Sanur Harbour guide: boarding the fast boat to Nusa Penida

Fast boats to Nusa Penida leave from Sanur Harbour, which opened in late 2022 beside Matahari Terbit beach in Sanur, on Bali’s east coast. Be at your boat company’s counter 30 minutes before departure with your passport and confirmation. Depending on the company and the tide, you board from the floating pontoon or wade out from the beach.

The crossing itself takes 30 to 45 minutes, and on this site a seat costs €16 one way or €31 return per person. What catches first-timers out is not the sea but the harbour: the morning traffic, finding the right counter, and the moment you realise you may be stepping into the water with your bag. Here is how a departure from Sanur actually goes, and what to expect on the way back. If you are still working out how to get from your hotel to Sanur, start with how to get to Nusa Penida from Bali, which has drive times from Ubud, Kuta, Seminyak and Canggu.

Where exactly is Sanur Harbour?

Sanur Harbour, Pelabuhan Sanur in Indonesian, is on Jalan Matahari Terbit, beside the beach of the same name, in the Sanur Kaja area of Denpasar. President Joko Widodo inaugurated it in November 2022 to ease the crowding and traffic that used to build up around the beach, with a terminal building shaped like a traditional outrigger boat, a floating pontoon and parking. It serves the boats to Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan, and the boat companies run their check-in counters around it. Since February 2026, a few operators have also been trialling extra departures from a jetty at Mertasari, further south in Sanur, to spread the traffic. Always go where your confirmation tells you: it names the boat company and the departure point.

How early should I get to Sanur Harbour?

Be at your boat company’s counter 30 minutes before departure: that is when check-in happens, and the boats leave on time. In practice, aim to arrive about 45 minutes ahead, to allow for parking, finding the counter and the morning queue; the entrance can bottleneck while the early boats are leaving, roughly between 7:30 and 9:00. Traffic on the roads into Sanur is the other unknown. Our first departure of the day leaves at 07:30, and if you are coming from Canggu or Ubud for it, that usually means a pickup while it is still dark.

What happens at check-in?

• Show your booking confirmation (on your phone is fine) and your passport at the counter of the boat company named on it. Names are checked against the booking.
• You are usually given a boarding pass or a sticker, and told where and when to wait.
• Larger bags are often tagged at the counter and carried on board by the crew. Each traveller can bring one bag and one small carry-on; surfboards and diving gear are possible on request, if you mentioned them when booking.
• There is nothing to pay at the harbour. The Nusa Penida levy is collected on the island, and the Bali tourist levy is paid online.
• If you get seasick, take your tablet now rather than on board.

Do you board from a pier or from the beach?

Both happen. The harbour has a floating pontoon, and some companies board from it: you walk down the gangway and step across onto the boat. Others still load from the beach, as Sanur’s boats always have, and then you walk out through shallow water, sometimes knee-deep depending on the tide, and climb a short ladder at the stern while the crew pass the bags up by hand. You will not know which until the day, so dress for the beach version: sandals or water shoes, shorts or trousers you can roll up, and your phone, passport and cash in a dry bag or a zipped pocket. The same can happen when you land on Nusa Penida, at Banjar Nyuh or Buyuk.

Where should I sit, and what is the crossing like?

Most fast boats on this route have an enclosed cabin with rows of seats and a small open deck at the back. If you are prone to seasickness, sit towards the back, where the motion is gentlest, and keep your eyes on the horizon. The Badung Strait is often calm, but the ride can be bumpy when the swell is up, more often in the wet season from November to March; our guide to the best time to visit Nusa Penida explains the seasons. Spray reaches the open deck, so keep your bag closed. When you sit down, note where the life jackets are stowed: it takes ten seconds.

How do I get to and from the harbour?

The transfer between your hotel and the harbour is not included in the boat ticket, so arrange it the day before. Hotels can book a driver, and for a dawn departure a driver you have already used is the most relaxed option. Being dropped off at the harbour is straightforward; being picked up is less so, as some travellers report that app-based taxis cannot collect passengers there. For the return, it is simplest to have a driver waiting or to agree the pickup point in advance. If you drive yourself, there is parking at the harbour.

What happens on the way back?

On Nusa Penida, check in at the boat company’s counter at the island harbour 30 minutes before departure; our last boat back to Sanur leaves at 16:30. You land at Sanur Harbour, where taxis and drivers wait at the exit. If the harbour master closes the crossing because of the swell, which happens occasionally and mostly in the wet season, you choose another departure or a full refund. Leave yourself a margin: if you can avoid it, do not cross back on the day of an international flight.

How do I book the crossing?

Book a one-way seat for €16 or a return ticket for €31 per person, with 5 departures a day in each direction, children at the same fare and up to 10 travellers per online booking. Your confirmation email gives the boat company, the departure point and the check-in counter. For a departure less than 48 hours away, the booking is taken as pending while we check the seat with the boat company, then confirmed by email; if there is no seat, you are refunded in full. Cancel more than 48 hours before departure for a full refund. Planning to come back the same evening? Our day-trip guide has the timing.