Snorkeling – Maldo Travels

Nusa Penida – Scenic Island Beaches

Jean Maldonado — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 23:14:50 +0000

We booked this tour in Kuta for 800,000 IDR¹. The tour bus picked us up from our hotel at around 7.30 AM and it’s a 30-minute drive to Sanur Beach. We’re given our boat tickets here and have 15 minutes to walk around the beach. It’s quite empty in these early hours but some of the stalls are open if you want to grab snacks or drinks. The ride on the speedboat to Nusa Penida takes 1 hour and we arrive at around 9.15 AM. We get off on the north side of the island at Toyapakeh. There are several guides here picking people up so you have to wave your receipt for yours to spot you. We then get on another tour bus and head to Kelingking Beach. The island is quite mountainous and we drive through the winding roads of the mainland to reach the south-west side of the island. It takes about 50 minutes reaching our first destination at 10.15 AM. We arrive at the cliffside which has an amazing view of the beach and the peninsula reaching out into the sea. We only have about 15 minutes here to take pictures so we can’t head on the trail down to the beach.

Our next stop is a 30-minute drive away to Angel’s Billabong arriving at 11 AM. This is a natural infinity pool that looks over the sea. However, it was closed off so you cant swim in it and can just take pictures from around it. It is very busy here and we stayed for about 10 minutes to get some pictures. We then headed to Broken Beach which was a 5-minute walk away. This destination is a cove where an arch in the cliffs lets water flow in to form a pool. We get around 30-minutes to walk around the perimeter before heading back to the tour bus.

At around noon, we continue to our last destination at Crystal Bay stopping for lunch at a tourist restaurant. We’re done with lunch by 1.15 PM and reach Crystal Bay at 1.30 PM. This is a popular sandy beach lined with beach chairs, umbrellas, and bars/restaurants. We’re given snorkeling gear and the guide says we don’t have to swim too far to see some sea life. We head into the water and is very shallow for about 20 meters. There are corals and rocks in the shallow water so it would be best to head out with water shoes. It’s a great snorkeling spot where you’ll get to see plenty of corals, fish, and other animals swimming around. We had about 2 and a half hours at Crystal Bay and we spent most of our time snorkeling. We then also grabbed some ice-cold beers and sat on some benches in the shade enjoying the view.

At around 4 PM, we headed back to the harbor which was a 30-minute drive away. We got on the boat and were back at Sanur Beach by 5.30 PM. Our pick up was late and arrived at around 5.50 PM. This was rush hour time and after dropping off other tour groups at their hotels, we reached our hotel at around 6.30 PM.

Gili Islands – A Remote Paradise

Jean Maldonado — Sat, 21 Sep 2019 22:01:37 +0000

Coming from Kuala Lumpur, we arrived at Bali International Airport at around 10 PM. Getting through customs was fairly straightforward and when exiting, there were several tour sales reps around. We found an ATM at the airport to get cash out and then we got a Grab² to our hotel in Kuta. We didn’t have boat tickets yet for the Gili Islands so we asked our driver who gave us a Whatsapp number for a sales rep. There was no more space on the boats departing from the nearby port at Serangan, but the rep said there was a boat leaving from Padang Bai to Gili Trawangan at 10 AM. This harbor was about an hour’s drive away and the sales rep said he could offer us return tickets plus transportation for 1,600,000 IDR³ for both of us. It was quite pricy but it was similar to what we found online for just boat tickets. The car picked us up at around 8.30 AM the following day to take us to Padang Bai. There was a lot of traffic getting out of Kuta but we made it to the harbor in time for the boat. The pier at the harbor was very busy with lots of people waiting to get on their boats. We’re all given stickers to help the staff determine who goes on which boat. As you board the boat, they take your luggage to secure onto the boat. You then head down to sit in the lower deck. The boat travels quite quickly and about 20 minutes in, the captain announces that people can head to the upper deck. Beer is also available to buy on the boat. It’s quite a long journey and we arrived at Gili Trawangan at 12.30 PM.

The Island

We stayed on the largest of the Gili islands, Gili Trawangan, which is also known as Gili T. The main strip on the east side of the island is filled with tour agencies, restaurants, hotels, and bars. There are also lots of certified scuba diving agencies, many of which also offer accommodation. This part of the island is very lively and great to relax in during the day. It has beautiful sandy beaches with crystal clear blue waters. In the evening, you can catch the sunset whilst having a drink or some dinner with a view of the sea. At night, the bars have live music and there are 2 or 3 clubs on the strip. The atmosphere is great with people dancing on the beach outside the club. There is also a night food market that does some great barbecues and fresh seafood. The west side of the island is less busy and has some resort hotels. It’s a great spot to catch the sunset and it’s a short 25-minute walk from the east side. You can also rent bikes if you’d like to explore more of the island.

