From Probolinggo in East Java, we got another train to the coastal town of Ketapang. I’d been here before a few years ago when I attempted to climb Ijen. But this time, Dave and I were just foot passengers, so it was a lot easier. We bought our ticket from the Alfamart across the road from the ferry terminal. It cost us just IDR 12,000 each (which is about 60p!!).
Just as it was last time, the journey from Ketapang to Gilimanuk in Bali should take around 10 minutes, it’s actually a really short distance. However because there are so many boats making the journey, you basically go out into the channel, then sit there waiting in turn to dock. We actually spent 1.5 hours on the boat, only about 15 min actually moving 😂
We finally arrived in Gilimanuk in Bali and got a taxi to our hotel in the North West region of Permuteran. Last time in Bali this was one of my favourite places. It kind of feels like the “last frontier” of Bali, since the island is so incredibly popular now, but Permuteran’s location and the fact it’s the furthest point away from the airport probably contribute to how quiet and chilled it is. And it’s still very popular, don’t get me wrong, just waaaayyyy less busy than anywhere else in Bali.
It’s also where Bali’s only national park is located, and where you can access Menjangan island from, which is home to the best coral reefs or Bali.
We checked into a new guesthouse, only finished and opened a month ago, a beautiful treehouse just a stones throw from the beach. It was late and dark, so we just got some food then headed to the beach for some drinks and pool (on one of the worst tables we e played on this whole trip!!).
The next day we headed out to the main Permuteran beach, which is a black sand beach surrounded by lush green hills. There is a coral restoration project here which I didn’t get chance to see last time, so we headed out. The electrify the coral scaffolds with a low voltage (solar powered too) which drastically improves the growth of the coral, and some of the scaffolds here are amazing!
Water clarity was not amazing though, but we spent a few hours snorkelling here. We were also able to rent cushioned sunbeds in the shade for just 50k (about £2.50) for all day for 2. So we planned on chilling here at the beach, snorkelling all day.
Unfortunately, it hit about 2pm and the weather had other plans. A storm came in and it started pouring down, like mega rain. Just out luck… And guess what… It was apparently the FIRST day it had rained this season, since like April haha. Yes… Very unlucky.
The rain continued all afternoon and evening, and even the road flooded quite badly. So we mostly stayed indoors and ate food haha.
We were mostly disappointed by the rains, not because they ruined our afternoon on the beach, but because the next day we had booked a snorkelling trip out to Menjangan island, and so were worried about the visibility of the water being ruined by the storms. Storms can stir up the sediment in the water, especially by the coastal reefs, and can also wash in jellyfish towards the shore too…
However, the next day we woke early for the tour and it was a glorious sunny day. We were still unsure how clear the sea would be once we arrived in Menjangan…. We kept our fingers crossed…
The journey to the island took about 45 min from Permuteran beach, and along the way we were treated to a pod of dolphins who came up really close to the boat, jumping by the bow and in the wake! Amazing.
We made it to the first spot just off the north of the island, which was a wonderful coral garden, and to our surprise, the clarity and visibility was AMAZING. Probably the clearest water we have snorkelled in on this whole trip. You could see a good 20m, maybe more, it was so good.
We saw so many different types of corals, actually the reef was very very healthy and continuous, with no bleaching that I could notice. And we saw some unique fish, plenty of titan trigger fish, clownfish, and a couple of turtles too!
We stopped for lunch on the island, then continued on to another spot, which started off with slightly poorer visibility, but as we continued in the current, improved to the level of the first site.
Both sites had mild currents, but it was nice, just like a lazy river, we just bobbed on the water a let the current carry us along.
See my reel from the day here:
After a full day of amazing snorkelling, we headed back, and again got a couple of sunbeds to chill. We planned to jump back in to see the restoration project, but instead just fell asleep on the beach haha. What a great day!
I love Permuteran. Compared to the rest of Bali it’s a quiet haven and has a much slower pace and more relaxed vibe. There are also far fewer tourists. I do love Bali. The culture, the spirituality, the beauty – all the temples and shrines everywhere, all adorned with flowers and incense sticks, and surrounded by beautiful rice terraces and thick jungle… But unfortunately everyone in the world also thinks Bali is beautiful, and over the years I’ve been here (3 times since 2014), tourism has increased exponentially, and some parts of the island are just TOO busy now and don’t feel authentic anymore. Luckily, there are still some quiet corners of Bali, Permuteran is definitely one, and hopefully on this trip we will visit some others too 😉
Travel Alchemist 
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