Manta Point Nusa Penida

The Best Place in Bali To Swim With Manta Rays

The Best Place in Bali To Swim With Manta Rays { Manta Point Nusa Penida }

Swimming alongside the elusive Manta Ray is one of the most invigorating and adrenaline filled experiences that travelers can expect to have amongst their plethora of Bali adventures.

The Giant Manta, one of the two known species of Manta Rays (Reef Manta being the other) are quite common among the Balinese marine life and despite their intimidating presence as a result of their immense size, are surprisingly quite gentle and docile creatures making them the perfect snorkel companions.

As long as you know just where and when to find them that is…

Other Bali Blogs

The Most Beautiful Beach in Bali {How To Get To Kelingking Beach}

Where Is The Best Place To Swim With Manta Rays In Bali?

Although Manta Rays are quite common throughout Indonesia, they are not always the easiest creatures to find when the time comes.  If swimming with Manta Rays is at the top of your Bali Bucket List, then you might want to spend some extra time on The Island of Nusa Penida to help ensure that you fulfill your every Manta Ray desire.

Located 30 minutes off the eastern coast of Bali, awaits the photographer’s paradise of Nusa Penida.  Aside from boasting some of the most beautiful beaches in Bali such as the famed Kelingking and Sulaban Beach, Nusa Penida also happens to be the Manta Ray “Sanctuary” that you have been so desperately waiting for.

Kelingking Beach 

Click Here To Discover More About Bali's Most Beautiful Beach

The two best places to find Mantas in Nusa Penida are at either Manta Point or just on the backside of the “T-Rex at Kelingking Beach.

Pro Tip

Most snorkeling tours will only include Manta Point, which if you don’t arrive to early enough (hint, hint… be there just after sunrise) can become quite engulfed with a never-ending stream of snorkel boats, however for a little extra money you can try to get some extra alone time with the Mantas at Kelingking.

During our first visit to Kelingking Beach we must have seen at least 10-20 Mantas swimming around this location and to our surprise, without being continuously heckled by a seemingly never-ending stream of snorkel excursions.

Although it is feasible to reach the backside of the “T-Rex” from the shores of Kelingking, it is STRONGLY NOT ADVISED!

Kelingking Beach is home to some extremely dangerous tides that will potentially only drive you into the sharp-edged rocks found alongside the massive Kelingking costal cliffs, if you dare to venture too close, inevitably cutting your Manta adventure fairly short.

What Time Should I Swim With The Manta Rays?

Like I mentioned before; the earlier the better.  If you don’t want to be forced to share such a unique and exhilarating underwater experience with hundreds of other people then I strongly recommend scheduling your tour sometime just after sunrise.

Trust us, it is so worth it!

Should I Stay On Nusa Penida or Nusa Lembongan?

Although a lot of people decide to stay and book their tours from Nusa Lembongan because the island is a bit more developed, I personally recommend Nusa Penida for three reasons:

1. When the seas are too rough, a majority of boats leaving from Lembongan will either delay or cancel their journey due to extra travel distance, however boats leaving from Nusa Penida are more likely proceed with the tour.

2. Departing from Nusa Penida will allow you to leave earlier in the morning, helping you avoid the crowds.

3. Aside from boundless visions of snorkeling with Mantas, Nusa Penida offers so much more to see in comparison to its neighbor Lembongan. Nusa Penida is rather large in scale and exceedingly difficult to navigate making exploring all of its wonders a lot more time consuming when compared to its counterpart, which in result can be fully explored in just one day.

Where To Stay In Nusa Penida?

GREEN BEACH INN

Green Beach Inn is quaint little seaside accommodation offering all the key elements to a wonderfully pleasant stay on Nusa Penida.  The hotel is located around 45 minutes from both the primary sightseeing locations on the island Kelingking Beach and Atuh Beach.  Private shuttles and motorbike rentals can also be organized from the hotel for very affordable rates.

What We Loved

• Large comfortable bed
• Hot shower
• Located just a few minutes outside of town by motorbike.
• Free daily breakfast that will serve your food according to your preference and schedule.
• Friendly and helpful staff
• Excellent WiFi connection from room

What We Didn’t Love

• By foot restaurants and other stores are a tad bit out of the way.

Check Availability Here For Booking.com 

Where Should I Book My Tour?

Just head down to Crystal Bay Beach on Nusa Penida before 4 p.m and you will find guys selling Manta snorkeling trips right by the beach.

The trip cost 200k IDR (Indonesian Rupiah) for the regular snorkel tour and an additional 200k IDR, if you wish to include Kelingking Beach.

Pro Tip

Be sure to schedule your tour for just after sunrise!

There is absolutely NO NIGHTLIFE on Nusa Penida so getting a good night’s rest is more than likely.

We personally were only focused on swimming with Manta Ray’s so we told the Captain to only take us to locations where they were most commonly spotted.  Evidently that was at Manta Point and Kelingking Beach.

Q&A

Are Manta Rays Dangerous?

Although Manta Rays draw heavy to comparisons to their menacing doppelganger, the Sting Ray, Mantas are in fact quite docile and unlike their distant cousins not harmful to humans in any way.

Contrary to popular belief, Mantas DO NOT have a stinger and are known as ‘filter feeders” eating only small fish and plankton, therefore posing no threat to divers.

What Is The Best Time Of Year To Swim With The Mantas?

 Luckily there is no particular season for the Manta Rays and they are a year-round spectacle throughout the Nusa Islands, so chances are you will get a glimpse of this majestic giant at some point.

Can I Touch The Mantas?

 Although it might seem harmless, it is best to refrain from touching the Mantas in any way.   Even a simple graze can be toxic for Mantas as the oils from your touch can damage the protective layer of slime that is coating their skin.  This is extremely harmful for the Mantas and can cause serious infection, potentially leading to death.

If We Don’t See Any Mantas Can We Get Our Money Back?

Definitely not….

Manta Rays are wild, elusive and unpredictable animals so finding them out in their natural habitat is never a guarantee.  Although it would be disappointing to not see any Mantas on your tour, it is not the tour guides fault and he still needs to be paid for his time and effort.

But for a pretty solid chance of swimming with Mantas a mere $14-28 USD investment is well worth the risk, at least in my opinion.

However, if you are only interested in a guaranteed glimpse of this majestic creature, then your best bet is to visit your local aquarium.

ARE WE MISSING SOMETHING?

Did we forget to mention some important information in our blog “The Best Place in Bali To Swim With Manta Rays { Manta Point Nusa Penida }”?

Drop your comments & suggestions below!

And don’t forget to check out some of our other favorite blogs!