Fantastic island with the best snorkeling in the Gili Islands to see turtles, statues, and healthy coral reefs. Gili Meno is a quiet island home to many snorkel spots where you can see different species of Turtles, Pufferfish, and Clownfish.
Pros
Cons
Snorkel Video
Snorkel Review
Highlights
Coral present
1-4 Meters Average Depth
Very good visibility
East to medium difficulty
Cafe’s at Island
Tours approx $25-$60 USD
Sea Urchins unlikely
Unlikely
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Who:
Tour Cost:
Star Rating:
Cost:
One of the reasons I headed out to the Gili islands was to snorkel Gili Meno, as I’d seen the pictures of the underwater statues and heard good things. Following a 2-hour fast boat transfer from Bali to Gili T, I jumped on a small speedboat to get across to Gili Meno, which cost $6.00 (Slow boat costs $1.50).
When I arrived at Gili Meno it was clear that it was a peaceful paradise, it felt like a deserted island when coming from Gili Trawangan, and wasn’t as built up as Gili Air. I was staying in the only hostel on the island, Rabbit Tree Hostel which was in the middle of the island. There are bungalows and small hotels dotted all around the beach coast of the island for a reasonable price.
While getting dinner I got chatting with some locals who would take me out on their boat around the island to 3-4 snorkel spots for 300Rp, which is about $18.00 which was very reasonable for just me, but they recommended going early at 07:30 am to beat the crowds, especially at the statues which can get super busy.
That next morning I woke up and walked down to the beachfront, south of the harbour. The two boat captains were prepped and we got going. The boat had the smallest glass bottom, but you couldn’t see much.
Bounty Wreck
We started our boat journey to the South-West side of the island, travelling Clock-wise back to the West-side. statues. The first stop was at the Bounty Wreck site. The Bounty Wreck was a good 7-8 meters down and more of a dive site than snorkeling, it was located just off the drop-off. The shipwreck was covered in small coral and seaweed along its flat body. What was cool, was that I and one of the boat captains who snorkeled with me saw a large Green Turtle chilling in the corner of the wreck. It was too deep for me to get a good picture, but a good sign that there were more turtles to come!
The current is strong on the West side of the island and will take you North, so flippers are required. We then drifted along the coral to the next stop which was the famous statue, the actual name ‘Nest’ Underwater Statues, which is a very popular snorkel tourist attraction. The statues were given to the island for coral reef restoration by the BASK resort and villas, and sculptured by Jason DeCaires Taylor. The statues aim to attract coral growth, although are a big attraction to the island.
The boat captain and I drift snorkeled up the West coast to the statues. Along the way, the coral reef was incredible with many different species of fish and many turtles. I also spotted a very big Loggerhead Turtle resting in a cavity as shown below.
Gili Meno Statues
We then arrived at the statues which lie 15 meters off the beach at a depth of 4 meters on the sandy sea floor. The statues are mesmerising underwater, they have a flowing, symmetrical design, made up of 48 human-shaped forms. There is little marine life on the statues, but it is a fantastic experience swimming down to them and getting a great traveling/holiday pic.
Top Tip:
The Nest Underwater Statues do get very busy with tourists from 9:00am onwards. I went at 8:00am and there were only myself and two others and I was able to get some cool photos.
Turtle Paradise
The final stop was Turtle Point or Turtle Paradise, this was on the North-East of the island as we made out way back to the harbour. There were already a lot of boats anchored with many swimmers in the water. On this occasion, I actually didn’t see any turtles. However, I did snorkel a few times after my trip and did see turtles when it was less busy.
There were many species of turtles at Gili Meno including the Hawksbill Turtle which are ranked as Endangered by ICUN, which are usually very rare to see.
Safety Tip:
I’d recommend going on an organised tour with experts, there are currents around the island, shallow water, and certain areas with bad visibility.
Coral Garden
One of the popular snorkel spots is the coral garden, which is just North of the Pier on the East coast of Gili Meno. The sea bed is filled with healthy corals, including Table, Stoney, Branch, Brain, and Lettuce coral.
