The paradise islands triplet just off the coast of Lombok.
These three islands are known for their white sand, turquoise water, and rich underwater life, to add to your Bali Route. Gili Air is the quietest and simplest one, Gili Meno offers the honeymoon vibes, whereas Gili Trawangan is better if you are up for party and social life. In all of them, the only transportation methods you can find are bicycles and horse carts. We actually enjoyed it a lot especially after the crowded Bali. The islands population is mainly Muslim.
Gili Air
You can basically walk from one side to the other in 25 min, after one week we felt like we knew most of the locals. It’s crazy. If you are coming for a vacation, take in mind that it is the smallest one and also it has the dirtiest beach unfortunately (because it’s the closest one to Lombok mainland). If you come to work and travel like us you can stay at Jago Gili Air or Begadang, both probably have the best internet in the island, from what we checked (around 25mb on a good day).
Regardless of how long you stay, check out Gili Lumbung bar for one of the best spots to watch the sunset and drink some cocktails. Some days they also have BBQ in the evenings and in general the vibe there is very chilled. For good food you can go check out Mowie’s restaurant, which offers a variety of dishes and relative to the simple island the dishes are very well made. If you are up for Italian food you can try Mama pizza, a bit more expensive but very nice! For the vegan ones definitely visit Juju Zero Waste Cafe, amazing food, coffee and eco products mini shop.
Besides that you can (and probably will) rent a bicycle, it’s about 2$ a day, and just get lost between the tiny streets and the local villages. When looking for a fun activity, take a local cooking class that is located on the main street. On the beach there are a few beautiful swings inside the water to take cool pictures and from time to time live shows.
Gili Trawangan
The largest and most populous of the three islands, you can still walk from side to side, which will probably take you around 45 min. When we arrived we wanted to find a place that is good for work and have decent Wi-Fi, so we basically went from place to place and did speed tests until we found one – The Beach House (30-45mb). Most of the places had really bad internet, so if it’s important for you check before you close any long term deal.
Personally, our favorite sunset spot was The Exile. They have good view, live music, a bonfire and a beautiful swing in the water. Because many people go there the service is a bit slow, but they are very friendly. Snorkeling in Gili.T is awesome. You can do it just from the shore and see the turtles and many other marine life creatures. The popular spot for turtles is just in front of mango reef to Shallow Turbo, say hay from us to old turtle Bobi ( the locals named him). As for the restaurants and bars, all the main road from the port are full of them and usually most of them offer a happy hour and a nice BBQ, just pass them by and choose the vibe that suits you.
From any of the islands you can book a 3 hours snorkeling trip (with a group or private one), the cost is around 300K IDR for the private one. It includes few beautiful spots. The famous one is Meno Statue, which is just off the shore of Gili Meno Island, it’s called ‘Nest’, and apparently it is made from PH neutral concrete which encourages coral growth and attracts marine life. Absolutely amazing to see, don’t miss it!
Arriving to The Gilli’s
The arrival options are both from the sea with a boat or from Lombok (20 min) or from Bali (around 2.5 hours). There are few companies and they go every day, they tend to get full quickly, so we advise you to buy tickets at least one day in advance.
