atuh beach nusa penida

ATUH BEACH [Untouched Paradise on Nusa Penida’s East Coast]

Atuh beach is surely one of the best attractions in the eastern tip of the lovely island of Nusa Penida in Indonesia.

After walking on T-rex’s back in Kelingking beach and adventuring out to the stunning Angel’s Billabong on the west coast of the island, it was time to explore the east!

Nusa Penida Mini Travel Guide

Do you have just a few days at hand and want to quickly cover this beautiful Balinese island? Well then here are the very best tours and stay options to add to your Nusa Penida itinerary.

Top Tours in Nusa Penida

Best Hotels in Nusa Penida

Basically, you just need one day in each direction – West, East and South. With perhaps a day just riding around the center or enjoying lovely food/ chilling on the beach. Total 4 days would be sufficient to cover Nusa Penida at leisure.

atuh beach nusa penida

East Coast Vs West Coast of Nusa Penida

The attractions in east coast of Nusa Penida are not as popular as their famous west counterparts but are just as exotic… which makes them even more sought after for an explorer like myself. I would much rather explore untouched , remote and offbeat parts instead of the places flocked by tourists.

I did not see hoards of Chinese tourists or day visitors in buses/boats from Nusa Lembongan, which is the case for all the popular spots on the west coast. This was refreshing indeed. We almost had the entire Atuh beach to ourselves (this is the kind of place that beach quotes are made upon) with the exception of a handful of travelers who were brave enough to walk down the slippery stairs.

atuh beach
Yoohooo pretty beach all to ourselves – hell yeah!

How to Reach Atuh Beach Nusa Penida Bali?

Now this is a tricky part!

Atuh beach has weird signage along the way though its an absolutely amazing drive. At one point, I saw Atuh beach straight as well as marked on the left. Let me tell you, if you happen to see that point – Go left.

That was the best decision I made.

atuh directions
Amazing roads which make riding to Atuh a pleasure

So when you go left and finally reach the beach, you get free parking and way easier way to climb down to the beach. This is the sign you will see if you took the left road –

Atuh beach sign
Atuh beach sign

The other side not only has a $2 parking price tab (which is okay) but also a steep staircase to get to Atuh. Just looking at it made me tired so I believe we totally lucked out on this route. Even though its not “proper” stairway , just stone steps, they are way easier and it took us barely 7 mins to go down them.

atuh beach stairs
Shoddy stairs leading to the beach

You will be rewarded with incredible views of the beach and coves while going down too.

What to Expect at Atuh Beach?

Well, its just another beach – not! A small, fabulous, quiet bay with blue waters and white sand. Also one of the very few beaches with beach shacks and sun beds to relax and chill. I really missed the beach shack culture in Goa so this was a pleasant surprise for sure.

white sand beach nusa
Lovely beach shacks and sun beds line this white sand blissfulness

Many small restaurants aka warungs line the beach selling chilled Bintangs, finger food and the usual Nasi goreng.

atuh warung
Enjoying Mie Goreng at the local warung in Atuh.

Plus there is a paid washroom in case you want to answer call of nature 🙂 Its very basic, as you would expect.

Tips for your First Visit to Atuh Beach

atuh beach gif

Be mindful of the tide  – You need to be careful of tide timings before you go swimming at Atuh beach. Usually before 2 pm is the ideal time if you want to take a dip in these pristine waters. However, the Nusa Penida tides timing change daily so its best to check before you go.

Go early – Like any other attraction, going early morning ensures you have the ocean and beach literally to yourself.

atuh beach
Reward for going early 🙂

Take the route on the left – Definitely take the route on the left when you see the signage for straight and left. This not only saves you some parking change but also gives you a way easier path to head down to the beach. The actual path looks something like this (I wouldn’t wanna climb down those) –

atuh beach stairs
The long winding stairs on the “other” side

Ask prices before you order food  – All the small beach shacks serve food but don’t have prices on the menu. Many would just order and pay whatever has been asked. Be smart and ask rates beforehand. The prices are at par with warungs and restaurants outside and aren’t expensive but its good to know before you order.

mie goreng
Our cheap ass Mie goreng 😉

Don’t overpay for sun beds – There is no fixed price for sun beds here. We were asked IDR 50,000 ($3.6) for a bed but we said we are three and they offered us three beds for that price. There was no haggling needed either 🙂 There’s an option to get a massage on the beach as well, if you fancy.

beach massage
Beach massage anyone?

Atuh Beach Map

atuh beach

Reaching Atuh beach Indonesia on your bike is pretty easy. Just save this map offline to avoid being stranded due to bad 4g services across Nusa penida.

FAQ’s

Can you Swim at Atuh Beach?

Yes absolutely. Just be careful of the tide chart and you can swim at ease.

How much is the entrance fee of Atuh Beach in Nusa Penida?

Well if you follow the point from which I entered, there was no entry but the officially there is a small IDR 10,000 fee to enter.

Which part of Nusa Penida is Atuh beach on?

Atuh beach is situated on the East cost of the Nusa Penida island.

So have you been to Atuh beach in Nusa Penida? This is surely one of the best beaches near Bali so a great stop on your visit to the Island of the Gods. Well if you just did a day trip, you probably just saw the west coast. I would highly recommend spending a few days exploring this pristine island and making the most of your trip.

Jo

2 thoughts on “ATUH BEACH [Untouched Paradise on Nusa Penida’s East Coast]”

  1. Hi Jo, awesome post and great detailed info. I love the tips and driving advice. Me and my girlfriend will be heading that way after breakfast. I just tought maybe one consideration as far as swimming advice, you have mentioned swimming just after 2pm would be a great idea, i find this a little inaccurate as the tides change everyday by almost 1 hour, so day like today the low tide will be at 1pm which i think will make swimming almost impossible due to the bottom rock formations. Anyways just toughts to let you know. Once again thanks for the lovely post and carry on the great work.

    1. Thats a great input. My information was based on the day I visited and info available online – great tip thanks for sharing and I will also update this in the article right away 🙂 cheers.

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