The spectacular Kelinking Beach Nusa Penida, otherwise known as the “T-Rex Bay” or “T-Rex cliffs” is one of the most iconic viewpoints on the island and one of the most used images when is comes to promoting Bali and the Nusa Islands.
With a lot of striking similarities to the famous shipwreck beach on the island of Zakynthos in Greece, it’s no surprise this unusual shaped cliff, accompanied by a powder-white beach and turquoise waters draws so many tourists to Nusa Penida. The only other beach to rival it in the island is Atuh Beach in the far north.
Here I’m going to share my two experiences getting to Kelingking Beach Nusa Penida this year (because no story about Nusa Penida can be written without mentioning the death-defying roads!!), as well as sharing photos, how long to spend there and some things to be cautious of as it can be quite a dangerous place to visit.
Map of Kelingking Beach and Nusa Penida
Below is a map (from Google maps) of where Kelingking Beach Nusa Penida and T-Rex cliffs are located on the island on Nusa Penida. As you can see it’s on the south-western corner close to other main attractions such as Crystal Bay, Angels Billabong and the islands two most famous waterfalls.
How To Get To Kelingking Beach Nusa Penida
Picking which route you take to get to Kelingking Beach Nusa Penida will determine whether you have a sore ass the next day or not. I’m not kidding when I say that the roads on Nusa Penida are some of the worst I’ve ever come across in my life – comparing even to the dirt tracks I drove up the mountains in Lesotho, Southern Africa!
There are potholes so big they would swallow you and your bike whole, and the task of not getting a puncture or flat tire or tumbling off your bike is one you will concentrate on for the entirety of your journey.
On my second trip back to Nusa Penida this year, I thought I would be clever by looking at Google Maps street view, and zooming right in on the roads to see which are good and which are bad. However the Google street view pics are all from 2013, and sadly the roads have actually got worse since then.
If you do an organised tour, you don’t have much to worry about as they will know what roads to take. However, if like me you want to rent your own bike to explore the island, you will need to drive very carefully and pick the route to get to Kelingking Beach carefully.
If you look at the map below, you will see the route with the best road. If you travel to Angels Billabong and Broken Beach en route to Kelingking Beach – be prepared or the worst bike journey you’ve ever taken on the world’s worst road!! Whatever road you take, I’m sure you’ll be fine, just wear a helmet, runners (and not flip flops!!) and take it easy!
KelingKing Beach Stairs: BE CAREFEUL!
Once you arrive at Kelingking Cliffs Nusa Penida, you need to pay 5,000 per person and 1,000 for the bike to use the parking area. Park your bike then walk down to the main viewing area, where you will find a few small warungs selling cheap food and drinks. If you walk over to the right of the cliffs, you can get some pretty cool views looking down at the T-rex shaped cliffs and dazzling white sand beach below.
Next, you will want to follow the path down towards the beach. These steps are extremely steep, uneven and can get very muddy and slippery after rain.
This is a difficult hike and you definitely need decent shoes, sunscreen and plenty of water. We were told there are over 800 steps to climb down and the height of the cliffs from top to bottom is over 200 meters while the hike is said to be about 400 meters down the narrow cliff ridge.
Towards the bottom of the steps, it’s more like a ladder than steps so you need to take it slowly and be very careful as you make your way down. A Russian girl actually died here last year while trying to get a good viewpoint so be super careful!
You can also stop about half way and enjoy the views of the beach to the left and right and of course all the spectacular cliff faces that surround you. If you do make it to the bottom, you can reward yourself with a swim on one of Bali’s most secluded beaches!
What to pack/wear for your trip here
It gets extremely hot and humid on Nusa Penida so you should pack accordingly. If you plan to do the hike down to the beach at the bottom, I recommend wearing or at least packing trainers. I’ve seen people do it barefoot because their sandals were slipping off and they did not look like happy campers.
It’s also good to wear a hat, plenty of sunscreen and to bring lots of water as there is NOTHING available as you descend down to the beach and nothing for sale at the bottom.
You will also need both hands free to hold on for dear life, so bring a handbag or small backpack to out your water, phone and other items inside for safe keeping.
Accommodation near Kelingking Beach
We actually stayed about 10 minutes from the ferry port in a lovely hotel called Pandawa Resort and Spa. It was one of the more expensive options but came with a lovely pool and spectacular views looking back at Bali and Mount Agung. You won’t find the nice, Insta-worthy villas like they have in Canggu but there are some good options.
If you want to see sunset or maybe even sunrise nearby Kelingking Beach, then it’s best to stay in Crystal Bay or even a local homestay close to the cliffs.
You can find some pretty cool options on Airbnb – and can get $30 free credit by signing up with my link here. We even came across some amazing treehouses, like the famous one you always see in Ubud!
I hope this guide to visiting Kelinking Beach Nusa Penida was helpful! If you have any more questions about visiting, or Nusa Penida in general please leave a comment or get in touch!
Last updated on October 13th, 2023 at 11:28 am
