The waters around the island of Menjangan are known for its beautiful underwater world, diving trips are organized from Lovina and by the many diving schools and there are many possibilities.
From Lovina you can do this as a day trip, and you should leave around 7.30 am because you are supposed to go by boat to Menjangan around 9 am. In September 2023 a trip was made from Lovina to share the experiences on this website.
Menjangan is an island that is located in the national park (Taman Nasional Bali Barat), the national park is a protected part of Bali and is 19,000 hectares in size. From Lovina by car to Sumberkima the trip starts from IDR 400,000 (depending on the number of car and how many people there are, it is just over an hour’s drive to the small harbour where the boat is ready to leave.
You are welcomed in the small harbour of Sumberkima and you first have to pay, then the equipment is handed out (if you don’t have it yourself) and then you walk over a rickety jetty to the boat.
The boat trip takes about 30 minutes and it also depends a bit on the weather and how high the waves are, but it is a nice trip along the coast to the snorkelling location, the snorkelling location does not always have to be the same because there are several options around Menjangan Island, the people often look at the circumstances of that moment where it is busy and where it is not.
Not every snorkeling trip is the same, the guide explains what the intention is, he has a lifebuoy with him and if it is necessary he is nearby, we snorkel with the current and the boat sails to another point where we snorkel to. The underwater world around Menjangan is beautiful. The water is clear and the coral looks beautiful, it is a spectacle of colours.
At your leisure you swim/snorkel to the point where the boat is waiting, the advantage was that we went with the current so it was more laying in the water and looking down and was pretty relaxed, the current was ok but is never the same so always be careful. Back at the boat it is time for lunch, we sail to the shore of the island where there is a small sandy beach with a few tree stumps where we are served our tasteful lunch.
After lunch we continue and we come to the second starting point, the end point is at the big statue of Ganesha, again with the current in our favour and it is all so beautiful what there is to see underwater.
The costs are depending on the number of people, and are very different, for example with 2 people it is more favourable to get on a public boat or to go with a diving school and in Lovina there are several, one of them with a good reputation is Arrows Dive Centre, they have a good website with clear information in English.
For 3-5 people it is doable to book a trip with a driver, the trip to Menjangan starts from IDR 400,000 and the price for snorkelling can be around IDR 600,000 per person, but this depends on the number of people, the larger the number of people, the cheaper the snorkeling trip becomes.
The prices that are known is the rental of the private boat which costs IDR 800,000 the guide costs IDR 300,000 and the entrance to the national park is IDR 215,000 on weekdays and IDR 300,000 on weekends and on holiday, lunch and drink IDR 40.000 and the lunch and entrance fee is per person.
If you choose to do this contact Rundung, he has good contacts there and will give you a good deal.
Rundung #Megae 