About
I took part in this snorkelling activity as part of my 4 day trip in Gili Trawangan Islands, which was succeeded by a 3 day hike to Indonesia's second highest volcano, Mt Rinjani.
Many visitors in Gili T would spend half their day snorkelling around the island's clear blue waters, and that's exactly what we did. The day before, we checked out a few operators offering snorkel tours around the island.
Getting Tickets
Because of its popularity, there are many operators offering similar tours, so I wouldn't think any one operator would offer a significantly better package than the other. I'd suggest you could go for any operator that seems reliable enough (use your intuition!) and is fitting to your budget. The more popular ones are usually around the ferry terminal so you can take your pick from there.
We got our tickets from Gili Bahari Ticketing Center, although they are now permanently closed according to google maps. The tour costs IDR200,000 per person and is inclusive of:
- Snorkelling equipment (masks, fins, life jacket, mineral water)
- Visit to the famous Gili Meno statues
- Turtle point, a nearby spot where one could supposedly see many turtles.
- Sunset watching on the boat
Overall it was a pretty good deal, so we went ahead with it. When visiting the Gili Meno statues, there're likely to be many other tour groups there as well, so make sure you recognize your tour guide and remember what your boat looks like (the last thing you want is separating from your group and ending up on a 2 hour boat ride back to Bali)... If you want to avoid that, go early in the morning (Before 8am) or during lunch time where the likelihood of crowds is lower.
Alternatively, book via Klook which costs around the same price. The experience covered in this article is similar to the "Sunset Snorkelling Shared Trip" option on the Klook listing, hence be sure to select the correct option.
Starting the tour
When we gathered at the meetup point, we were directed to try on our snorkel and fin sizes. We were then ushered towards the beach where the boat was waiting for us, and off we went.
Gili Meno statues (The Bask Nest); Image credits: Framework Films
The Gili Meno statues are one to marvel at - A snorkelling hotspot, this art piece is the work of Jason deCaires Taylor, a British sculptor known for his underwater sculptures. The Gili Meno statues, named "Nest", features 48 life-sized statues arranged in a circle and symbolizes life and continuity. The standing statues forming the circle can be seen holding each other and surrounding other statues laid flat on the floor. For the best photo ops, dive down right in the center of the circle and look back up at the camera which should be positioned at surface level.
Off to the next spot - Turtle point, where we jumped in the water in search for.. Turtles! Sadly, there were only 2 turtles in sight, so my tour group (led by the tour leader) spent a good amount of time stalking a single turtle.
The closest I got to the turtle
The Gili T Golden Hour
My legs were finally tired from moving around in the water for so long, and we got back on the boat for a short boat ride to the final stop - A random spot in the middle of the sea overlooking the horizon. Yep, it was time to catch the sunset and I must say this one was even better than the sunset we saw from Window Bar the previous day!
We cruised out towards the direction of the open sea - As the view of land slowly disappeared from our peripheral, we could look out as far as our eyes could see.
Just in time for golden hour
One thing that I remember profoundly was how calm the water was even when we were out in open sea - It felt as if we were in a huge swimming pool (I labelled this spot as "Sunset viewpoint" on this Google My Maps). Then came the beautiful sunset - I don't think I've seen a sunset so golden as this before.
Golden-est sunset
We must have been lucky because it wasn't very cloudy that evening, so the sun's setting rays lit up the entire evening sky in a hue of gold. When the boat came to a stop, some other tourists decided to take a dip in the water too. I didn't want to get wet anymore, so I opted for a shot from the boat instead -
Sunset shots are a must!
After hanging around for awhile and getting enough pictures of the sunset, we started our quick 15 minute journey back to Gili T island.
And that concludes our snorkelling tour - Once again, each operator might offer a different experience, and I advice checking the itinerary thoroughly with the operator before proceeding to make the booking.
