Nusa Lembongan, the Bali alternative where Bob Marley vibes meet manta rays
The small island, with its stunning beaches and world-class surfing, is gaining in popularity but retains its laid-back charm
The Indonesian island of Nusa Lembongan is 40 minutes by “fast boat” from Bali’s Sanur, but I have reached it in half that time, disembarking from the military-grade, twin 300 HP Suzuki engined Kai Koa (“sea warrior”, in Hawaiian) after a rollicking sea-sprayed ride.
The 12km south-easterly crossing of the Badung Strait is an increasingly popular one; post-pandemic, the number of tourists splashing ashore on Lembongan has doubled to about 1,000 a day, according to the Jungut Batu harbour master, who is happy to chat after I knock on the door to his office, behind the village beach. Where a two or three-night stay was the norm, the average is now a week, he says.
The island and its sisters – Nusa Ceningan and the largest, Nusa Penida – are administered by east Bali’s KlungKung Regency. Steeped in Hindu culture and religion, traditional ceremonies mark daily life here as much as they do on mainland Bali.
Offerings of rice, fruit, petals, small biscuits and sticks of smouldering incense, all arranged in tiny flaxen baskets made of coconut leaves (canangs), are placed by women on street shelves, to please the Hindu gods, or on the ground, to appease demon spirits. Most of the offerings themselves come in large sealed boxes from Bali but it is typical to see the island’s shop owners busily weaving the canangs.