8°40′54″S115°27′04″E / 8.681767°S 115.451117°E /-8.681767; 115.451117
Nusa Lembongan is anisland located southeast ofBali,Indonesia. It is part of a group of three islands that make up theNusa Penida district, of which it is the most famous of the three islands of Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, andNusa Ceningan - known together as the "Nusa Islands".[1] This island group, in turn, is part of theLesser Sunda Islands.
Administratively, the island is part of the Nusa Penida district ofKlungkung Regency. Nusa Lembongan is one of three small offshore islands that make up this district, the others beingNusa Penida andNusa Ceningan.[2] Nusa Lembongan has the vast majority of the tourist infrastructure within the district and is the most popular destination for visitors to the Nusa Islands as it has the most accommodation and dining options for travellers fromBali andLombok.[3]
Nusa Lembongan is approximately 8 square kilometres in area with a permanent population estimated at 5,000.[4] Twelve kilometres of theBadung Strait separates Nusa Lembongan fromBali Island. The island is surrounded bycoral reefs with white sand beaches and lowlimestone cliffs. Nusa Lembongan is separated fromNusa Ceningan by a shallow estuarine channel which is difficult to navigate at low tide. There are no permanent waterways on Nusa Lembongan. There is a suspension bridge linking Nusa Lembongan andNusa Ceningan which takes foot and motorbike traffic only.
There are three main villages on the island. Jungut Batu and Mushroom Bay are the centres of the tourist-based industry and activities on the island[5] whilst much of the permanent local population resides in Lembongan Village.
To the east, theLombok Strait separates the three islands fromLombok and marks the biogeographical division between the fauna of theIndomalayan realm and the distinctly different fauna ofAustralasia. The transition is known as theWallace Line, named afterAlfred Russel Wallace, who first proposed a transition zone between these two majorbiomes.
The northeastern side of the island is flanked by a relatively large area of mangroves totaling some 212 hectares.[6]
Nusa Lembongan is served by regular direct speed-boat services, mostly from the east-coast Bali resort town ofSanur. Crossing time is approximately 30 minutes and services run at regular intervals during daylight hours. Larger cargo boats also run daily from the Bali port town ofPadang Bai.
The island is populated by very few cars. Its main source of transportation is by scooters and foot, due to the small size of the island.
The economy is largely based on tourism and Nusa Lembongan is the only one of the three neighbouring islands to have any significant tourism-based infrastructure. Nusa Lembongan is particularly well known as a world-class surfing destination, with famous surf breaks including Shipwrecks, Lacerations & Playgrounds.[7] The island is also known for its surrounding world-class scuba diving and snorkeling on the coral reefs.[8] There is also subsistence agriculture and fishing[9] on the island, and a seaweed farming micro-industry until as recently as 2015 when due to tourism and pollution it became nonviable.[10] Following the covid pandemic and subsequent lag in tourism, seaweed farming came back in Nusa Lemponbang in 2020.[11]
The island also contains several guesthouses and even a small gym at a resort.[12]
Marine conservation is considered extremely important to sustaining future levels of tourism on the island[8] and in February 2009, a local NGO from Nusa Lembongan, facilitated by The Nature Conservancy Coral Triangle Center, opened a community centre on Nusa Lembongan. The waters around Nusa Lembongan andNusa Penida have at least 247 species of coral and 562 species of reef fish.[13]
Other conservation initiatives include a release programme of vulnerableolive ridley turtles from Sunset Beach on the southwestern coast.[14][15]
Media related toNusa Lembongan at Wikimedia Commons
