Gili Meno, Indonesia
Indonesia has many beautiful places you can choose as your first vacation destination choice. You may hear a lot about Bali. However, just east of this island, you can find another paradise. It is Lombok Island. Lombok Island has so many spots that can be considered the best place to spend your time. One of them is the Gilis or small islands. Among many small islands, one of them offers the best place to escape from your stressful routine. It is the Gili Meno. Here, you will find more about this island and how you can reach it with the speedboat service. Let’s start!
Close to Lombok Island, you can find many small islands with beautiful scenery. These islands are what locals call Gili. Gili itself means island in the local language. And, among many Gilis in Lombok, three of them are very popular as vacation destinations. They are Gili Trawangan, Gili Air, and Gili Meno. Gili Trawangan is the most popular of the three. Therefore, the development on this island is much faster than on others. You can feel a very homey atmosphere there. Thus, it makes Gili Trawangan so popular among tourists. On the other hand Gili Meno is like the opposite of Gili Trawangan.
Gili Meno offers a different atmosphere than the hype of Gili Trawangan. You can find a serene and peaceful vibe on the island. It might be not the most popular destination among the three Gilis. However, this peaceful atmosphere gives you something different than other Gilis. You can relax and enjoy your time here, far from the crowd and bustling city life. If you want to escape from your stressful daily routine, take a speedboat to get what you need.
The three Gilis are located in the northwestern part of Lombok Island. Gili Meno is the middle island of this island cluster. Furthermore, It’s also the smallest island of the three. Even though it is the smallest; its beauty is the best of the three. You can see and enjoy one of the most beautiful natural scenery on this island.
As the smallest of all Gilis, you can travel to any part of the island without using a vehicle. So, when you stay here, get used to walking around. The further distance you could take in Gili Meno is about 1.5 km (around 0.9 miles). You even only need a couple of hours to explore the entire island. Therefore, it feels like your private island. Of course, you still meet with other tourist groups and 400 residents of this island.
The easiest answer is relaxation. Gili meno is a perfect choice for a laid-back adventure. Visit this Island, stay, enjoy the beautiful scenery, and forget all stress. Once you return to your place, your body and mind will already be rejuvenated. Of course, that’s not enough if you want to get a truly meaningful vacation in Gili Meno. After all, it is a bit difficult to find transportation from Bali to Gili Meno without help from a proper travel agency or transportation agents. So, here, we have a list of several things that you can try and do in Gili Meno.
Its small size is a perfect size for exploring by foot. Try to walk around all parts of this island. You will find beautiful scenery everywhere. If you plan to get the best thing, try to go to the north side of the island. You can find beautiful beaches, located in the secluded and less developed places.
As we mentioned above, once you arrive from the Bali or Lombok, you don’t have anything you can do to travel around the island. Therefore, you can try to use the situation to create one of the best adventures you can have. For example, you can try exploring the island barefoot.
Even though it is a small island, it is still confusing when you try to explore it at night. So, make sure you carry proper equipment, such as a torch or flashlight. Then, you can still see the road by using those tools. Or, you just don’t need to explore this island at night. That will help you to reduce the risk of problems happening after you arrive from the Bali.
Yes, you don’t need to do anything in Gili Meno, you can spend your time for relaxation on this island. The quiet and calm atmosphere, plus few people living in Gili Meno are suitable for this kind of trip. You can relax here. Many tourists also use Gili Meno as a place to rest before having a wilder trip in Bali or other Gilis. If you also have that kind of plan, you can try it. Gili Meno will be a place where your body and mind prepare everything before blasting off to the next destination.
Gili Meno is known as one of the best destinations for snorkeling. Its underwater scenery is one of the most beautiful ones in Indonesia and even the world. Therefore, many travel agencies put this island in their itinerary to provide the best snorkeling activity for their clients.
Many people also travel from Bali to Gili Meno just for snorkeling on this island. You can use the travel agency’s help to visit the snorkeling spot and have fun there. However, for a much more fun experience and challenging adventure, we recommend going to the snorkeling spot yourself. It gives you many things to do. You also will have more freedom.
Now, if you have decided to go to the snorkeling spot yourself, first of all, you need to prepare and bring proper snorkeling equipment. You can find a rental place on this island, so it won’t be any problem for you. As for the snorkeling spots, below we have several of them that is worth traveling to Gili Meno.
This area is also known as the sea turtle point. As its name implies, you can snorkel here and see seat turtle in their natural habitat. It only takes around 5 minutes of snorkeling before you find this beautiful sea creature. This area is also the most popular destination for snorkeling activities. Therefore, you can find many people visiting this area, especially during peak season.
The West Coast area also is a good spot for snorkeling. Here, you can find unique statues that are made by some artists. Moreover, they put these statues under the water. This unique snorkeling spot invite many fishes and sea creature to make a nest around it. Therefore, when you try snorkeling here, you will have a big chance to see those beautiful fishes.
However, we have to remind you that this spot is pretty small compared to the North point. There is a chance that you will have a problem enjoying the underwater scenery when many tourists visit this area. So, choose one that you think is suitable for your preference.
Other than beautiful scenery and maritime activity, Gili Meno also has places where you can satisfy your palate. Here, we have two best places where you can enjoy the delicious local food at an affordable price:
Warung Pak Man – you can find this place in the middle of the island. If you have a problem, use Google Maps. Here, you can enjoy one of the best-fried rice in the world. They are also very friendly, so you feel like eating at your home.
NO 5 Star – this place is the best choice for you who want to enjoy the food made of fresh seafood. However, you should order the food beforehand. For example, we order a dinner for the next day. Then, we visit this place the next day, wait a bit and they serve the seafood culinary made of freshly-caught fish. That was super delicious.
Getting to Gili Meno from Bali is relatively easy, and there are a few options available depending on your preferences and budget. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the different ways to get to Gili Meno from Bali, along with some helpful tips to make your journey safe and comfortable.
If you’re looking for the fastest and most convenient way to get to Gili Meno, taking a speedboat from Bali is your best bet. There’s only one speedboat company that offers daily trips from Bali to Gili Meno. It’s called Ekajaya and their boats set sail from Padangbai Port and Serangan Port. The trip takes around 1.5 to 3.5 hours, depending on the port you leave from and the weather conditions. Here are all the details you might need.
Gili Meno is one of the best destinations you can visit in Indonesia. It might be a bit difficult to reach because of its location. But, once you get the transportation to this place from Lombok or Bali to Gili Meno, prepare yourself for the best adventure in your life!