Jan. 16th, 2010, we went to 『Lembongan Mangrove & Snorkeling』 tour♪ This is one of the famous Bali nature tours organized by PT. Bali Nature & Experience Tours. We visit quiet Lembongan Island where we can still experience wild nature, Mangrove and beautiful Coral reef. Aiko, the third time visiting there, and the first time landing T-Manager report today♪
Pick-up ～ Go to Lembongan Island!
At 8:00 am, we stand beside the Jimbaran by-pass, the vivid color ban is coming to us!! Yes, it’s the van-Touch of PT. Bali Nature & Experience Tours♪ It’s really stand from far away. Wow, exciting～!!
Today, 3 tourists from Japan and Aiko and T-Manager, 5 of us join the tour. This tour is coordinated for small number of people, so it never be a crowed noisy tour. The port to Lembongan Island is in Sanur Beach, but we stop by the office of PT. Bali Nature & Experience Tours.
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They are staffs for today. Aki (Japanese staff), Suarta (Japanese guide), and Gusti (driver). Nice to meet you!
Staffs welcome us. We pay fee here, and sign the insurance form. They accept only cash, you cannot use card. If you borrow towel, you pay for it in here.
It takes 1 hour to get Lembongan Island, so you should go to bathroom now.
On the van-Touch, go to the Sanur beach. Walk a few min. from parking.
At the beach, check today’s schedule. He is nice smile nature guide, Suarta! He is good at speaking Japanese!!
Don’t forget taking medicine to prevent seasickness. It takes 30 to 40 min. to get Lembongan Island. Many people get sick on the boat. If you want to take the medicine, ask staffs and they give it for free.
We are on board! We have to walk in water when we ride on the boat, so it’s not good idea to wear long pants. Wear short pants or half pants over bathing suit.
Today’s boat is middle size and it’s good seating. It didn’t roll much!! Other participants also didn’t get sick and we arrived there for 40 min.
Beautiful green wild nature, and there are ocean-view villa and cottage…
It’s really nice place to visit, Lembongan Island!!
Explore Mangrove by the Small Boat
We land on Lembongan Island, and then ride on the truck. It’s look old car and step on Coca-Cola case; it’s really rural area～!
This is the main road in Lembongan Island.
It’s cool wind along the sea shore～!
After 15 min. driving, we arrived at the quiet beach surrounded by mangrove.
There are only a few small warung; we came far from the resort area.
Perhaps, you think “mangrove” is the name of tree…! Actually, the mangrove is the name of the forest growing in the tropical salty-wetland. I didn’t know that.
There are over 100 kinds of trees called mangrove. The tree on left picture is “Bruguiera gymmorrhiza.” It has cute pink flower. We can see Other kind of “Rhizophoraceae,” too. The tour guide gives us all explanation.
Walking while listening to the mangrove story, we arrived at the warung. Here is the starting point of the mangrove tour. In the warung, there is Indonesian-style WC. You had better bring tissue with you.
We don’t get wet in the mangrove tour because we go slowly by a small boat. Bring your camera; it’s good idea.
Leave big bags on the table at the warung, and warung’s staff keep eyes on it. I decided to leave a big bag which has my clothes in, and bring valuables and camera with me in a purse.
We walk in the mangrove growing where is flooding the salt-water. Through the tour, we can learn three points: “How mangrove grow and prosper,” “How it can be grown in the salt-water,” and “Why it is considered as ecological plant.” Wow, I’m curious!!
Passing beside the planting agar-agar, Lembongan’s main industry. Going to the port. Ride on a row-boat; hello, captain! Let’s go!
Yes, it’s the view of mangrove! Thickly covered by green leaves, and roots like legs of octopus. The secret of the roots will be revealed later! We slowly go into the little dark forest by a boat…
I was impressed… it’s really quiet in mangrove! I have tried Jungle Tour and visited to the mangrove forest before. However, at that time, I went there by a speed-boat, so I just saw the view passing by. It’s totally different, going into mangrove by a row-boat. I just hear the sound of rowing and the song of birds… I felt camera’s shutter was noisy.
On both shores, there are deep-green leaves and brown soil and roots under the water, but the water is clear. We just go on the forest, but what is this healing power!?
What am I doing? I bite a yellow mangrove leaf! It’s the secret of mangrove that can be grown in the salty-water. Guess what taste?? You join the tour and try♪
There are many roots sticking out from the ground. The reason of up-side-down root is; roots breath air because the soil has less oxygen, and it’s called “respiratory root.” As human beings, mangrove breaths also. It’s mysterious.
Throughout the forest, row along the mangrove and we arrived at the starting point. It was 40 min. tour but I enjoyed quiet forest and learned a lot from lecture by Suarta! When I finished the tour, I could learn all the secrets of mangrove: “How mangrove grow and prosper,” “How it can be grown in the salt-water,” and “Why it is considered as ecological plant.” Mangrove is AMAZING!!!
By the way, I was so relaxed in the forest. I almost fell asleep at the end of tour; that’s not because I drunk last night!!
