Bali Green Sea Turtle.

The sea turtles which give Serangan (Bali Turtle Island) its popular name are not found swimming picture freely under ocean cliffs - here they are caught and sold as food. People in the Denpasar area are fond of turtle meat, especially on festival days. Serangan residents make a living capturing and wholesaling the creatures, also buying them from Muslim fishermen from islands to the east.

The turtles are kept live in bamboo sheds on the sandy beach around Dukuh , the island's main village on the north coast. Here they are fed with fresh leaves and sold to buyers from Denpasar, who will eventually prepare the turtle meat in dishes like sate and lawar, a kind of tartare or raw meat dish.

There is also a turtle-egg hatchery on the island. The most popular edible species is the green turtle (Chelonia mydas), which swims ashore to lay eggs in a shallow pit in the sand before returning to the sea. It is at this moment that villagers catch the turtles effortlessly and in large numbers, just by turning them on their backs. The eggs are considered a great delicacy, and are dug up immediately. Not surprisingly, the green turtle is now threatened with extinction and the World Wide Fund for Nature has consequently appealed to the government to put a stop to the slaughter.

Because of that the turtle conservation center is been establish at Bali Turtle Island so that the green turtle will not extinct at Bali Soil.  Green turtle (Chelonia mydas) or sometime they call it pacific turtle have contribute to many island that have been name as turtle island because the turtle nesting on their beaches.

Bali Turtle Island the place to avoid!

After reading some of the reviews of this supposed "attraction" I felt I should also add my experience. We were promised a morning of fish viewing in a glass bottom boat, snorkelling to see the exotic reef fish and visit the conservation Park for Turtles on Turtle Island. None of these experiences were pleasurable. 


Firstly the boat stopped in an overcrowded area to snorkel, we were a family of 3 amongst many other boats and tourists, there was a current running and many boats polluting the water with their fumes and dripping oil/diesel. There was very little to see even after trying to lure any fish with bread slices. We decided to cut the snorkelling time short and rode around for a while trying to find something to see in the glass bottom boat. 


The absence of fish and the onset on sea sickness made it necessary to again abort this particular experience. We then headed for what we believed to be Turtle Island (Pulau Serangan) where we thought we would at least get to see some turtles and understand how conservation programs are helping the turtles. This experience also was consistent with the previous two aspects of this tour. 


I was deeply appalled and concerned for the turtle's well being. We were met by a "guide" when we arrived on the beach and escorted around the park where our questions were answered with very little informed information. The standard answer seemed to be there is no problem for the turtle and they are released back into the ocean. 


The surrounds and enclosures were putrid and certainly not contributing to any conservation method I understand. There were also some other "attractions" a few rabbits in a very small enclosure and bats and a kestrel which was chained to a perch also a monitor lizard that did not seem to have very much life in it and none of the enclosures looked like they had been cleaned or maintained in years. I found the whole experience to be very disturbing as did our 16 year old niece. We all could not get away quick enough - particularly when pressured for a donation for the conservation effort. This was definitely something we did not want to support and left us wondering what happens to the money that is obviously given by some tourists.


We now realise we were not at a Conservation & Education Centre but at a makeshift zoo but had understood at the time of booking this tour we were going to a legitimate Turtle Conservation area. We were taken by boat and had believed we were on Turtle Island but in fact we were still on the mainland of Tanjung Benoa. In my opinion this particular establishment should be closed down.

Review by Jennyknight18

Get Up Close With Turtle At Turtle Island

The place is beautiful we need to get to the beach of bali and out there there is a personalised tour guide available ,you get a spped boat or glass bottom boat that takes you from the beach to the turtle island along with the guide and on the way we get to the middle of the sea to fish the feeds with some bread crumbs and they all come together and they are so beautiful.Its an amazing scene with fishes you get to see of all the colours.


It takes about 20 minutes from the beach to the turtle island.One must carry the camera, water and food. 
Its a short visit with a total time of 2 hours.The place has amazing turtles right from small ones to the oldest ones .You can get your pictures clicked along with the turtles and you can carry them in your hand and you can also feed them.


