Where is the best snorkelling in Bali?

Menjangan Island sits off Bali's northwest tip inside West Bali National Park, and it holds the clearest, calmest and healthiest reef in Bali. Almost nobody goes, because it is four hours from the airport.

Menjangan

The diving and snorkelling. A wall that drops from the surface to 60 metres and beyond, covered in soft coral, sea fans and sponges, with excellent visibility, minimal current at most sites and an abundance of reef fish. There is also a small wreck, the Anker wreck, on the wall.

Why it is different from the rest of Bali. It sits in the lee of the island, protected from the Indian Ocean swell, inside a marine protected area. The water is calm and clear in a way the south never is.

Getting there. Boats leave from Labuan Lalang, the park jetty, for the 30-minute crossing. Park entry and a guide are required, and most people go with a dive or snorkel operator from Pemuteran.

The deer. Menjangan means deer, and the island has a population of Javan rusa that swim between islands, which is where the name comes from.

There is no accommodation on the island, only a temple and the park facilities.

Pemuteran

The village on the mainland opposite, and the base for Menjangan trips.

The house reef. Directly off the beach, with the Biorock coral restoration project: metal structures with a low electrical current running through them that accelerates coral growth, installed after the reef was damaged by bleaching and destructive fishing. It is one of the longest-running projects of its kind in the world and you can snorkel over it from the shore.

The village has a quiet, low-key atmosphere, a handful of good small hotels and dive resorts, and warungs. No nightlife, no traffic, no crowds.

The temple at Pulaki, nearby, with an enormous macaque population.

When to go

Year-round, with the calmest water and best visibility in dry season, roughly April to October. The northwest is the driest corner of Bali and gets less rain than anywhere else on the island.

What it costs

• Snorkelling trip to Menjangan with boat, guide and park fees: roughly 500,000 to 900,000 rupiah per person.
• Two dives at Menjangan with equipment: roughly 1,200,000 to 1,800,000.
• Accommodation in Pemuteran: from 25 USD for a simple room to 200 and up for the dive resorts.

Getting there

• From the airport: three and a half to four hours.
• From Lovina: an hour and a half.
• From Munduk: two hours.
• From Ubud: three hours over the mountains.

This is not a day trip from the south. It works as part of an island loop, usually after Munduk and before Lovina or the drive back down the west coast.

Nearby

West Bali National Park, with dry monsoon forest, trekking and birdwatching including the critically endangered Bali starling, which survives in the wild in very few places.

Gilimanuk, half an hour west, for the ferry to Java.

Banyuwedang hot springs, saltwater thermal springs near the park entrance.

Fitting it into a trip

Menjangan works as part of the northern loop and badly as anything else. The natural route is Ubud, then Munduk for two nights, then Pemuteran for two, returning down the west coast past Medewi, or east along the north coast to Lovina and Amed.

Two nights in Pemuteran gives you one day at Menjangan and one on the house reef or in the national park, which is the right amount.

Practical notes

Bring cash. ATMs are limited in Pemuteran and unreliable.

Medical care is minimal, and the nearest hyperbaric chamber for a diving incident is a long way away. Dive conservatively and check your insurance covers evacuation.

Reef-safe sunscreen matters here more than anywhere in Bali. You are swimming over a restoration project.

The crossing to Menjangan is short but exposed in strong wind, and trips are occasionally cancelled.

Book the first boat of the day for the calmest water and the best light on the wall.