28th May 2017

Bali... oh Bali.

4-5 hours North West of Denpasar lies the small sleepy fishing village of Pemuteran. You will not find an awful lot to do in Pemuteran except relax, eat fresh fish and explore the rolling hills. Nearby though, is the stunning island of Menjangan, part of the National Park in Bali and a must visit for avid snorkelers and divers.

All visitors to Menjangan must be escorted by a guide, and we decided to take a shared tour (500,000 rupiah each) with Funtastic Diving who were absolutely amazing. As luck would have it, there were only 2 other people on our tour and because it was my birthday, we were all keeping our fingers crossed for turtle sightings!

The port is about a 15 minute drive from the dive shop where you'll pick up lunch and hop on a small boat out to the island. Depending on the tides and weather, you'll either explore the Southern side or Northern side first. Our guide was brilliant at judging where the best waters would be for snorkeling.

Menjangan Island itself is quite small with a tiny collection of shrines. The waters were crystal clear, but the sand is quite rocky and really reminded me of the Mediterranean. The snorkelling was fantastic and definitely the best you can get within Bali. I saw not one, but two turtles, plenty of clownfish, amongst others.

Snorkelling in Menjangan will give you a harsh look at how humans are damaging the planet. While snorkelling we were confronted with lots of plastic, which our guide would often dive down to collect. Most of the coral was bleached too. Bali has a HUGE plastic and waste problem and it was incredibly sad to see the impact that a disposable lifestyle can have on the ecosystem.

So, if you decide to go to Menjangan do try and collect as much waste as you can!