Diamond Beach, Nusa Penida

No. A circular from the Klungkung regent dated 23 January 2023 forbade swimming and entering the water at Diamond Beach, Kelingking and Angel's Billabong, and it still applies. People ignore it and some die: a Ukrainian visitor drowned in August 2025. There is no lifeguard service. For a safer dip, try Crystal Bay inside the moored boats or the natural pool at Tembeling.

Steep but doable for fit walkers in proper shoes. The steps are carved into the cliff with a rope rail on the open side and a steep final stretch where you grip the rope. Expect 10 to 25 minutes down and longer back up. Counts of the steps vary. Give it a miss if heights, knees or balance trouble you; visitors were injured here in 2022 and 2025.

For now, only for parking. Until September 2026 the private operator sold its own ticket, reported at IDR 60,000 per person, though prices of IDR 20,000 to 35,000 were also quoted. On 10 September 2026 Klungkung's tourism office stopped the operator charging while its permits are reviewed and announced a planned regency ticket of IDR 25,000 per visitor.

Yes. Rumours of a permit-related shutdown circulated in early September 2026, but the regent clarified that only unlicensed businesses on the cliff were sealed, and the tourism office later stated the beach had remained open throughout. The swing and zip line remain shut. The permit review is ongoing, so ask your driver the day before you go.

No need to choose: a single car park serves both, with a quarter-hour walk between them. Diamond Beach is the spectacle, with sea stacks, the cliff stairway, a thin strip of sand, little shade and no swimming. Atuh is the place to relax, a wide bay with 166 concrete steps, loungers, warungs and all-day sun, though strong waves mean paddling only. Start at Diamond, then unwind at Atuh.

Most people sail from Sanur, landing at one of the north-coast harbours after under an hour, and then face a cross-island drive of about 60 minutes. The quicker east-side option is the Kusamba boat to Sampalan, which cuts the road leg to 40–60 minutes. Penida has no ride-hailing, so arrange a driver (roughly IDR 700,000–1,000,000 per day) or a scooter.

It can be done, but badly. Getting from one coast to the other eats up to 1.5 hours each way, before you count the boat and check-in from Bali, so the two-coast tours spend most of their time on the road. Splitting the coasts over two days works far better, as does sleeping in the east and catching Diamond Beach at first light.

From sunrise until about 9 am, near low tide, in the dry months from April to October. Early on, the light flatters the stacks, the steps are cooler and the crowds are thin. Tour cars from the morning boats arrive from late morning, and in the afternoon the beach falls into the cliff's shadow. When the tide rises, the sand all but disappears.

Yes, for the view and the descent, if you have time on the east side and can handle steep steps. It is among the most photographed coastlines in Indonesia. Anyone after a swim or a lounge should head to Atuh instead, and one-day visitors who care most about Kelingking should skip the east entirely.

Not at present. Regency officers closed both the swing and the zip line on 22 August 2026, citing missing building permits and safety certification, and the tourism office has said they stay shut until licensed. It was not the first suspension: in July 2024 the zip line was halted after a girl of 11 got stuck halfway across, dangling above the waves.

The clifftop is fine; the beach only suits children who can manage steep, narrow steps on their own and will stay out of the sea. There are no lifeguards, and at high tide the waves reach the cliff base. With little ones, enjoy the clifftop views here and do your sandcastles at Atuh, where the shallows are gentler.