Bukit Teletubbies Nusa Penida

Most people come to Nusa Penida for the cliffs. The vertiginous drops, the turquoise water far below, the drama of the coastline. That is what the island is known for — and it delivers, every time.

Bukit Teletubbies is something else entirely.

No cliffs. No ocean viewpoint. No staircase descent. Just a sweep of enormous, perfectly rounded green hills rolling across the interior of the island — hills that look, with an almost unsettling accuracy, exactly like the animated landscape from a children's TV show that millions of people grew up watching.

The resemblance is so precise that you find yourself genuinely questioning whether it is real. And then the sun clears the horizon and lights up the hillsides, and you stop questioning anything and just stand there taking it in.

This is one of the most unusual and underrated places on Nusa Penida. Here is everything you need to know before you go — including the one experience here that almost nobody is doing yet.

The Real Story Behind the Name

The official name — Bukit Teletubbies — was not given by locals, a government office, or a tourism board. It was invented by tourists.

Before visitors started arriving, the area was known simply as Bukit Gamal — Gamal Tree Hill — named after the gamal trees that once grew abundantly across the hillsides. Gamal (Gliricidia sepium) is a fast-growing tree well known in rural Bali and Nusa Penida as livestock fodder. Local farmers from Desa Tanglad would cut the leaves to feed their cows, goats, and pigs. The hills were not a destination — they were a working part of the agricultural landscape.

As tourism in Nusa Penida grew and visitors started passing through the area, someone made the comparison out loud: this looks exactly like the Teletubbies. The name stuck immediately, spread through social media, and eventually the locals adopted it too. Today almost nobody uses the name Bukit Gamal anymore — including the residents of Tanglad themselves.

The gamal trees are mostly gone now, cleared as the hills became a tourist attraction. What remains is the grass — and the shape that made people rename the place in the first place.

What Makes Bukit Teletubbies So Unusual

The shape of these hills is not random, and understanding the geology makes the landscape more interesting — not less.

Nusa Penida is a limestone island. Beneath almost every hill and cliff on the island is the same dense karst rock that creates the dramatic coastal formations the island is famous for. But in the interior, particularly in the Tanglad area, something different happened on the surface. A thin layer of soil — roughly 50 centimetres thick — settled on top of the limestone over thousands of years, just enough to support dense grass growth. Not trees, not jungle — just grass, clinging to rounded limestone formations underneath.

The result is these perfect hemisphere-shaped mounds: hard rock beneath, soft green above. No sharp edges, no exposed stone, just smooth curves covered in grass. When the light is right and the hills are fully green, the scene bears a striking resemblance to hand-drawn animation — which is exactly why the Teletubbies comparison works so well.

What most visitors do not realise: this is not just one hill. The Teletubbies landscape extends across a wide area of eastern Nusa Penida — the same rounded formations repeat across the terrain for a considerable stretch, with valleys between them and the ocean visible in the distance on clear days. The spot most people photograph is just one section of a much larger landscape. When you stand at the right point and the hills are fully green, the scene in every direction looks like a frame from the cartoon. It is disorienting in the best possible way.

Location

Bukit Teletubbies is located in Dusun Julingan, Desa Tanglad, on the southeastern side of Nusa Penida, Klungkung Regency.

GPS coordinates: -8.7601° S, 115.5163° E

It sits on the East Nusa Penida circuit, roughly between the harbour area and the cluster of attractions near Atuh Beach, Rumah Pohon, and Diamond Beach.

Distance from harbour:

From Toyapakeh: approximately 1 hour by car
From Banjar Nyuh (Sampalan): approximately 45–50 minutes

Download an offline map before heading out — signal is unreliable across much of the east coast road.

How to Get There from Bali

Step 1 — Bali to Nusa Penida

Fast boat from Sanur harbour to Nusa Penida. The crossing takes 30 to 45 minutes, with boats running from approximately 07:00 to 16:30. Tickets cost IDR 100,000 – 250,000 per person one way. Book ahead during peak season.

Step 2 — From the Harbour to Bukit Teletubbies

Private Driver (Car) — Recommended

Cost: IDR 500,000 – 700,000 per day
The east coast road involves steep, winding sections. A local driver handles navigation and gives you the flexibility to combine Bukit Teletubbies with Rumah Pohon, Atuh Beach, and Diamond Beach in one efficient day.

Scooter Rental

Cost: IDR 80,000 – 150,000 per day
Possible for experienced riders, but the road to the east is demanding. Take it slow.

One advantage Bukit Teletubbies has over most Nusa Penida attractions: no hiking required. The hills are visible and accessible directly from the roadside. You can pull over, walk onto the grass, and be standing in the middle of the landscape within minutes of arriving.

