Worldwide, there are only seven recognised species of sea turtle, and the Gili Islands are home to two of them! These are the Hawskbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) and the Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas). While some people may think a sea turtle is just a sea turtle, there are several differences to spot between the two species. The Hawskbill Turtle has a sharp prominent beak and a serrated shell, and feeds mostly on sponges and jellyfish. The Green Turtle is not actually green but has more of an olive-brown colour to its shell, which is smooth and teardrop shaped. It actually derives its name from the colour of its green fat and flesh, which is due to its predominantly sea grass diet.
Hawksbill 
Green
Turtles can be found all year round on all three Gili Islands; Gili Trawangan, Gili Air and Gili Meno. The islands are easily reached from both Bali and Lombok. Choosing which island to stay on can be difficult, as we discovered when researching our trip. Gili Trawangan, also known as the ‘party island’, is much more built up and less secluded. Gili Meno is generally devoid of party-goers and has minimal infrastructure, whereas Gili Air is somewhere in between. We chose to stay 3 nights on Gili Air and 1 night on Gili Trawangan. We visited Gili Meno as part of our snorkelling trip.
To guarantee an extensive and exclusive turtle experience, you should stay a minimum of three nights on the islands. We managed to get up close and personal with Hawskbill Turtles amongst the sea grass on Gili Air, but only in the afternoons once all the day-trippers had left. Gili Meno had lots of Green Turtles, but they were 3-4 metres down, so not great if you can’t dive with a snorkel. Gili Trawangan had the best reef in our opinion and was home to Green Turtles in fairly shallow water.
Snorkeling trips are cheap, easy to organise once on the islands, and will visit all the turtle hotspots on all three islands. If turtle viewing is not the sole reason you’re visiting the Gili Islands, and you aren’t fussed about seeing both species, we suggest you simply organise a snorkelling trip from whichever island you chose to stay on. However, snorkeling with a large group of people all closing in on a single turtle has its downsides, including causing the turtle to flee the scene.
If an organised tour doesn’t sound like your thing, don’t worry as each turtle hotspot can be easily reached by snorkelling from the beach. The north-east beaches of each island are where turtles are generally found, and we recommend checking with the locals to ensure you’re at the right spot. You can also catch the public express boat between islands for around 400000 IDR one way.
Snorkelling when the tide is high is preferable as you will avoid navigating very shallow water over the reef. Furthermore, at high tide the turtles move from beyond the deep blue drop off and into the reef, where they can be more easily observed amongst the corals. You don’t have to be a good swimmer to keep up with the turtles feeding in the reefs, and they don’t seem to mind human company.
Snorkelling at low tide will likely have you chasing the turtles into deeper water where you may have to fight powerful currents leading straight out into the open ocean.
We feel fortunate to have been able to observe these ancient marine reptiles in the wild, as the Green and Hawskbill Turtles are now listed as endangered and critically endangered, respectively. Human activity is partly responsible for this, as turtles often confuse floating plastic waste for a jellyfish meal, and this can lead to intestinal obstruction with fatal consequences. If you are visiting the turtles, please be sure not to touch them and certainly don’t leave your trash behind. If you’re interested in wildlife conservation you can join one of the frequent beach clean-ups here.
We also recommend catching a sunset from the west side of your Gili Island, whilst enjoying a chilled beverage at one of the many beachfront bars. You can even see Mount Batu when the skies are clear. Most hotels on Gili Trawangan offer free bicycles, so with some directions from your hotel you can navigate through the centre of the island to reach the other side in 10 minutes.
