When I was in Bali earlier this year, I got the chance to try out one of the day cruise to Nusa Lembongan island. There were few companies operating the cruise ship around Bali, among them are Bali Hai Cruise, Bounty Cruise, Quicksilver Cruise and Bali Fun Ship. Alas after reading all the reviews, we decided to give Bali Hai Cruise a try.

Our cruise ship for the day

the bounty hunter cruise

Quicksilver cruise

That morning, we were picked up at the hotel by the cruise representative and were brought to Benoa port where we boarded the cruise ship. The ship was said to be able to accommodate 400 pax at a time.  Breakfast was served to us during the ride. The journey to the island took us 2 hours. Due to the strong waves along the way, there were many scenes of people feeling dizzy and even vomiting.

Around 11am, we reached our destination which was a pontoon parked just outside Lembongan Island. This is where the cruise docks and guests make full use of the facilities there. The pontoon has a 35m water slide which allows you to slide directly into the sea. Other activities include the unlimited banana boat ride, snorkelling, scuba diving, parasailing and also the village tour. By the way, scuba diving and parasailing requires additional charges. There’s also an underwater viewing panel for patrons to enjoy the underwater view without getting wet.

on the pontoon

water slide

underwater viewing chamber

Not far from the pontoon, there were high waves suitable for those who likes surfing. The water was not very good during our visit as the current was quite strong. It was very hard for us to do snorkelling. A buffet lunch was served to us on board the ship.

surf waves

After lunch, we went on the small boat to get to the beach for a village tour. One representative from Bali Hai accompanied us for the tour.  We had to walk around the island as there were only few cars/vans on the island. Most of the villagers there travel around by either walking, cycling or moving around on motorbikes. There were a few resorts around Lembongan Island for travellers who want to spend the night there.

a local cemetery

souvenirs.. dare to buy?

The houses around the island were all nicely built with heavy Balinese architecture. We also had the opportunity to watch one elderly weaving the traditional Balinese batik. The weaver said that she started weaving since she was 18 and now she’s already 57. Our last stop was the seaweed farm. This is where they processed the seaweed and let it dry before selling them off.

entrance to one of the houses there

temple

batik weaving session

seaweed farm

The weather suddenly changed and it looks like it’s about to rain so we left the island to head back to the pontoon. The cruise departs just a while after we were back at the pontoon.