One of the best things about Bali is how much choice you have when it comes to booking your holiday destination or destinations. There are beach towns, mountain towns, and there are also some small islands off the coast of the mainland.
But how do you make up your mind where to go when confronted with two attractive places like Canggu, the mainland’s most popular destination, and Nusa Penida one of three Nusa Islands?
Well, we decided to help you out by putting the two places head-to-head against a series of objective criteria that allow you to weigh up the pros and cons and make the best decision for your holiday.
About Canggu
Canggu has transformed in recent years from a sleepy village environment into the most popular spot on the island.
You’ll find coworking spaces stuffed with digital nomads, surfers on the beach enjoying some of the best waves around, party goers at FINNS Beach Club and many more folks taking in island life in Canggu.
Its buzzing streets are crammed with cozy coffee shops, brilliant bars and pubs, and with some of the best restaurants in Indonesia.
In short, Canggu has arrived and the area is leaving its backpacking roots behind as it welcomes a broader range of people seeking an amazing experience in Bali.
About Nusa Penida
Nusa Penida is the largest of the three Nusa Islands a short boat journey off the coast of mainland Bali.
It’s also undergoing something of a transformation as it becomes more popular with tourists, but it’s nothing like as dramatic as in Canggu.
People visit Nusa Penida to chill out by the sea, enjoying quiet beaches and watching the world go by. While it’s not an entirely sleepy destination – there are things to do, it’s not got the same energy as somewhere like Canggu.
It’s a place to explore island life and there’s still plenty of room at the inn for backpackers and budget travellers, for now, at least.
Canggu Or Nusa Penida? A Breakdown Of Each Area
So, we’ve tried to break down a series of categories that are most likely to interest a visitor to Bali and then, using our knowledge of both Canggu and Nusa Penida we’ve compared them in each category.
The idea is that, whatever our final score, you can decide which area stacks up best for you based on what you care about and what matters to your holiday.
What Are The Hotels, Resorts, Etc. Like?
Canggu has seen a lot of development in recent years and that means there’s a really broad range of places where you can rest your head for a night or five.
You can find cheap rooms in guest houses, dorm rooms in hostels, comfy beds in mid-range boutique hotels, high-end luxury hotels and private villas with their own catering staff, depending on how much you want to spend.
Of course, soon there will be FINNS Bali Resort and that will be the number one place to stay in Canggu, but until then, you’re spoiled for choice when it comes to accommodation in Canggu.
Nusa Penida is a little more limited. It’s more about guest houses, hostels and mid-range boutique hotels and there are only really a couple of luxury properties on the island.
This makes sense as it’s harder to get to than Canggu and thus, more well-heeled customers will often not want to go to the effort required to get there.
That means that Canggu wins this category with a more well-rounded offering than Nusa Penida. However, you can definitely find a nice place to stay in Nusa Penida, all the same.
Where Is The Best Place For A Party?
There is absolutely no contest at all in this category. People just don’t go to Nusa Penida to party.
That doesn’t mean you can’t find a bar that hots up a little in the evenings or a beach club with a live band after sunset, but overall? It’s a place for chilling on the beach with a cocktail in your hand soaking up some rays.
Canggu, on the other hand, has the best nightlife in Bali. It’s the home of FINNS Beach Club, the world’s best beach club, which sees the wildest nights.
It also has endless bars, pubs and clubs and for all tastes and all budgets. Live music is a little thin on the ground in Canggu, but it’s only a short drive to Seminyak and Kuta where there are plenty of options.
So, this is hands-down a win for Canggu. Though if you like a quiet life, Nusa Penida might be more your style.
Which One Is Best For Shopaholics?
Nusa Penida isn’t without shopping options but mainly, it’s just not practical to import goods from the mainland to sell them at inflated prices to tourists, who will then take them back to the mainland.
So, if you need to buy essentials, then you’ll probably be very happy in Nusa Penida. But otherwise, you’re probably going to want until you get back to the island of Bali, before you go wild with your wallet.
Canggu isn’t quite as good as Seminyak for shopping, but it has a wealth of boutique stores, markets, etc. and that means it’s the ideal place to go looking for swimwear, active wear, surfing gear, cute summer dresses, etc.
There are no malls in Canggu but you can easily find souvenirs, sunglasses, etc. and there are plenty of supermarkets if you want to stock up on certain foods.
Overall, Canggu is much better for shopping than Nusa Penida is.
Where Will I Get The Best Food?
Canggu is a foodie’s paradise. There are hundreds of cafes, bars, restaurants, etc. in the area and you can find everything from a humble warung serving up authentic Balinese food, to FINNS Beach Club offering a huge range of international and local options from its kitchens, to some seriously fancy restaurants doing the fine dining thing.
