Nusa Lembongan boat trip: private sundown cruise and snorkel

A boat trip to Nusa Lembongan from Bali, done privately, is the boat and its crew for your group alone, a swim over the reef, and the light dropping on the way. FirstBali arranges it on request as Nusa Lembongan at sundown: a private cruise and snorkelling before the day goes. Like every charter on the transport page, it leaves from Benoa with a crew. The operator confirms availability and the amount for your date, and the sea has the last word on the day.

The trip

The catalogue describes it in one line — a private cruise and snorkelling before the day goes — and the concierge arranges the boat, the timing and what happens on board. It is a private charter: no other passengers, and a plan built around your group.

If Lembongan at sundown is not quite the day you want, the catalogue has other ways out to the islands:

• Private yacht — full-day island hopping, to Nusa Penida for Manta Point, Crystal Bay and snorkelling — see the Nusa Penida private boat guide.
• Manta rays, Nusa Penida — half a day snorkelling where the mantas pass.
• Nusa Penida, full day — the crossing, then the island on foot.

Bali boat trips lists all eight charters, from the sunset and party cruise to a fishing day.

Nusa Lembongan, the island

Nusa Lembongan is one of the three Nusa islands south-east of Bali, alongside Nusa Penida and Nusa Ceningan, all in Klungkung regency. What surrounds it is the point of a boat trip:

• A protected sea. The Nusa Penida Marine Protected Area surrounds Nusa Penida and its two smaller neighbours, Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Lembongan. Mission Blue, the ocean conservation organisation, has named it a Hope Spot.
• Mangroves. The Coral Triangle Center, a marine conservation organisation working in the area, says the islands' mangrove forests are primarily in Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan, where they shelter coastal habitats and filter pollution.
• Seagrass and reefs. The same centre records seagrass species mainly around Nusa Lembongan, and fringing reefs widespread across the area.
• The Yellow Bridge. On land, Indonesia's Ministry of Public Works describes the Yellow Bridge, also known as the love bridge, linking the people of Nusa Lembongan with those of Nusa Ceningan — a crossing for pedestrians and two-wheeled vehicles.

Devil's Tears

If you ever go ashore, one place calls for care. Devil's Tears, known locally as Sedok Gumblong, is a line of steep rocky cliffs where waves burst against the rock — a popular photo spot. The environmental news site Mongabay Indonesia reports that the force of the waves there is hard to predict and that visitors have died after being swept or falling from the rocks. Its advice is the only one that matters: stay well back from the edge.

A sea with rules

The protected area is zoned. The Coral Triangle Center describes zones that guide marine tourism, fisheries, seaweed farming and the protection of sacred sites, including a sacred sub-zone for the waters next to coastal temples. It also warns that careless snorkelling and diving harm the reef.

For snorkellers, that translates into habits worth keeping:

• Float, do not stand — keep your fins off the coral.
• Look, do not touch — coral or animals.
• Follow the guide on where to enter and where to stay.
• Say early if someone in the group is a weak swimmer.

The sea decides

The British government's travel advice for Indonesia is plain about boats: sea conditions can change rapidly, safety standards vary between providers, and you should check the safety equipment, life jackets first, before you travel. Life jackets that fit children are not always available, so bring your own for small children. It also advises against travelling after dark unless you are satisfied the vessel is suitably equipped — worth asking about on a trip named for the sundown. The Canadian government adds that ferry accidents are often caused by poor safety practices or extreme weather, and that you should not board a vessel that looks overloaded or unseaworthy.

Indonesia's meteorology agency, BMKG, publishes an hourly marine forecast for the Badung Strait, the water between Bali and the Nusa islands, with waves, wind and currents for the coming days. The captain reads it too.

So build the plan with room in it:

• Keep a spare date if the trip matters — an anniversary, a proposal, a birthday.
• Never the evening before an early flight, and never the day of one.
• If the captain says no, it is no.

In an emergency in Indonesia, the number is 112.

The island levy

Klungkung regency charges a levy to visit its islands: when it was introduced, The Jakarta Post reported it applied to foreign visitors, was collected on arrival and was valid for Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan alike. The regency sets the rules and they change, so ask the concierge whether it applies to your trip — a cruise that stays on the water may not involve it.

What to bring

This is our advice; the concierge confirms what is on board for your date.

• Swimwear and a towel.
• Sun protection: a hat that stays on and a long-sleeved top for snorkelling.
• A warm layer for the way back on deck.
• A dry bag for phones and documents.
• Children's life jackets, if you are travelling with small children.

How to book it

Send the concierge the date, a second date if you have one, how many you are, any children or weak swimmers, and where you are staying, so the car to Benoa and back can be arranged too. For a couple, it pairs with a dinner — see a romantic dinner in Bali. The operator confirms availability and the amount; you decide. The charter is yours once the operator has confirmed it.

Read next: the Nusa Penida private boat guide, Bali boat trips, Bali's sunset spots and a honeymoon in Bali.