To the southeast of Bali, across the deep and treacherous Badung Strait, the islands of Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Penida loom sheer out of the ocean swell. It is hard to discern one from the other at a distance and relatively few visitors make the crossing.

The nearest to the mainland and the most accessible is Nusa Lembongan, circled by a mixture of pure white sand beaches and mangrove swamps. Seaweed farming is the major occupation, while the tourist facilities in Jungutbatu, catering for visiting surfers, provide the island's other main source of income. Only a few hundred metres separates Nusa Lembongan from Nusa Ceningan sits Nusa Penida, roughly 20km long, dominated by a high, limestone plateau with a harsh, dry landscape reminiscent of the Bukit, the far southern tip of the mainland. The island is crisscrossed by miles of small lanes ripe for exploring, and it south coast has some of the most spectacular scenery in Bali.

NUSA LEMBONGAN, NUSA CENINGAN

A small island, 4km lng and less than 3km at its widest part, Nusa Lembongan is sheltered by offshore coral reefs which provide excellent snorkelling and create the perfect conditions for seaweed farming. You can walk around the whole island in about three hours. Spread out along the coast for well over a kilometre, the attractive village of Jungutbatu is a low-key place, with several losmen and a few shops selling textiles and crafts. Three kilometres south of Jungutbatu, the largest town on the island, Lembongan, is a crisscross of streets and alleyways and much busier than Jungutbatu. The road descends through Lembongan to the coast and the view across the shallows to Nusa Ceningan is absolutely stunning; the crystal clear water over white sand is almost completely filled with frames for seaweed farming. There's a bridge across the channel, although there's little to see on the other side.

Pura Empuaji, the most revered temple on the island, marks the northern most point of Nusa Lembongan, beautifully situated above the mangroves with Nusa Penida rising up behind.

NUSA PENIDA

Tell a Balinese person you're heading to Nusa Penida and you won't get a positive reaction. The island is renowned as the home of the legendary evil figure of I Mecaling, and was also formerly a place of banishment for the kingdoe of Klungkung. It's still regarded as a place of evil sprits and ill fortune, and many of Balinese make the pilgrimage to the island expressly to ward off bad luck by making offerings at Pura Dalem Penataran Ped, home of the dreaded I Mecaling.

Nusa Penida is too dry to cultivate rice, and while you'll see maize, cassava, beans and tobacco in the fields during the rainy season, there's nothing at all in the dry season. The island can only sustain population of around 45,000, and many had already left as part of government's transmigrasi programme, although road improvements and construction are taking place with more development rumoured.