Explore Gili Meno
Nestled in the middle of Gili Trawangan and Gili Air is the idyllic island of Gili Meno. The smallest of the three islands, it’s possible to walk the whole island in under two hours along stunning white-sand beaches. Gili Meno offers the chance to swap the hustle and bustle of everyday life for a much slower-paced and stress free tropical island paradise. Swap your sandals for fins and jump into the underwater worlds lying just off Gili Meno’s coastline.
A short boat ride away, you can find yourself drifting along deep wall dive sites or relaxing in pristine coral reefs while searching the sandy seabed for creatures you only thought you would see on TV. Many of Gili Meno’s dive sites are great for dive courses, where you are able to complete beginner dive courses in the shallows while there are walls and deep sites for specialty courses. Muck dive sites invite macro photographers to bring out their cameras and investigate the behaviour of the most weird and wonderful creatures of the deep as reef sharks pass by watching. Have all of your dreams fulfilled as you dive alongside manta rays while looking out into the blue at whale sharks and dolphins playing.
Although Gili Meno is the smallest of the three islands, there are still a few dive centres to explore the crystal clear waters with. There are plenty of dive resorts on Gili Meno, perfect for relaxing as well as enjoying the abundant marine life in the ocean. The dive sites of Gili Trawangan and Gili Air are accesible from Gili Meno dive centres and if you want to head further out, a short ferry ride away are the dive locations at Lombok and Bali. If you want to cut out all the travel, visit Meno by one of the many visiting liveaboards which will escort you personally to your next wonderful diving location.
Dive Activity
Diving in Gili Meno
If you are planning on taking dive courses, Goodheart dive site may be where you end up. Here, there are shallow areas perfect for beginner courses while the deeper slope is great for drift diving in your advanced specialty course. Relax in easier dive sites and admire the incredible colours of the coral or dive into the depths of towering walls and uncover macro critters hiding in bubble coral at Meno Wall. Canyon reefs offer the chance to examine nooks and crannies for harbouring reef sharks or you can discover submerged piers that now host a myriad of multi-coloured marine life.
Top Wildlife Sightings in Gili Meno
While scuba diving in Gili Meno you have the chance to see large pelagics as well as the ‘small stuff’. During the right months, you’ll be able to delight in seeing manta rays glide alongside you as whale sharks can be seen from the beach dive resorts or on surface intervals. Known as the ‘turtle capital of the world’ all three Gili Islands have reefs abundant with sea turtles and you’ll often see them breaching the surface to take a breath of fresh air. At many dive sites, macro photographers will be captivated by the tiny creatures hiding in corals and sandy seabeds. The elusive giant frogfish, pygmy seahorse, ghost pipefish and leaf scorpionfish have all been spotted in the Gili Meno waters.
Wildlife Sightings are Based on User Generated Content
Shutterstock-Shane Myers Photography
18k Sightings
J
1.1k
F
877
M
961
A
1.1k
M
1.4k
J
1.5k
J
2.5k
A
2.6k
S
2.3k
O
1.8k
N
1.1k
D
1k
Shutterstock-Ed Jenkins
Hawksbill Turtle
8.8k Sightings
J
437
F
388
M
429
A
503
M
621
J
768
J
1.3k
A
1.3k
S
1.2k
O
964
N
508
D
413
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 200
Alamy-WaterFrame
Moray Eel
7.1k Sightings
J
481
F
391
M
428
A
449
M
572
J
654
J
740
A
817
S
763
O
781
N
535
D
468
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 300
Alamy/Reinhard Dirscherl
Octopus
2.6k Sightings
J
264
F
150
M
182
A
235
M
211
J
205
J
292
A
302
S
295
O
232
N
116
D
148
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 28
Udo Kefrig
Clownfish
9.8k Sightings
J
655
F
480
M
592
A
638
M
783
J
805
J
1.2k
A
1.2k
S
1.1k
O
1k
N
663
D
593
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 130
AdobeStock-JirinaVFR
Pufferfish
8.3k Sightings
J
516
F
386
M
500
A
559
M
676
J
768
J
1.1k
A
1.1k
S
986
O
832
N
510
D
434
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 130
Shutterstock_Krzysztof Odziomek
Butterfly Fish
6.4k Sightings
J
437
F
315
M
364
A
398
M
477
J
524
J
816
A
823
S
733
O
692
N
420
D
390
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 90
Shutterstock-Rich Carey
Angelfish
6.2k Sightings
J
401
F
302
M
378
A
406
M
481
J
521
J
767
A
798
S
697
O
665
N
448
D
370
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 12
iStock/cinoby
Lionfish
6.1k Sightings
J
408
F
374
M
441
A
423
M
460
J
522
J
684
A
703
S
628
O
641
N
436
D
389
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 40
iStock-wrangel
Triggerfish
5.8k Sightings
J
395
F
266
M
340
A
398
M
515
J
495
J
750
A
695
S
659
O
622
N
371
D
288
The best Months to dive in Gili Meno
Gili Meno diving is popular all year round but it’s best to avoid the rainy season, from December through to January. During this time, the rainfall can lead to reduced visibility in dive sites that are close to the shore. If you are a megafauna fanatic and want to see manta rays then the time to see them in droves is from December through to March while whale sharks are also around during this time. From January to March you have the opportunity to see their recognisable spotted bodies surfacing over the cresting waves.
