Snorkelling in Gili Trawangan – MUST Read Before Booking in 2023!
In this blog post we tell you everything you need to know about snorkelling in Gili Trawangan – a once in a lifetime experience you don’t want to miss! Make sure you read this before booking.
Gili Trawangan (Gili T as most people call it) is one of 3 small islands just off the coast of Lombok in Indonesia. It is a great destination for relaxing on the white sand beaches, cycling the streets or enjoying all that the ocean has to offer such as boat trips, scuba diving or snorkelling.
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Snorkelling in Gili Trawangan
A simple way that many people try snorkelling in Gili T is to just grab a snorkel mask and tube and head to the sea. If you didn’t pack your own then many tourist booths along the east coast of Gili T offer snorkel masks to rent. This is an easy and cheap way to head into the water and see what fascinating coral and marine life you can find.
Alternatively the way which we chose to snorkel was booking with a respected tour company and paying for a snorkelling half day tour. There are two options when booking this you can choose a private boat which will only have you and any friends or family in your party but obviously this is the more expensive choice.
Or you can get a public shared boat which is filled with around 25-30 people. We chose this option as we don’t mind sharing and we love saving a bit of money where we can; this cost us each only 150,000 IDR (Under $10) and we didn’t feel like we were missing out by choosing this cheaper option.
We met at the travel office at 10:15 ready to pick up our snorkelling gear which was all included in the price and head to the boat leaving around 10:30. Once on the boat we took a quick 15 minute ride to the first snorkelling spot:
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Underwater Statues in Gili Meno
These eerie statues that create a great habitat for coral and fish alike were created by sculptor Jason Decaires Taylor and ‘Nest’. The sculpture is a surreal sight and makes for great underwater pictures so be warned that this is a very popular place and be prepared for crowds of people in the water all trying to get a look.
Coral Reef
Next you take another short boat ride to the opposite side of Gili Meno and have a look at the vast networks of coral and again tropical fish that live in these habitats. This is a much quieter spot and you can enjoy watching the fish with a bit more space and privacy.
Turtle Point
Stop 3 was the one everyone was waiting for; Turtle Point. Before even jumping off the boat we spotted a few turtles coming up to the surface and were already amazed but the sights just got better once in the water. This was truly a breathtaking experience for us and we never imagined we would be swimming so close to these amazing creatures.
We were careful not to get too close as we didnt want to disrupt the turtles too much, the one rule we were told before jumping in was to not touch anything such as coral or marine life as it can have really damaging effects. For the amazing close up shots we asked our tour guide to dive down and get them which he was happy to do as he was very used to being amongst these creatures.
Unfortunately whilst we were recording a girl decided to swim very close and touch the turtle’s shell which the tour guide was very upset about and this put a little bit of a negative cloud over our experience.
The animals really do not want to be touched or crowded and when snorkelling you should be mindful of this and not disturb them, please remember this if you head out snorkelling.
Despite this we were still thrilled being able to watch turtles in their natural habitats and we loved the entire experience.
After snorkelling in the third stop it was time for lunch at a local warung in Gili Air and some time to relax before heading back to the starting port in Gili T.
What to bring?
- An underwater camera or case for your phone is essential if you want to capture once in a lifetime shots.
- A waterproof bag to put your belongings in when you leave the boat.
- Reef protective sun cream to protect you from the sun and remember to reapply when needed as a lot of your body is still exposed even though you are in the water.
- Lots of water for on the boats as you are sure to swallow a lot of sea water which can leave you very dehydrated.
Now that you’ve read our guide on snorkelling in Gili T head to our other Indonesia Guides to make sure you don’t miss a thing!
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