Entrance Fee & Practical Information

Detail	Info
Entrance fee	Free
Parking fee	Free
Opening hours	No restrictions — best at sunrise and early morning
Facilities	None — no warungs, no toilets, no shade

No entrance fee, no parking fee. One of the very few free attractions on Nusa Penida. Bring your own water and snacks — there is nothing available on site. There is also no shade whatsoever, which makes midday visits genuinely unpleasant in the dry season.

The Most Important Thing to Know: Two Completely Different Landscapes

This is the detail that most articles either skip or mention only briefly — and it is the most important piece of information for planning your visit.

Bukit Teletubbies in the wet season (November to March): The hills are intensely, almost impossibly green. The 50cm soil layer holds enough moisture during the rainy months for the grass to grow thick and vivid. This is the version you have seen in viral photos. The rounded hills glow green against the sky, the valleys between them are lush, and the whole landscape looks like it was designed for a screen.

Bukit Teletubbies in the dry season (April to October): The grass dries out. The hills turn golden-brown and then increasingly bare as the dry months progress. The landscape looks almost completely different — still dramatic, still interesting, but not the saturated green that made the place famous.

The irony is that the dry season is generally the best time to visit Nusa Penida for most attractions. Crystal Bay, Kelingking, Angel's Billabong — they all look their best in clear dry-season weather. Bukit Teletubbies is the exception. For green hills, come in the wet season.

What this means practically: If you are visiting Nusa Penida in the dry season and Bukit Teletubbies is on your list specifically for the iconic green look, adjust your expectations or save it for a wet-season return trip. The hills are still worth a stop — the shape alone is remarkable — but the colour will be different from what you have seen online.

Best Time to Visit

Best Season for Green Hills

November to March — wet season. Counterintuitive for Nusa Penida, but this is when Bukit Teletubbies is at its most photogenic. The hills are deeply green, the grass is thick, and the landscape closely resembles the cartoon that gave the place its name.

April to May and September to October — shoulder months when some green may still remain from late rains or early wet season.

June to August — peak dry season. Hills are likely brown. Still worth a stop as part of an East Nusa Penida day, but do not come specifically for the green.

Best Time of Day

Sunrise (06:00 – 07:30): The best window. When the sun rises at the right angle over the eastern hills of Nusa Penida, the light hits the rounded mounds directly and casts long shadows in the valleys between them. In that light — especially in the wet season when the hills are fully green — the resemblance to the Teletubbies landscape becomes almost uncanny. The soft angled light also means dramatic photography without harsh shadows or blown-out skies.
Late afternoon / sunset: The second-best window. Warm golden light from the west hits the hills from the side and the valleys fill with shadow — beautiful and worth timing if the rest of your day brings you nearby.
Midday: Avoid. Directly overhead sun flattens the hills visually, washes out colour, and the heat with no shade makes it miserable.

The Experience Nobody Is Doing Yet: Jeep Sunrise Tour

Here is something that does not exist yet as a proper tour offering on Nusa Penida — and genuinely should.

Imagine this: you leave your hotel or guesthouse before dawn, headlights cutting through the dark interior roads of the island. You reach Bukit Teletubbies just before sunrise, before any other visitors arrive. You position the jeep among the hills — on the grass, between the rounded mounds — and wait.

Then the sun clears the horizon.

For a window of maybe 30 to 40 minutes, the light does something extraordinary. The rounded hills catch the first rays at a low angle, the shadows in the valleys go deep, and the whole landscape transforms. With the right sky — some cloud to catch the colour — and full wet-season green on the hills, the scene looks almost exactly like a frame from the cartoon. Unmistakably Teletubbies. And you are standing in the middle of it, or sitting on the bonnet of a jeep with that view in every direction.

The jeep becomes part of the shot. An open top, standing up, looking out over the hills — it is a genuinely different kind of Nusa Penida photo. Not a cliff viewpoint, not a beach descent. Just open landscape, open sky, first light.

This is one of the most cinematic experiences available on Nusa Penida, and almost nobody is doing it yet. The early departure is the only barrier — and the reward is a version of the island that day-trippers who arrive at 10am will never see.

We are developing a sunrise jeep experience for Bukit Teletubbies. If this is something you are interested in, [get in touch] and we will let you know when it is available.

Things to Do at Bukit Teletubbies

Walk Among the Hills

Unlike most Nusa Penida attractions, Bukit Teletubbies invites you to actually be in the landscape rather than looking at it from a cliff or descending to it on stairs. Walk between the rounded mounds. Climb the central hill for a wider view. Look in every direction — the hills repeat across the terrain, and there is no single "correct" viewpoint. The whole area is the attraction.

Photograph the Rounded Formations

The photography potential here is different from anywhere else on the island. Wide shots showing multiple hills with the ocean in the background. Low-angle shots looking up at a single rounded mound against the sky. Drone footage showing the full extent of the rolling landscape. Silhouette shots at sunrise with figures on the hilltops.

