Nusa Lembongan welcomes the most visitors of the three islands due to its more accessible terrain. Popular sites include the spectacular wave breaker Devil’s Tears and the picturesque white-sand Mushroom Bay Beach.
Another common sight in Nusa Lembongan is the bustling activities of seaweed farmers all along the coastline. Once abandoned in favour of a more lucrative career in the tourism and hospitality sector, seaweed farming is now back in business – in part due to the pandemic, when many families turned to this practice in a bid to support themselves and their communities, including the younger generation.
At dawn, the farmers head to the beach to tend to their red seaweed (of the kappaphycus alvarezii and Eucheuma spinosum variety), which only takes 30 days to harvest. “What’s great about seaweed farming is that anybody can do it, and the water in Lembongan is perfect for seaweed cultivation,” says Made Masak, a chef at Morin Resort who incorporates seaweed for her dessert and smoothie bowls. Interesting fact: Indonesia was the number one exporter of seaweed back in the 80s, used for consumption and the pharmaceutical and beauty industry.
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