Snorkeling

We booked this tour for 100,000 IDR each and the boat left the pier at 1.30 PM. The first snorkeling stop is at the shore of Gili Meno. There are some corals here and lots of colorful fishes. The main attraction is some statues on the seabed where lots of fish swim around. The water is clear, calm, and quite shallow which makes it great for snorkeling. We spend about 30 minutes here before heading to Turtle Point. The waters here are much deeper and fewer fishes are swimming around. The highlight here is that you are pretty much guaranteed to spot turtles swimming or resting on the seabed. We made 2 stops at different parts of the Turtle Point and got to see lots of turtles. We stayed in the area for about an hour and 15 minutes before heading to Gili Air for some food. We’re taken to a restaurant inland and then have some time to walk around the island. This is the smallest island and much quieter than Gili T, but it also has similar sandy beaches with crystal clear blue waters. After a short walk, we then headed to the boat and back to Gili T.

Ko Phi Phi – Island Boat Tour

Jean Maldonado — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 22:55:54 +0000

On the main island Phi Phi Don, there are private and group boat options to explore the smaller Phi Phi islands. We got an afternoon snorkeling tour with a group boat for 1200 THB³ each. The meeting point was at Loh Dalum beach on the north bay at 1.30 PM. There were about 10 of us in the group and once everyone arrived, we were given life jackets and set out to Monkey Beach on Phi Phi Don. We visited this beach earlier when we went kayaking in the morning. Visiting on the boat tour in the afternoon was quite different since the beach was very busy now with several tour boats anchored at the beach. It was a quick stop here for pictures and some snorkeling. There are a couple of fishes here but not that many. The next stop was then Long Beach on the south side of Phi Phi Don. The ship anchored in by the cliffside in an area called Shark Point. One of the guides said there was a chance to see some sharks hence the name of the site. We didn’t manage to see any but there were many fishes and some corals, so it was still a good snorkeling location.

We then left Phi Phi Don and headed further south to Phi Phi Leh arriving at the north side of the island at around 3 PM. The boat sailed around the perimeter of the island passing by Monkey Bay and a quick stop at Viking Cave where the guide tells us of the paintings found in the walls of what appear to be Viking ships. The guide also gives some info on how locals get edible swiftlet bird nests from here to sell. It is believed the bird nests have some health benefits and is considered a delicacy. We then continue sailing via Pi Leh Lagoon and then anchoring in at Loh Samah Bay for some more snorkeling. This was also a good snorkeling spot with corals and several different fish species.

Next, we continue to Maya Bay, the famous beach featured in the movie ‘The Beach’ starring Leonardo Di Caprio. The beach was closed off due to damage caused by tourism so we could only sail past it from a distance. This was the last location on Phi Phi Leh and we set off to Bamboo Island for the sunset. On the way, we made a brief stop at Nui Beach to take pictures. We arrived at Bamboo Island at around 4.20 PM and were told we could wander around the island and pointed to good snorkeling locations.

It’s a very small island and a great place to relax at the beach and swim in its refreshing waters. We stayed here until 6.30 PM when the sun started to set. We then got to see the rest of the sunset from the middle of the sea. The colors of the sky and silhouettes of the islands were beautiful. Once the sun had fully set, we headed to the south bay on Phi Phi Don for a swim with fluorescent plankton. When you jump in the water and splash around, the plankton light up. The plankton is tiny and I couldn’t capture it on a GoPro, but it was good fun. We were then dropped off at the pier and we headed to the hotel to change into some dry clothes before heading out for some dinner.

Ko Phi Phi – The Beaches by Kayak

Jean Maldonado — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 16:33:00 +0000

In the morning, we got to Loh Dalum Beach at 8.40 AM and found a kayak rental place offering their services. We got a 2 person kayak with snorkeling gear for 3 hours which cost 200 THB¹ each. Our first stop was Monkey Beach which took us about 30 minutes to get to. The beach was empty in these early hours. We left our kayak on the beach and went for a stroll. When we got back, we found a monkey at our kayak who was going through a hidden compartment that we didn’t even know about. We left our water on the kayak which the monkey stole and drank. Once the monkey left, we picked up our kayak and headed to Nui Beach.

