Kelingking Beach on Nusa Penida: T-Rex Cliff Hike

Kelingking Beach on Nusa Penida, Bali

Kelingking actually translates into English meaning Pinkie a term referencing the smallest finger on the hand. Just like a pinkie promise, the land does also appear to take the form of a Kelingking or pinkie finger. However, it is the comparison to the T-Rex that has caused Kelingking Beach on Nusa Penida to become so popular. In this blog post, I’ll share everything you need to know about Kelingking Beach.

Visit Kelingking Beach from Bali

If you are based in Bali you can join the Ultimate Nusa Penida Day Trip Tour from Bali tour with GetYourGuide. They will pick you up in the morning from your hotel in Bali, take you across to Nusa Penida by fast boat, and then bring you back to Bali in the evening after an incredible day of adventures. Remember to tell them which spots are on your Nusa Penida Bucket list and they will make it happen! If you are already on Nusa Penida, I’ll detail how to visit in the paragraph below.

How to get to Kelingking Beach on Nusa Penida

Kelingking Beach is located on Nusa Penida Island, in the Klungkung Regency, Bali, Indonesia.

Assuming you’re already on Nusa Penida Island, the quickest way to get to Kelingking Beach is by motorbike or car. You can rent a motorbike or hire a car with a driver if you prefer not to drive. The roads on Nusa Penida are known for being quite rugged, so do be careful. If you aren’t confident in driving, you can rent a car on Nusa Penida with private driver, which is a good option to visit multiple spots safely in a day with a group of friends.

Kelingking Beach on Nusa Penida: What to Expect

On the island of Nusa Penida, you can hire a moped and make the journey to Kelingking, which is about 30 minutes from the harbor. A series of restaurants/warungs are perched on the mountain with some pretty extreme views.

The safety at Kelingking is reliant on the bamboo railing but now some serious infrastructure has been added and I have noticed cement stairs, sturdy hand-rails and a much clearer paths. It was fun before but probably alot safer now. You will see the old, ‘wild’ setup in many of my photos in this blog post.

The Viewpoints at Kelingking Secret Point Beach

Further down from the restaurant area is what could be considered the main viewing point. From here you can enjoy the view all the way down to the beach. This is the perfect spot to fully grasp the shape of the dinosaur or Kelingking. If you look at the picture below you can see the head with the mouth wide open on the left, while the tail seemingly wraps around to the right!

Often tourist spots can be a bit underwhelming, especially rock or land formations that are supposed to be shaped like an animal. However, the T-Rex at Kelingking Beach is one of the most awesome sights in all of Indonesia. Not only is the shape very accurately depicting a T-Rex, the pure scale of the cliffs is impressive enough on it’s own no matter what dinosaur it looks like. It’s quite simply just an awe-inspiring view.

Hiking to Kelingking Beach

Further down from the top viewpoint, you can walk along the ridge or the spine of the T-Rex. There was also a path leading down to the shore. On my first visit to Kelingking Beach, I didn’t venture down to the beach but on my second visit, I made my way down.

The climb is very steep but only short and has railing the whole way. It isn’t easy and if you don’t think you can make it back up I would just enjoy the view from the top. I’ve heard many foreigners and locals exclaiming that it was the ‘hardest hike of their life’. It’s steep but quite short. If you don’t exercise often or didn’t bring good shoes, maybe consider just enjoying the viewpoint.

Kelingking Beach Caves

Down the far end on Kelingking Beach is an incredible cave. It’s truly massive. If you are looking for some shade or a quiet place to hang out for a while, this is it. It’s also an amazing place to frame a unique photo of Kelingking Beach.

How Did Kelingking Beach Get it’s Name

Kelingking Beach on Nusa Penida Island, Indonesia, gets its name from its unique topographic shape which resembles a T-Rex dinosaur. “Kelingking” in the local language translates to “pinkie” or “baby finger”, but visitors often see the shape of a T-Rex when they look at it from the viewing platform.

The naming of the beach as “Kelingking” reflects how locals interpreted the cliff formation. However, it’s the interpretation by tourists as a T-Rex-like formation that has made it globally recognizable and popular. Regardless of whether you see a dinosaur or a pinkie finger, there’s no denying that the striking landscape and beautiful beach make it a must-visit spot.

How to get to the Nusa Islands

There are three main options to get to Nusa Penida depending on your budget and how many logistics you want to manage. Here are the three options with the cheapest first:

1. Book your ticket: Sanur (Bali) to Nusa Lembongan – Book a regular ferry that leaves from Sanur to Nusa Penida on the reliable website 12go. You then need to moped or taxi across to Nusa Penida via another ferry/boat.
2. Book a fast boat: Sanur (Bali) to Nusa Penida – This option is great as you go direct from Bali to Penida without having to stop in Lembongan. This option is only slightly more expensive than stopping in Lembongan. This is my favorite option of the three and can be booked on Klook.
3. Book a fast boat with hotel-pick up: Sanur (Bali) to Nusa Penida – This option includes a fast boat from Sanur (Bali) to Nusa Penida but also includes pick up from your hotel in Bali in a van. This option from GetYourGuide is a bit more expensive but takes all the hassle out of the transit from Bali to Nusa Penida.

MORE NUSA ISLANDS BLOG POSTS

There are a ton of epic things to do on Nusa Penida, but I also wrote detailed guides for all of the adventurous things to do on Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Ceningan. You can explore more of my guides by clicking one of the links below.