Bali, unhurried
Bali, unhurried

Hours, prices and schedules change. Confirm before you go.

Soft corals and reef fish in the coral garden off Menjangan Island

West · 2–3 nights

West Bali National Park & Menjangan

Coral walls, dry savannah, and almost nobody else.

Why go

The quiet corner of Bali

West Bali National Park — Taman Nasional Bali Barat — covers the island’s far northwest tip, and it is one of the least visited parts of Bali. Compared with the south, there are practically no tourists here.

The landscape is unlike anywhere else on the island: dry savannah, mangroves, calm bays, and the volcanoes of Java just across the strait. Monkeys, deer and exotic birds live in the park, including the Bali starling (Leucopsar rothschildi), one of the rarest birds in the world and critically endangered.

Offshore sits Menjangan Island, part of the park. This is where you dive and snorkel: the coral walls here are among the best in Bali, the water is clear, and there is almost no one else in it.

It is a real trip. That isolation is exactly what keeps it quiet.

  • The reef

    Coral walls that drop away just off the island, in clear water.

  • The silence

    Few resorts, few boats, and no nightlife to speak of.

  • The landscape

    Savannah, mangroves and Java’s volcanoes across the water.

A white Bali starling with blue skin around its eye, perched on a branch
The Bali starling — found in the wild only in this corner of the island.

Where to stay

Sleep in the park, not on the island

Stay in or right beside the park for 2–3 nights and take tours out to Menjangan. To be clear: there is nowhere to stay on Menjangan Island itself. You sleep at one of the resorts inside the park or around Pemuteran and Banyuwedang, and cross to the island by boat for the day.

There are only a handful of properties and they fill up — book well ahead.

Turquoise shallows and white sand at Menjangan Island, with mountains beyond
Menjangan Island: a short boat ride from the park's jetty.

The day on Menjangan

How the day goes

  1. Early morning · The jetty

    Out by boat

    • Leave early, while the water is at its calmest.
    • The crossing is short; the island comes up fast.

  2. Morning · First site

    First snorkel or dive

    • The coral walls start just off the island and fall away into deep blue.

  3. Midday · The island

    Lunch

    • Usually included in the tour. Ask when you book.

  4. Afternoon · Second site

    Second snorkel or dive, then back

    • Return to the mainland by mid-afternoon.

Getting there

Worth the drive

Hire a private car with a driver. From Ubud it is about 3.5 hours; from the airport (DPS), about 4 hours. Times are approximate and depend heavily on traffic.

That distance is the price of admission — and the reason the reef is still this empty.