Gili Meno

Gili Meno is the meat in the sandwich of the three Gili Islands off Lombok.

Gili Meno is an island in Indonesia, the middle of Lombok's three Gilis. It has a population of about 400, mainly concentrated on the center of the island. The main income of the population comes from tourism, coconut plantation and fishing. On the west side of the island there is a small shallow lake that produces salt in the dry season. Until a few years ago there was also a small production of seaweed on the reef at the north end of the island. It has swimming beaches all around the island, as well as an impressive bird sanctuary.

The island attracts fewer tourists than Gili Trawangan and is the quietest and smallest of the Gilis. However, honeymooners are often drawn to the crystal clear water and idyllic, secluded white beaches.

There is no fresh water on the island, it is imported daily. Electricity is supplied by generators, although there are plans for renewable energy sources to be developed. There are also no cars or motorbikes and only a limited number of tourist accommodation

Understand

With a population of just 300, Gili Meno is the mellowest of the three islands, and certainly the most in-tune with a desert island ethic. The beaches are much nicer than you will find on Gili Trawangan and Gili Air.

Orientation

A coastal path leads all the way around the island, and can be covered at a very leisurely pace in 90 minutes. Most of the tourist facilities, including the boat arrival and departure point, are on the southern part of the east coast.

There is a lake on the western side of the middle of the island. This is sometimes quite full, and at others very dry. It is though always very saline.

See and Do

* Gili Meno Turtle Sanctuary, 8AM-6PM. A splendid initiative whereby green sea turtle and loggerhead turtle eggs are collected, hatched, and the younglings safely released into the ocean. In 2008 and 2009, a total of 2,000 turtles were released. Go along, see the work and lend your support. Donation.

* Taman Burung (Bird Park), 9AM-5PM daily. Sadly, this aviary is not as well kept as it was, and the formerly very popular komodo dragon died in 2007. Still worth a visit though, with a large range of birds present.

Diving

* Blue Marlin, This is the only dive shop actually on Gili Meno. It is a full blown operation though, with the same range of PADI courses and fun dives as are offered on the other islands.

Snorkeling

There are several good spots for snorkelling, and gear can hired at almost any cafe or hotel for about Rp 30,000. The beach in front of Good Heart Cafe on the north western shore is as good as any, and you have a reasonable chance of seeing turtles in shallow water here. Also on the west coast, try the area close to the disused, derelict jetty (formerly the landing point for the equally derelict Bounty Resort). The former pontoon here was sunk and has become an important dive site with a healthy reef life. If you snorkel off the east coast, be careful of boat traffic.

Walking

A gentle stroll around the coast path of Gili Meno is not to be missed, and it is probably the nicest walk anywhere on the three islands. If you do this in the morning, there is no real preferred starting point. It is a nice idea to walk in the late afternoon, starting in the northwest at about 4:30PM, taking it easy to walk all the way around the island in either direction, returning to your start point at about 5:45PM. Then get yourself set for sunset behind Gili Trawangan (6:15PM-6:45PM), perhaps stationed at Good Heart Cafe with an ice cold Bintang.

Fast Boat From Bali

Operator	Bali (dep.)	Lombok (dep.)	Travel time	Schedule	Price
BlueWater Safaris	Benoa (8AM)	Teluk Kode (11AM) Trawangan (11:30AM)	2 hours	Daily	Upon Request
BlueWater Safaris	Nusa Lembongan (11AM)	Trawangan (12:30PM)	90 mins	Daily	Upon Request
Gili Cat	Padang Bai (9AM)	Teluk Kode (11AM) Trawangan (11:45AM)	2 hours	Daily	Upon Request
Island Getaway	Benoa (8AM)	Trawangan (11AM) Teluk Kode (11:30AM)	2 hours	Daily	Upon Request
Wahana Gili Ocean	Padang Bai (09.00 am / 02.00 pm)	Trawangan (11.00 am / 03.30 pm) Teluk Nara, Lombok (11.10 am / 03.40 pm)	80 mins	Daily	IDR 500,000 each
Redline	Benoa (8AM)	Trawangan (10.30AM)	2.5 hours	Daily	Upon Request

Note:Departure times are fixed, however, The Operators reserves the right to cancel or modify the schedule subject to poor weather conditions in the interest of passenger safety.