On the main road on Gili Trawangan there are countless providers for snorkeling tours, on which you can experience all Gili islands. Since the providers then also work together to get the boats full I think that it is quite the same with which provider you book this typical 3-island snorkel tour. You have to be aware here that they fill the boats to capacity with tourists so you barely have room to move around on the boat. If you want to avoid this, you have to spend more money and book a private snorkeling tour.
To save money I opted for the regular snorkel tour. I think we were about 40 tourists on an extremely small boat - so you shouldn't be claustrophobic here either. The first stop for snorkeling was between Gili Trawangan and Gili Meno. There we saw some turtles as well as a lot of colorful fish.
The second stopover was also near Gili Meno. There we were lucky enough to see a particularly large turtle - we were in the water for a very long time and watched the turtle feeding.
Afterwards we went to Gili Air to have lunch break. I used the time to walk a bit over the island. On this island there are also beautiful sandy beaches as far as the eye can see.
Afterwards we went to Gili Meno to visit a turtle breeding station. In 4 small tanks were countless small turtles. On request, I learned that these are about 3 months old and with the age of 6-8 months are then released again.
As a last stop we went to underwater statues also again near Gili-Meno. These statues are a very popular underwater photo motif among vacationers. However, besides the purpose as a photo motif, these statues also have a practical use. Namely, these 48 human-sized statues are made of ph-neutral, eco-friendly concrete and were designed to help create an artificial reef. To ensure that sponges as well as corals grow on these statues, tourists are prohibited from touching these sculptures. The statues are arranged in a circle, symbolizing the cycle of life. They were designed by Jason deCaires Taylor, a well-known British visual artist best known for his underwater installations.
Afterwards we went back to the harbor to Gili Trawangan. What I found to be a great service is that a tour guide took underwater pictures of you during the snorkeling tours and you get them at no extra cost at the end of the trip. So you have a lasting memory of the encounter with these beautiful turtles.
Have you ever seen turtles while snorkeling or diving? And if so, where? :)
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