If you made it here it is most likely that you already know a little bit about Suwehan beach. Maybe you saw it on a video on YouTube (hopefully ours) or on a post on social media. Then, like us back then, you’re trying to figure out whether it is worth the trip and, more importantly, how difficult it is to get there. Don’t worry, we’ve got your back.
With the boom of tourism in Nusa Penida, visiting this island in normal conditions will be a complete different experience (yes we visited and are writing this during COVID). We’ve heard of difficulties finding cars, traffic jams and even people queuing to access all the popular spots - you have to understand that Nusa Penida is a small little island, so it doesn’t really mix well with incredibly high amounts of visitors…so what does all of this have to do with Suwehan Beach? We’ll get to that.
We haven’t really explored Nusa Penida in high season, but we can imagine the frustration. However, we believe that because accessing most of the beaches in Nusa Penida requires some level of fitness, maybe it won’t seem as crowded when you actually make it to the bottom - we surely hope so.
As a result of the crazy boom of Nusa Penida some three years ago, lot’s of things have changed rapidly. And because of this, some blogs might be too outdated - especially when covering the topic of moving around or how to get there. Ok, now that we got this introduction out of the way let’s talk more about Suwehan beach.
How to get to Suwehan Beach
Suwehan beach is located on the south east side of the island, relatively close to Diamond Beach and Atuh Beach, but it doesn’t see as many visitors. We cannot confirm this, but we were told that you might find yourself alone in Suwehan Beach even during high season which is really something. You’ll have to pay the price for this and the beach doesn’t accept money, only sweat!
Driving to Suwehan Beach from the main town of Toyapakeh will take you 60-90 minutes without traffic (we started before sunrise!) and it is a very good road 95% of the time. It is that last 5% that will make you think twice if it’s actually worth going down - but it is.
As a result of the boom in Nusa Penida all mayor roads in the island were revamped and are very good, although a bit too narrow. Drive safely and just assume that a car is coming in the opposite direction after every turn, just to be safe. But the last part I guess isn’t consider a mayor road and it is pretty scary.
I don’t consider myself an expert driving a scooter, but I have some experience in bad roads - but this one was the most challenging. The problem is only on the descent because the gravel is very loose and extremely slippery - be very careful on the breaks and don’t assume you’ll regain control of the bike by using your feet. Keep your steering wheel straight in the difficult parts and go very slowly and you should be fine - we wouldn’t recommend this drive to unexperienced drivers (maybe hire a driver) or even normal drivers like us if the gravel is wet. It was really a scary drive down there.
Looking back, I don’t think the whole descent is that tricky it’s really just a couple of difficult spots but once you feel that scooter sliding you’ll start second-guessing everything. But even then, you’ll find yourself enjoying the magnificent view from up there. It is actually the most beautiful part of the drive, with the road overlooking some ricefields, with the ocean on the back.
Once you reach the village, know that the worst is over. Going back will not be as challenging, so take a breath and know that you’ve made it.
Just as any other beach in Nusa Penida you’ll park your scooter on the top of a cliff and you’ll need to walk all the way down. As of March 2021 the descent is very doable. Yes, there are lots of steps and it gets a bit steep but it isn’t as adventurous as Kelingking or Diamond beach. In fact, most of the trail is paved and covered by tress to you’ll be covered from the sun. When we visited, some parts of the trail where starting to get covered with branches and leaves, but it was easily doable - well not easily, we did suffer a lot going back up, but that’s a matter of fitness, we cannot really blame anyone else but us for that.
What to do in Suwehan Beach
Well, this one is easy - not much. There is literally nothing down there so it’ll be a proper beach day. Starting from 8-9am you’ll struggle to find shade up until 3 maybe 4pm. But quite frankly, getting there is and adventure by itself and actually getting to the beach is the reward.
The views that you get along the road are insane, so much that it might qualify as our favorite drive ever. Nusa Penida is really a beautiful island and you’ll see plenty of it along the way.
Is it worth visiting Suwehan Beach?
This of course will depend on your personal taste and how many days you have there, but if you made it to Nusa Penida we can assume you like beaches and if you’re looking for alternatives to the most popular ones we can assume you have time so we totally recommend you to visit Suwehan Beach, but consider hiring a driver if you don’t feel comfortable driving in rough dirt roads.
The truth is, Suwehan Beach is not our favorite beach in Nusa Penida. That spot was claimed by Diamond Beach and it wasn’t even close. In retrospective, I think having visited Diamond Beach before Suwehan Beach already took some of the magic away. But the drive to Suwehan Beach was one of the, if not the most beautiful scooter rides we’ve ever done and just because Suwehan Beach isn’t our favorite doesn’t mean it is not extremely beautiful - and is actually very good for pictures if that’s what you’re after. It might also be the best way for you to find a beautiful beach and hopefully avoid the crowds. Let’s just hope Suwehan Beach remains a local secret for some time.
