Gili Meno
The smallest, quietest Gili, with a turtle hatchery, a salt lake, and barely any noise.
At a glance
- Entry fee
- No gate. The boat over is the cost. Prices on the island run higher than its size suggests, because everything arrives by boat.
- Opening hours
- No hours, but check the island-hopping boat schedule as soon as you land, since it runs only a couple of times daily.
- Time needed
- Two or three nights. Beyond three or four days the limited food and evening options start to tell.
About Gili Meno
Gili Meno is the middle island geographically and the quietest by a distance. It has the fewest bars, the slowest pace and a brackish salt lake in the interior, with white sand around most of its edge. You can walk the whole way round in well under an hour, and on the western side you will pass long stretches with nobody on them at all.
This is the island couples pick, and it is also the one that disappoints people who arrive expecting something to do. There is very little to do, deliberately. Evening options are limited, choice of food is narrow, prices run higher than the size of the place suggests because everything arrives by boat, and if you are here for more than three or four nights you will want a book.
What Meno does have is the water. The reefs immediately offshore are among the most dependable in the Gilis for wild green and hawksbill turtles, and you can reach them by wading in from the beach rather than booking a boat. The Nest underwater sculpture sits off the west coast in about four metres of water, close enough to swim out to. There is also a small donation-supported hatchery near the main beach that raises rescued hatchlings before release, which is a separate thing from the wild turtle snorkelling and worth understanding as such.
Infrastructure is thinner than on the other two islands. Fresh water is piped in from Lombok and power comes by undersea cable, both of which occasionally fail.
Getting there
Some fast boats from Bali stop directly at Gili Meno. Otherwise you come via Gili Trawangan or Gili Air on the public island-hopping boat or a short private charter. The island-hopper runs only a couple of times a day on a fixed timetable, and missing the last one leaves you either chartering a boat at short notice or waiting until the next day, so check the departure times when you arrive rather than when you want to leave. Boats land on the main east-facing beach, and accommodation is a short walk or cidomo ride from there.
Best time
The dry season, roughly May to September, brings the calmest water and the clearest snorkelling. Mornings are best for turtle sightings and for the underwater sculpture, before wind and boat traffic build. Meno stays quiet year round, which is rather the point of it, so there is no month where it becomes lively.
Good to know
Arrive with all the cash you need. There is no ATM here you should depend on, and the nearest reliable machines are on the other islands or the mainland. Bring a mask, because the shore snorkelling is the main reason to be here and rental is limited. Check the island-hopping boat schedule as soon as you land, since it runs only a couple of times daily. If limited food choice, higher prices and very little evening activity would frustrate you, this is the wrong island of the three and Gili Air is the better compromise.
Things to do at Gili Meno
Wade out to the turtles
The reefs immediately offshore are among the most dependable in the Gilis for wild green and hawksbill turtles, reachable from the beach rather than by booking a boat.
Walk the whole island
Well under an hour right round, and on the western side you will pass long stretches with nobody on them at all.
Visit the turtle hatchery and the salt lake
The two fixed points on an island whose appeal is otherwise that nothing much happens.
Go out in the morning
Best for turtle sightings and for the underwater sculpture, before wind and boat traffic build.
Gili Meno FAQs
What is the turtle hatchery on Gili Meno?+
A small, donation-supported hatchery near the main beach that raises rescued green and hawksbill hatchlings until they are strong enough to be released. It is a short walk from the boat landing and is a separate thing from snorkelling with wild turtles on the reefs offshore.
Is Gili Meno boring compared to the other islands?+
It is quiet by design, with few bars, limited food choice and very little evening activity, which suits couples and people who want to stop moving. If you want anything resembling nightlife you should choose Gili Trawangan, and Gili Air sits between the two.
Can you see turtles around Gili Meno?+
Yes. The reefs immediately off Meno are among the most reliable in the Gilis for wild green and hawksbill turtles, and you can reach them by wading in from the beach. Morning snorkels in calm water give the best chances, though sightings are never guaranteed.
Do I need to bring cash to Gili Meno?+
Yes, enough for your whole stay. There is no ATM on the island you should rely on, most places take cash only, and prices run higher than you might expect because supplies arrive by boat.
More to see in Gili Islands
Work Gili Meno into a trip
Add it to a route across Indonesia and we will work out the travel time and cost between every stop.
Build your trip