Wherever you go in Canggu, you’re not far from a great place to enjoy a serious feed and the prices are very reasonable, in the main.
Nusa Penida, on the other hand, is a small island and that means they have to import almost everything for their kitchens from Bali. This is expensive and tends to reduce the amount of ingredients available to their restaurants.
You can certainly get some great seafood BBQ in Nusa Penida and there’s a decent range of warungs, restaurants, etc. to choose from.
But overall, Canggu is a much better place to enjoy great food than Nusa Penida and a lot of that is down to Canggu’s more convenient location.
Comparing Beaches
Canggu’s black sand beaches aren’t to everyone’s taste but we defy anyone to come down to Berawa Beach at sunset and not be impressed by the view as the sun lights up the sky and the light is reflected in the water trapped in the black sand below.
However, while Canggu’s beaches can catch the eye and are great for surfing, they aren’t great for swimming and dangerous currents in the area make it a good idea to save swimming for your hotel pool.
Nusa Penida has some of the prettiest beaches that we’ve seen in Bali, but they’re often either difficult to get to (you will have to go a long way down a steep cliff on rickety stairs) or completely impossible to get to (Kelingking Beach, Broken Beach, etc. are completely off limits to tourists and can only be viewed from above).
However, if you do get to the beach then places like Diamond Beach are exceptionally nice beaches to spend a day on.
But be careful swimming in certain spots in Nusa Penida, while some beaches are great for snorkelling others are a little dangerous too.
However, overall, we’re going to give this category to Nusa Penida. We’re mightily fond of Canggu’s beaches, but this little island has the edge.
Water Sports Opportunities
When it comes to water sports, there are some opportunities in Canggu and it’s a surfer’s paradise. The breaks on Canggu’s beaches tend to be tailored to beginners and many people come to Canggu just to learn the sport.
Head out to Echo Beach though and things definitely get a bit more challenging. It’s a place where advanced surfers hone their skills before heading to Uluwatu for Bali’s ultimate challenges.
However, Nusa Penida is the best place to go diving and snorkeling in Bali for our money, the water is crystal clear and the range of marine life is unbeatable.
Who wouldn’t enjoy swimming with manta rays (they don’t sting, they’re 100% harmless gentle giants of the sea) or coming face to face with the Mola-Mola (giant sunfish)?
So, we think Nusa Penida edges out Canggu in this category and is the better of the two destinations for water sports.
Which Is The Prettiest Place?
Beauty is, of course, in the eye of the beholder and thus, this category is, perhaps, the most subjective.
Canggu is a striking place with black sand beaches, lush green rice paddies, local temples, big beach clubs, boutique hotels and more.
Nusa Penida, on the other hand, is a small island. It’s less developed than Canggu and there’s more countryside and shoreline to have to yourself.
In fact, this category is so subjective that we can’t really pick a winner here, both areas have their plus points and both have their downsides. So, we’re going to call it a draw in the battle of looks between Canggu and Nusa Penida.
Where Will I Have The Most Things To Do?
Canggu as an area probably has more things to do than you will find in the whole of Nusa Penida.
Nusa Penida has some lovely natural sights, some nice beaches, and some water sports to offer.
But Canggu has horse riding, surfing, beaches, yoga studios, boutique stores, art schools, dance schools, and so much more.
And if you do run out of things to do in Canggu, you’re only a short drive away from Ubud, Seminyak, Kuta, Legian, Jimbaran, Uluwatu, Seseh, etc. and that means there are infinitely more things to do around Canggu than there are in Nusa Penida.
So, Canggu wins this category with a certain amount of ease. Of course, people visit Nusa Penida, usually, to do less, not more – so that might not matter too much to you.
Which Area Do The Expats Prefer?
While there are expats living on Nusa Penida, there aren’t that many of them and the vast majority are working in the hotel and restaurant industries.
That’s because things like dealing with immigration become even more complicated when you’re on another island from the immigration service.
It’s also not that developed and while there’s no doubt that Nusa Penida is a great place to go for a holiday, people start to miss creature comforts like a supermarket with Western products, etc. when they live in a place for a long time.
Canggu is extremely popular with expats at this moment and that’s because it has the most facilities on the doorstep.
If you want to shop, do something interesting, eat out, surf, party, etc. it’s all within your reach and that matters a lot to most expats.
That means, Canggu is a clear winner in this category. Expats are unlikely to move to Nusa Penida in droves, particularly when the island has no airport.
Which Area Is Most Popular With Digital Nomads?
Canggu is a digital nomad haven. It’s probably the second most popular spot in Southeast Asia after Chiang Mai in Thailand for digital nomads.