Not only can you hold the turtles but you can also hold another animals like snakes and other rare animals and birds .you can get nice pictures clicked with them.you should not hurt the animals those are protected there.There is also a souvenir shops at the exit point which is small but very interesting .It has things made of shells and mother of pearl and they are also very reasonable.There is also a small eating place like a shack you can say .but it is advised to carry your own food along with you.

Beware of Fake Turtle Conservation Centre at Bali Turtle Island

Just like I said before in my post, there is several fake conservation centre in Bali Turtle Island. This Turtle Park (also called Turtle Island) is located on Serangan Island - NOT Tanjungbenoa, where there is another place some people call Turtle Island. The one at Serangan is a proper organization for turtle breading.

There seems to be a lot of bad reports on trip advisor about "Turtle Island", yet the place that is being reviewed seems to be the one on the Tanjungbenoa peninsula, and not the "Turtle Park" on Serangan Island. I have been to the Serangan Turtle Park two times, so I know that this place does have a proper large undercover building where they run a proper bread and release program - and I have not seen any turtles or other animals in small cages at this place.



They may ask for a donation when you arrive, so please give them a few Rp's to help keep this place running. You can feed the big turtles seaweed (they always have some there), and if handled carefully, you can hold a baby one too. There is a small shop where you can buy turtle type souvenirs, and also a cold drink (soft drinks and Bintang).



So, if you want to see turtles - then ask about going to Serangan Island, and NOT the Tanjung Benoa Peninsula. There are glass bottom boats that go off from Sanur beach, which is nice if you want to incorporate a bit of time on the water (they will ask for around US$25 pp … but you should be able to get them down to US$20 pp max) . On the way back they go over the back of the reef near the Sanur beach area so you can see the fish - they usually throw out some food and the fish come up to the surface. The island now has a road bridge ... so if you don't want to do the boat ride, you drive there. If you are travelling between Kuta and Sanur, there is a road that comes off the Jl Ngurah Rai By Pass and goes direct onto Serangan Island. As you are crossing the bridge onto Sarangan Island, it is only 1.5km to Turtle Park from this point. Follow the road around to your left and stay on it - following it around the edge of the island. You will see the blue "Turtle Park" sign on the building on the right hand side of the road.



One last thing to note - don't picture in your head a nice tropical island, palm trees, and you watching turtles laying eggs on the beach, or watching little new born turtles scurrying off down the beach ... think of a standard type Bali village, by the water - not a beach - actually there is a concrete boat ramp on the water’s edge - a bit mangrovish in the water, and a big building where they keep / breed the turtles. Don't get me wrong, this place is ok; just don't build it up too much in your head. I have rated it as average, only because it is not a flash place, it could do with a bit of a spruce up, but you can get up close and personal with the turtles.

I hope this helps clear up any confusion about the different places. You will not be distressed nor upset with the "Turtle Park" at Serangan Island.

Enjoy !

By Mr-Sinter

Nusa Dua and Turtle Island Tour

Nusa Dua and Turtle Island Tour is a short tour revealing some of the most beautiful beach areas of Bali as well as including a visit to the protected turtle island of Serangan and includes a trip in a glass bottom boats. The entry fees to some of the areas are not included in the price although they are likely to be well under a dollar with the proceeds going towards the causes and the local councils. 


First of all you will call at the infamous Nusa Beach which is a beautiful place to relax and enjoy the Balinese and Indonesian scenery with the clear blue waters stretching as far as you can see and the reefs providing waves for surfing as well as protection for the lagoons which are perfect for swimming as well as a selection of other sports. With all this and some fabulous facilities you will be able to enjoy the Balinese paradise and everything offered around the Nusa Dua area before moving off to the next location. 


The tour will continue to the turtle island called Serangan, although this is a separate island there is now a bridge way linking it to the mainland of Bali. Here you will be able to enjoy the full length of the beach which is still lined as all of Bali’s beaches once were, with traditional beach huts looking onto a pleasant lagoon with some surfing opportunities on the outer reefs. As well as this the Serangan Island offers the main conservation project of turtles in Bali. 


This area is taken seriously and you need to show some form of ID to enter as there have been problems with theft in the past as turtle, although illegal to eat in Indonesia, is still seen as a luxurious delicacy by many. Anyhow you will be able to see the baby turtles and some of the larger turtles and learn about the projects and problems that the dedicated team has faced in their quest to repopulate the Indonesian waters with these incredible animals.