Gili Islands Travel and Holiday Guides for Indonesia.
Holiday Guide about Indonesia's Tropical Gili Island of Gili Trawangan.
The Gili Islands are located just off of the coast of Lombok
and are made up of Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air (note Gili actually
just means "small island"). If your idea of a
holiday is a tropical island with beautiful white sandy beaches, coconut trees,
fantastic snorkelling and diving, great food and amazing sunsets then look no
further….
The largest of the 3 Gili Islands is Gili Trawangan (at 2km wide and 3km
long) which is where most of the accommodation, bars, restaurants etc can be found - our
holiday guide concentrates
on this island. To give an idea of Gili Trawangan's size, a stroll around the entire island
just by using the beach will take 90 minutes or
less.
There are no cars or buses on any of the three Gili Islands as these are prohibited by local laws, however you can hire a
horse and cart (these are called "Cidomos" on the island) or take out a bicycle for just a couple of dollars.
Getting to Gili Trawangan. There are a number of ferries
to Gili Trawangan which go out from Lombok and Bali. The ferry from Lombok takes only 10
minutes to any of the islands. The standard public ferry time from Bali is
approx 4.5 hours but you can take a fast boat which will cut that time down to
around 2 hours. There are 3 fast boat services operating from Bali and they cost approximately
1.4 million RPs (£100) return per person. You need to book the fast boat tickets
in advance, but they will collect you from your hotel (or from the airport) and
return you there afterwards as part of the price.
Visas. Generally speaking the usual way to reach the
Gili Islands is coming in via Bali or Lombok and you already have to have a visa for these
Indonesian destinations of course - this visa is valid for the Gili Islands too.
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Where to Stay. Accommodation on Gili Trawangan ranges from small huts, home stays and hostels to 4 star villas depending on the amount you wish to spend. Most "hotels" are actually made up of 3 or 4 small villas, there are no large hotels on the islands. Hostels will cost around USD $15 per night whilst villas will be USD $60 per night and on upwards. As with most things in Indonesia, these rates are always negotiable…
Things to do. Activities on the islands include cycling, horse riding and kayaking, all of which are very reasonably priced and can be arranged by your hotel/accommodation reception. The main activities however are snorkelling and diving. The Gili Islands are one of the top areas for snorkelling and diving in Indonesia and are known as the "turtle capitol of the world". The water temperature is around 28 degrees all year round and there are over 20 dive sites which cater for everyone from complete beginners to experts. There are a number of dive schools on the islands and many hotels offer accommodation and diving packages with PADI courses and instructors.
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Food and Drink. Gili Trawangan has numerous restaurants and bars where you can find everything from the local Warungs serving traditional Nasi Campur to all types of international menus. There are also a number of beach BBQs serving fresh fish, prawns and lobster. There is also a Tapas bar, Indian restaurant and an Irish bar which stays open to watch the sunrise. Most of the restaurants and bars are found in "central" which is the busiest part of the island where the ferries and dive boats dock.
A couple of notes: Electricity
is provided by way of generators so there can be the occasional interruption to
service. Hot water is also not always available so check with your chosen
accommodation to ensure they do have hot water before you book. There are no
police on the islands, the nearest police are stationed on Lombok and are not
often seen on the Islands. Therefore should you have any
problems report them to the owner of your hotel/accommodation.
There are no ATMs
on the islands. Credit cards are accepted by the larger hotels and dive centres
but the only place to get cash is to go to Lombok unless you take a cash advance
on your credit card which can often be a very expensive alternative.
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