And the town is completely set up for those who love to work and travel. There are endless coworking spaces and plenty of cafes and restaurants with Wi-Fi and a laptop friendly environment to work from.
The surfing, party and wellness scenes make Canggu very attractive to nomads and the fairly central location of Canggu makes it very easy to get to other popular tourist towns like Ubud, Seminyak, Kuta, Jimbaran, etc. on day trips.
While it’s not impossible to work from Nusa Penida, it’s nowhere near as convenient as it is in Canggu.
For some nomads, this won’t be a big deal, as long as they’ve got internet and a desk in their hotel room, they’ll be fine.
But for nomads who seek community, coliving and coworking? That’s not really Nusa Penida’s style.
Thus, we’d say that Canggu is, by far, the most popular spot for digital nomads and the winner of this category.
Canggu Vs Nusa Penida – Which Place Comes Out On Top?
So, in our head-to-head round up, Nusa Penida came out on top for the best beaches and best water sports possibilities and the two areas drew for aesthetics.
However, Canggu powered ahead and won the best hotels, partying, shopping, and dining. It has the most things to do and is the preferred destination of both expats and digital nomads.
And the scores don’t lie, that means we think that Canggu is likely to be a better destination for most holidaymakers than Nusa Penida.
Of course, if you’re spending a couple of weeks in Bali, you might opt for a dual centre holiday and experience both locations and make your own mind up about which you truly prefer.
FAQs
Is Nusa Penida A Nice Part Of Bali?
Yes, Nusa Penida is a nice part of Bali. Well, to be precise, it’s a nice part of the province called Bali as Nusa Penida is one of three Nusa islands that are offshore from the mainland.
These islands are easily accessible by boat from Bali proper and it’s only about 40-60 minute trip on the water. However, it’s important to note that there are no airports in the Nusa Islands, so if you want to visit you will have to catch a boat.
This is no problem in clement weather but the trip can be pretty rough when it’s stormy and we’d advise you to pack valuables in waterproof cases.
Once you get to Nusa Penida, you’ll find a charming island with some lovely beaches, nice resorts and quite a few attractions to keep you busy while you’re there.
Is Nusa Penida or Canggu Better For Shopping?
There’s no contest in this category at all Canggu is much better than Nusa Penida for shopping. That’s because there is no real industry on Nusa Penida beyond hospitality and a little bit of agriculture.
So, everything that is sold on the island must be imported by boat and that drives up the costs of goods. While this is manageable for food and drink, for things like luxury dresses – it quickly becomes unaffordable.
You can definitely buy the basic things you will need on Nusa Penida, but not much more than that and a few fairly generic souvenirs.
Canggu, on the other hand, is something of a shopper’s paradise and other than Seminyak, it’s the most popular place to shop in Bali.
You can find boutique stores, markets, and many other places to spend your hard earned money in this part of Bali.
Are The Beaches In Nusa Penida Clean?
Yes, the beaches in Nusa Penida are mainly clean and well kept. However, as with many beaches in Bali, there’s not much that anyone can do about garbage in the sea washing ashore.
This garbage is not generated locally but comes from all over Indonesia and beyond, which means that local policies can’t help to regulate the waste.
As with mainland Bali, there are beach cleaning teams that work hard to remove all this washed up trash from the beaches, but there are times when there’s simply too much for them to handle.
Thus, when it comes to beaches in Nusa Penida, you’re more likely to find a pristine beach, a little later in the day when the teams have had a chance to work their magic on the sand.
Should I Stay In Canggu Or Kuta?
Kuta was once the number one destination for tourists in Bali. It’s still fairly popular and there are busy streets, cheap eats and the island’s best malls as well as some fairly wild nightlife.
However, the beach is currently a mess due to preservation work taking place and the area is starting to look a little run down.
It’s close to the airport, which is handy, but it means putting up with a lot of minor niggles that can make Kuta annoying in the long run.
Canngu, on the other hand, is cooler, fresher, hipper and more popular in every way than Kuta. You’ve got FINNS Beach Club, epic black sand beaches, an excellent surf scene and amazing boutique shopping to enjoy.
It also has the best nightlife on the island. Coworking spaces for digital nomads. And much more, the only reason we can think of to pick Kuta over Canggu is if your budget won’t stretch to Canggu.
Final Thoughts On Canggu Or Nusa Penida
We don’t believe that there’s anywhere in Bali that’s not worth visiting but if you have to choose between Canggu and Nusa Penida? Our head-to-head says you should choose Canggu.
Of course, you could always choose a multi-centre holiday if you’re here on the island for quite some time and enjoy both places.
But overall, Canggu has more to see and do and the advantage of offering access to many other interesting places in Bali.