When we go back to the warung, they give us special service! They baked fish which they caught this morning! It’s simple dish, but taste very good. I was impressed and finished it all soon!! (It’s the special service, so you might not have one. Sorry…)
Choose one drink and have a break. Enjoy relaxing time by the view of beach and kids… Time in Lembongan Island passes slower than Bali, I think. I’m really healed. Well, this pose is for picture～ I’m not asleep!
Great View of Snorkeling along the Tide!
Take a nap for 15 min. … After a break, they gave us lecture for snorkeling. PT. Bali Nature & Experience Tours offers a little bit unique snorkeling that we swim along tide broader area of the sea! I named it, “Drift Snorkeling.”
They tell us what kind of fish we can meet before snorkeling! It must be different that swimming with knowledge or without knowledge. We lean fish names “Labroides Dimidiatus” and “Amphiprion Ocellaris.” Staffs know well♪
Snorkeling start from the same place where Mangrove Tour start. We have to change clothes in the small house, and wear rush-guard and diving suit, and also leave valuables. The house doesn’t have wall like on the picture, so if you forget to wear your bathing suit beforehand, you have to change in the warung WC… You had better wear bathing suit from your hotel room!!
I’m ready for snorkeling! I wear rush-guard + diving suit + life jacket. We ride on the same boat as the Mangrove Tour and sail for 10 min! It’s 10m depth, so it’s deep but instructor support us carefully, so don’t worry. Kids could go into the water without problem. I didn’t worry, either, even I cannot swim♪
Beautiful world, the garden in the water…
Throughout the water glass… there is the paradise of sea!! I could see the 10m depth-bottom, so it’s really clear water. The clearness depends on the weather and tide on the day, but today is really good condition. Lucky!!
Just along with the tide, and floating 40 min. snorkeling. It’s changing place time by time, so never get board! I found an Amphiprion what I learned just before. Oh, it’s the “NEMO”!!
I recommend this snorkeling! There are other snorkeling or cruising activities in Lembongan Island, however, those are held in the limited area, so we only see the view in same place. Comparing with that, in this snorkeling, we can see changing of depth and view.
I swim with swarms of small fish, I see the 5 to 6m big table-coral reef, and I see the coral like a sea palace… I could enjoy the sea of Lembongan Island in 40 min.☆ In additional information, the water temperature is really cold, so we have to prepare well. After a while, we ride on the boat again, and go back to the starting point.
At the Great View Restaurant, Pool & Lunch♪
We take off diving suit in the house, have belongings, and move to the next place by a truck. It’s lunch time! I use my energy for swimming. I already absorbed the baked fish. I’m hungry!!
It’s the fashionable place, villa and cafe are there. It’s the resort area comparing with the simple Lembongan Island!! Go up to the warung at a hill.
The beautiful blue-green sea of Lembongan Island. It’s the view of in front of warung. Awesome, too beautiful. Ohhhh, I want to live here!!!
You know, what the most fabulous is, we can swim in the pool with great view! Order the lunch menu first, and we rinse salt-water and go into the pool!! T-Manager was also excited.
Cold-water shower. There is no shampoo and soap, so just rinse your body. Why I can feel so luxury with great view! I don’t want to go back… to be honest.
For 15 min., our lunch is ready. The menu is changed every day, and you can choose one in 4 kinds of menu. This is today’s menu!
【Lunch Menu Choice】
・Shrimp Burger & French Fries
・Coconut Chicken Curry & Rice
・Fried Sea Bream with Garlic Source & Rice
・Grilled Chicken with Cheese & Potato
Aiko chose Shrimp Burger and T-Manager chose Chicken Curry. The burger taste good, and chicken curry is Asian taste. It’s not really spicy.
【Drink Menu】
・Bintang Beer ?small (Aiko loves it!)
・Papaya Juice
・Pineapple Juice
・Banana Juice
・Water Melon Juice
・Tonic Water
・Fanta
・Cola
・Mineral Water
Lunch time is about 30 min. long. We ride on the boat from here, so better to go WC beforehand. T-Manager and I says, “Don’t want to go back to Bali!” and reluctantly ride on the boat…
Oh, I really love Lembongan Island. I come here again for sure!! I slept well on the way back.
After Visiting…
This time, I report “Lembongan Island Mangrove & Snorkeling Tour.” This is one of the famous Bali nature tours organized by PT. Bali Nature & Experience Tours and they also recommend this tour. It’s fun, exciting, experience wild nature, and academic!!
It’s not only fun to join but also have learning experience in the wild nature: mangrove and coral reef.
Snorkeling is also little bit different than usual snorkeling, and I enjoyed the view of sea by floating along tide! I recommend it for you, who want to enjoy snorkeling in Lembongan Island.
You may remember that the facility is not well-prepared. There is no dressing room, so you have to change your clothes in WC or wear before you leave to the tour. WC in warung is not really good place to change your clothes. During the Mangrove Tour, you should leave your belongings to the warung, so you had better not to bring too much valuables with you. In other way, you prepare two bags: big one for leaving your staffs and small one for bring valuables with you.
However, I think that the quality of facility is enough for this kind of tour. It’s not organized comfortably just for tourists, but you can touch wild nature as it is, that’s the point of this tour.
※This report was written based on the information when the time of visiting. Course menu and schedule might be changed without notice. In addition, the report contains individual opinion and impression, however, these are not applied for all people. Please read it just for your reference. Thank you.