Bali, the paradise of Southeast Asia, also known as “that place where Julia Roberts loves at some point in Eat, Pray, Love”, is one of my favourite destinations in Indonesia and the reason is simple: Bali has so many things to do that every time I visit, I find new things to do, see, or explore. You can have breakfast atop a volcano, enjoy a bicycle adventure through the rice fields, visit the wildlife safari, enjoy your time like a kid at the super fun Waterbom Waterpark or wake up since 5am and hop on a boat hoping to see wild dolphins. This time, however, we chose to visit one of the nearby Islands called Nusa Lembongan, home to hundreds of species of fish, coral, seaweed, and many other aquatic creatures.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znwlqEATN3U
The alarm woke us up at 7am and after a nice breakfast and a long time in the shower struggling to keep my eyes open, the driver picked us up at our hotel in Kuta. After a 30-minute drive, we arrived at the Bali Hai pier, where we patiently waited for our departure, sitting in a crowd of excited, sleepy, and hungry tourists.
The boat itself was quite big. It had 3 decks with access to indoor (yes, indoor means a/c) and outdoor seating spaces with free flow of hot/cold tea, coffee, and water. Other drinks like beer and cokes were available for a cost. It took us approximately 1 hour to get to the reef. Once there, the boat moored alongside a pontoon packed with many water activities that went from unlimited Banana Boat rides, snorkeling, and a waterslide, to a walking tour around Lembongan Island and a ride in a glass-bottomed boat, all included in our ticket. Did I mentioned there was a trampoline where I couldn’t stop jumping from for almost an hour?
The Pontoon, where all the fun happens!
Unlimited Banana boat rides, how does that sound?
Nusa Lembongan, taken during our walking tour of the island.
Oh! By the way, lunch is also included in your paid fee; a very tasty local/international buffet that really hit the spot after a long morning of continuous efforts not to drown.
Overall, the experience was great, especially the part where I discovered that out of the 150 people that got on the boat at the departure pier, only half actually stayed at the reef, the rest took a smaller boat from the pontoon to the Bali Hai Beach Club in Lembongan Island.
The Klook app, always handy to book activities anywhere!
In conclusion, the waking up early to swim, jump, slide, and scream like a maniac in the middle of the clear waters of Lembongan is completely worth it!
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