Watch the Sunrise

Position yourself in the hills before 06:00 and wait for the light. The sun rises over the eastern hills of Nusa Penida and hits the Teletubbies hills from a low angle — the combination of shadow and colour in that window is unlike anything midday light produces.

Take the Most Unique Drone Footage on the Island

The aerial perspective at Bukit Teletubbies reveals something you cannot fully appreciate from the ground — just how many rounded hills there are, and how they cover the landscape in every direction. From above, with the ocean visible in the distance, the scene is genuinely surreal. Check local drone regulations before flying.

Photography Tips

Come in the wet season for green: The saturated green of the hills in the rainy season is what produces the images you have seen. Dry season gives you brown.
Sunrise and sunset light: Angled light from the horizon creates the shadows in the valleys that define the rounded shapes. Overhead light at midday flattens everything.
Shoot wide: A single hill is interesting. Multiple hills with the valley pattern between them and ocean in the background is extraordinary. Step back.
Use the jeep: If you have a vehicle with you, position it between the hills for scale and visual interest. It adds a sense of adventure that a person standing alone does not.
Low angle looking up: Get down low and shoot a single mound against the sky — the perfectly rounded curve from ground level is a completely different composition from the wide landscape shot.
Wet season morning mist: In the wet season, early morning sometimes brings mist to the valleys between the hills. This adds an ethereal quality that dry-season visits cannot replicate.

East Nusa Penida Itinerary — Including Bukit Teletubbies

Bukit Teletubbies fits naturally into the East Nusa Penida circuit as either a sunrise opener or a late-afternoon closer:

Option A — Sunrise start (recommended) 05:00 — Leave harbour or accommodation before dawn 06:00 — Arrive at Bukit Teletubbies for sunrise. Position in the hills before first light. 06:00 – 07:30 — Watch and photograph sunrise over the hills 07:30 — Drive to Rumah Pohon Treehouse (~15 minutes) for the Thousand Islands Viewpoint 09:00 — Drive to Atuh Beach (~5 minutes from Rumah Pohon). Descend for a swim and breakfast. 11:00 — Diamond Beach viewpoint from the southern parking lot 12:30 — Lunch, then return to harbour

Option B — Afternoon closer Run the standard East Nusa Penida circuit (Rumah Pohon → Atuh Beach → Diamond Beach) in the morning, then stop at Bukit Teletubbies on the way back to the harbour in the late afternoon when the golden light hits.

FAQ

What is Bukit Teletubbies? A cluster of large, perfectly rounded grass-covered limestone hills in the interior of eastern Nusa Penida, named for their resemblance to the animated landscape from the Teletubbies children's TV show. The hills look different in every season — vivid green in the wet season, golden-brown in the dry.

Is there an entrance fee? No entrance fee and no parking fee. One of the few free attractions on Nusa Penida.

What was the original name? Bukit Gamal — named after the gamal trees that once grew across the hillsides and were used by locals as livestock feed. The name Teletubbies was coined spontaneously by tourists and gradually replaced the original name entirely. The gamal trees themselves are largely gone now.

When should I visit for the green hills? The wet season, November to March, is when the hills are at their greenest and most photogenic. The dry season (April to October) turns them brown. Sunrise and late afternoon are the best times of day regardless of season.

Do I need to hike to see the hills? No — the hills are accessible directly from the road. You can walk on and between them within minutes of parking. You can also climb the central hill for a higher vantage point, but it is not required.

Is Bukit Teletubbies worth visiting on its own? It is a strong addition to an East Nusa Penida day, but most visitors would not make a special trip solely for this attraction. The real magic happens at sunrise — if you time it right, it becomes the highlight of the day rather than a passing stop.

Is there food or water available? No facilities at all — no warungs, no toilets, no shade. Bring your own water, especially if visiting in the dry season when temperatures are high.

Final Thoughts

Nusa Penida has a reputation built entirely on coastal drama — and it earns it. But Bukit Teletubbies is a reminder that the island's interior has its own kind of beauty: quieter, softer, and completely unlike anything else on offer.

Come at the right time and the right angle — early morning in the wet season, light just clearing the horizon — and those perfectly rounded green hills look exactly like what they were named after. Not almost. Exactly.

That is a strange and wonderful thing to experience in real life.

For a complete guide to everything Nusa Penida has to offer, visit our Nusa Penida Travel Guide. And if the idea of a sunrise jeep experience at Bukit Teletubbies sounds like your kind of morning, [get in touch] — we are working on making it happen.

Have you visited Bukit Teletubbies? Questions about the East Nusa Penida circuit? Drop them in the comments below — we answer from direct, on-the-ground experience.