Other Marine Life
I stayed on Gili Meno in both hostels and bungalows and had the opportunity following the snorkel trip to snorkel on the East side of the island. There is a current that runs south on the East side of the island, so spent some time exploring the East side of the island from Turtle Paradise to the Coral Gardens, up to the pier.
I saw some unusual marine life including a Zebra Lionfish, Oscellaris Clownfish, Clark’s Anemonefish, Nudibranch Sea Slugs, and many different species of Pufferfish. I also had an incredible experience seeing the largest turtle I’ve ever seen! It was a 1.5 meter Green Turtle swimming in the deeper reef.
Summary
Overall, Gili Meno was my favourite snorkel of the three Gili Islands, with many Turtles, marine life, and corals around the island. There are also several snorkel spots located on the West, North, and East of the quiet island.
Check out other Gili Islands reviews below:
Tour Guide Options
Free! You can swim off the beach on the East coast of Gili Meno and see turtles within 20 meters plus, off the shore. There are snorkel tours that run to the popular snorkel spots around Gili T, Gili Meno, and Gili Air, which cost from $20-$40 per person. There is a local snorkel trip that runs from Gili Meno around the island which cost about $40 for a boat for 3 hours, but I managed to negotiate with two locals for 3 hours for $18.
Best Snorkel Spot
My favourite snorkel spot was where the locals call Turtle Paradise on the North East hand side of the island, up from the harbour. The other favourite spot is to the left of the harbour if you’re looking out from the island. There is so much colourful coral there, it’s a joy to see.
Best Time Of Year
The best time to snorkel at the Gili Islands is during Bali’s dry season, from May-October.
Popular Marine Life
Pufferfish
Green Turtle
Hawksbill Turtle
Sergeant Major Damselfish
Damsels & Chromis
Moorish Idol
Picasso Triggerfish
Butterflyfish
Parrotfish
Rare Marine Life
Clark’s Anemonefish
Giant Moray Eel
Oscellaris Clownfish
Titan Triggerfish
Damsels & Chromis
Christmas Tree Worm
Star Fish
Unicornfish
Coral Reef
Table Coral
Branch Coral
Brain Coral
Acroporidae
Blue Ridged Coral
Mushroom Coral
Cauliflower Coral
Lettuce Coral
Folded Coral
What I Saw
(Seen on April, 2023)
| Green Turtle | Golden Gregory Damselfish |
| Unicornfish | Checkerboard Wrasse |
| Sergeant Major Damsel Fish | Keeltail Needlefish |
| Black-Axil Chromis | Trumpetfish |
| Blue-Lined Surgeonfish | Klein’s Butterflyfish |
| Horned Bannerfish | Featherstar Coral |
| Boulder Coral | Crescent Wrasse |
| Branch Coral | Soft Coral |
| Mushroom Coral |
| Green Turtle | Loggerhead Turtle |
| Lined Butterflyfish | Humbug Dascyllus |
| Golden Gregory | Blue-Green Chromis |
| Klein’s Butterflyfish | Sergeant Major Damselfish |
| Latticed Butterflyfish | Sixbar Wrasse |
| Three-Spot Dascyllus | Saddle Carpet Anemone |
| Black Surgeonfish | Redfin Butterflyfish |
| Moorish Idol | Teardrop Butterflyfish |
| Bluelined Surgeonfish | Jansen’s Wrasse |
| Orange Striped Triggerfish | Black and White Spinecheek Fish |
| Blue Ridged Coral | Folded Coral |
| Featherstar Coral | Soft Coral |
| Boulder Coral | Lettuce Coral |
| Branch Coral | Brain Coral |
| Mushroom Coral |
| Hawksbill Turtle | Green Turtle |
| Oscellaris Clownfish | Zebra Lionfish |
| Picasso Triggerfish | Latticed Butterflyfish |
| Schlegel’s Parrotfish | Palenose Parrotfish |
| Red-Lip Parrotfish | Bullethead Parrotfish |
| Eastern Triangle Butterflyfish | White-And-Black Spinecheek |
| Porcupine Pufferfish | Twoline Spinecheek |
| Checkerboard Wrasse | Black Triggerfish |
| Orangestriped Triggerfish | Klein’s Butterflyfish |
| Moorish Idol | Yellowbar Sandperch |