This was a longer journey than our first leg and more tiring which took us about 40 minutes. On the way, we went past the cliffside of Phi Phi Don and some large rocks in the middle of the sea. Nui Beach small but it’s a very scenic beach. In the background, you can see several large rocks including one which looks like a camel. Other than some locals prepping a boat, we were the only ones here. The water here is quite shallow which makes it great for snorkeling to get up close to the sealife. We stayed here for about 30 minutes before continuing onto Loh Lana Bay.

It took us about 20 minutes to reach the shore of Loh Lana Bay. Once again, we were the only ones here. This beach was the biggest of all 3 that we visited and its waters were also quite shallow. We didn’t stay here for too long since we had to get back to return the kayak. So after taking some pictures, we headed back to Loh Dalum Beach. It took us about 40 minutes to row back, taking breaks in between.

Ilha Grande – Island Boat Tour

Jean Maldonado — Sat, 13 Oct 2018 21:12:59 +0000

The tour bus picks groups up from the larger hotels at around 8.30 AM. From there, we make our way to Angra dos Reis where our boat departs from. It’s about a 3-hour journey with a quick rest stop to get some snacks and drinks at a petrol station. Once everyone has boarded the boat at the pier, it’s a one hour sail to the first swimming spot – Ilha de Cataguas. The boat anchors a couple of hundred meters from the island and then you can jump off the boat into the turquoise water. They provide noodle water floats if you’re not comfortable swimming in the sea. The sea is quite calm here but it is deep so you should be a strong swimmer if you choose not to use a water float.

After about 30 minutes of swimming, we then leave for the next stop – Lagoa Azul. It takes about an hour to get to this prime beach location. The boat anchors quite close to the shore among several other tour boats anchored in the area. Once anchored, you can jump into the water again. You can swim towards the beach area as well which is fairly close. From the boat, you can see some fish swimming in groups. The boat has snorkeling gear available for rent for 30 BRL⁴ each if you want to get an underwater look at the sealife. These waters are not that deep and it’s possible to dive down to the seabed. At this location, we stay for about an hour before heading to our lunch stop in Ilha Grande.

We sail for about 30 minutes to Japariz beach arriving at around 3 PM. The guide takes us to the buffet restaurant and tells us to be at the pier at 4 PM to head to the final stop on the way to the mainland. However, the weather changed and it started pouring down. We waited on the beach for another hour and since the rain didn’t stop, we couldn’t head to the final stop and instead went straight back to Angra dos Reis. We arrived at the pier at around 8 PM and then it was a 3-hour bus ride back to Rio de Janeiro.

Caye Caulker – An Island Paradise

Jean Maldonado — Sun, 13 May 2018 14:41:30 +0000

To get to the serene island of Caye Caulker, you have to take a 1-hour 15-minute boat ride from the port of Belize City. Boats leave every hour, and if you just missed the boat, you can grab a drink and some food at the port while you wait for the next one. Caye Caulker is made up of two islands, however, only the south island is populated. The south island is very small, you can walk its length in about 20 minutes and its width in about 5 minutes. So no matter where you decide to stay, you will be walking distance to any destination. The activity not to be missed at Caye Caulker is snorkeling. There are several operators and my group went with Ragamuffin Tours which cost 70 USD⁵ each. With a name like that, you know you’re going to have a good time. The tour was an all-day tour with 4 stops for snorkeling and a drop off at the private beach of Koko King. A basic lunch was also included and of course, an unlimited supply of rum punch.

The boat stops for 30-60 minute snorkeling sessions on the way to and at Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Snorkeling gear is provided and the group is split up and assigned to a knowledgeable guide who points out the marine life. There is a lot of wildlife that will be swimming around. We got to see a stingray, turtle, eel, sharks, and a wide range of fish species. There are also seals at certain time of the year, however, we didn’t manage to see one. The corals are beautiful and there was also a cave that you could dive under and come out the other side. The guide is a strong swimmer and is always there to help you out. The tour finishes at Koko King which is a private beach with a bar/restaurant, trampoline, inflatable pyramid, swings, kayaks, and buoys to float around which are all free to use. There are also areas with beach chairs and hammocks which you can rent out for 20 BZD⁶ which is fairly economical when split between a group.