four metres from the rays, never touch or chase them, and expect the water to run cool enough that a rash guard or wetsuit helps.

After lunch on a quiet beach, the afternoon moves to Kelingking, the island's most photographed viewpoint, a headland shaped like a tyrannosaurus above a crescent of white sand. Reaching the beach means a steep, thirty-to-forty-five-minute descent on a narrow, rope-assisted path, longer again on the way back up, and the climb has been the scene of serious accidents in the past. We descend only when conditions are safe and the group is comfortable; if you'd rather not, the viewpoint alone is spectacular and needs no effort at all. Waves along this stretch of coast run strong, so swimming at the beach below is dangerous, and most visitors paddle at the edge instead.

Nusa Penida's roads are rough, and getting between sights takes longer than the map suggests. The crossing from Sanur runs around forty-five minutes by fast boat, bumpier in the afternoon, and can be delayed or cancelled in rough seas, with the schedule adjusted for tides and weather. April to October, the dry season, is the best time to go, though mantas turn up year-round.

Bring reef-safe sunscreen, a hat, a towel, sturdy sandals or trail shoes, and a small dry bag; motion sickness medication is worth packing if you're prone to it.

The day runs around nine hours from Sanur. Return fast-boat transfers, a private snorkelling guide, equipment, lunch and water, and entry fees are all included.