| Teardrop Butterflyfish | Blackspotted Pufferfish |
| Titan Triggerfish | Barred Thicklip Wrasse |
| Sixbar Wrasse | Neon Damselfish |
| Golden Gregory | Phantom Bannerfish |
| Black Surgeonfish | Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse |
| Sergeant Major Damselfish | Crescent Wrasse |
| Unicornfish | Brackish Damselfish |
| Black Sea Cucumber | Needlefish |
| Blue Ridge Coral | Lettuce Coral |
| Branch Coral | Table Coral |
| Massive Boulder Coral | Stoney Acroporidae Coral |
| Brain Coral | Cauliflower Coral |
| Boulder Coral | Honeycomb Coral |
| Soft Coral | Encrusted Coral |
| Blackspotted Pufferfish | Green Turtle |
| Razorfish | Christmas Tree Worm |
| Eastern Triangle Butterflyfish | Freckled Hawkfish |
| Reticulated Dascyllus | Egg Ribbon Nudibranch |
| Klein’s Butterflyfish | Humbug Dascyllus |
| Redfin Butterflyfish | Trumpet Fish |
| Chevroned Butterflyfish | Blue-Fin Trevally |
| Neon Damselfish | Whitespotted Puffer |
| Black-And-White-Spinecheek | Sergeant Major Damselfish |
| Golden Gregory | Blue-Green Chromis |
| Chinese Demoiselle | Sixbar Wrasse |
| Picasso Triggerfish | Brain Coral |
| Table Coral | Staghorn Branch Coral |
| Lettuce Coral | Stoney Acroporidae Coral |
| Funnel Coral | Honeycomb Coral |
| Soft Coral | Boulder Coral |
| Blue Ridge Coral | Massive Boulder Coral |
| Cauliflower Coral | Featherstar Coral |
Gili Meno Map
Gili Meno is the middle of three Gili Islands, located off the East coast of Bali, and West coast of Lombok. The island is the quietest island, usually seen as the Honeymoon island for its beach front resorts/Bungalows, and incredible beaches and waters.
Gili Meno Island
Nest Statues
Bounty Wreck
Meno Coral Wall
Turtle Paradise
Coral Gardens
Frequently Asked Questions
The best way to get to Gili Meno is by Fast Boat from one of the main ports in Bali Mainland. Fast boats from Bali take approximately 2 hours and cost $40-$80 US dollars for a return journey. There is a boat that goes directly to Gili Meno but is quite a bit more expensive, to save costs you could get a fast boat to Gili Trawangan, then get a boat transfer across to Gili Meno. There is the option of either a fast or slow boat from Gili Trawangan to Gili Meno. The fast boat costs $6.50 and only takes 10 minutes and runs every half an hour. However, I’d recommend the slow boat as it costs $1.50 and it is larger and takes another 10 minutes, but runs every hour.
Free! You can swim off the beach on the East coast of Gili Meno and see turtles within 20 metres plus, off the shore. There are snorkel tours that run to the popular snorkel spots around Gili T, Gili Meno, and Gili Air, which cost from $20-$40 per person. There is a local snorkel trip that runs from Gili Meno around Gili Meno costing about $40 for a boat for 3 hours. I managed to negotiate with two locals for 3 hours for $18.
You will likely see Sea Turtles at Gili Meno, not guaranteed, but the turtles seem to feed and stay around Gili Meno. You have a higher chance at Gili Meno than Gili T and Air in my opinion. There are a number of species that you can see including the Hawksbill, Green, and Loggerhead turtle.
I paid two locals to take me out on a snorkel trip for 3 hours around the island, stopping at the wreck, statues, and coral wall and I paid the equivalent of $18. I also swam off the beach on the east side of the island Harbour upwards where I saw incredible coral, Turtles, Pufferfish, Clownfish, Grouper, Lionfish, and schools of fish.
Luke
FOUNDER
Luke is a passionate snorkeler who started Snorkelverse to live his dream of combining his passions for snorkeling, marine life, protecting marine ecosystems, and helping others.
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