Gili Islands

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Perahu fishing boats lounging on Trawangan's beach, with Meno in the background

The Gili Islands are located just off the west coast of Lombok, Indonesia.

[edit] Understand

The three Gili Islands are a small-scale backpacker mecca and Lombok's most popular tourist destination. The islands are very relaxed and laid-back, with countless little beachside cafes playing reggae and serving up banana pancakes, and no cars or motorbikes to disturb the peace. The beaches are without a doubt better than anywhere on Bali or Lombok. The flip side of the coin is that as they exist solely to cater for travellers, they're also rather anonymous (you might as well be at anywhere) and, aside from snorkeling and diving, there's little if anything to do. Note that there are no ATMs on the islands, so bring plenty of cash with you. From west to east, the islands are:

The three Gili Islands from the air

• Gili Trawangan, or "Gili T" is by far the most developed with plenty of backpacker options and one swanky resort. There are no dogs on the island but according to one local, there are more cats here than people. The local population is around 800. There is no police on the island and all problems are usually settled by the local "council".
• Gili Meno, the smallest and quietest, low-key with some simple places to stay.
• Gili Air, closest to the mainland and with the largest local population.

Strictly speaking, the name "Gili Islands" is rather redundant as gili simply means "small island" in Sasak, but the name has stuck and is universally used and understood in Lombok.

[edit] Get in

There is now a new FastBoat service running direct to the Gili Islands from Benoa Harbour in South Bali. This takes just two hours on the water, and the ticket price of around US$100 includes air-con transfers to and from the Kuta area in Bali (about 20 minutes from the harbour). This is by far the easiest way of getting to and from the islands - as an added bonus there are frequent sightings of dolphins on the way. This service is operated by BlueWater Safaris.

There are regular shuttle services from Bangsal on the main island of Lombok, stopping at all islands. The trip takes about 15 minutes to Air, 30 min to Meno and 45 min to Trawangan. Around Rp30-40,000 one-way, or Rp70,000 if including land transfer from Senggigi. Avoid traveling to Bangsal as captains will wait until the boat is full of passengers before setting off. If you do go via Bangsal, you driver may warn you about the Bangsal Mafia: a bunch of guys hanging around the port who will seriously hassle you to buy boat tickets to the Gili's from them, with various excuses like claiming that your ticket is no longer valid. Do not give in! Book a trip with Perama instead, which will travel to and from the islands no matter how many people they have.

Alternatively, the Gilis can be visited on a day trip from Senggigi, in which case you'll get your own little boat and crew to take you around. The trip across take 1-2 hours each way and is quite scenic, if a little bumpy when the waves are high. Available from any travel agent, figure on Rp400,000 for a tour for two.

Private transport from Senggigi without the tour is RP 250,000, after negotiation in the low season, and leaves from the beach by the Santosha Hotel and Resort. If you go through the hotel property to the beach there are several boats on the beach and guaranteed solicitations to go to the Gilis. This part of the beach can also be accessed near the Senggigi Beach Hotel. You can book directly with these guys the day before you want to go or though any tour operator.

Note that the sea is calmest in the morning and all transport stops running in the afternoon, well before dark.

[edit] Get around

Cidomo

In a rare display of foresight, all forms of motorized transport are banned from the islands: your only choice is horse-drawn carts, known as cidomo, which are used even to shuttle around diving gear. However, as the islands are only a few km in diameter, it's entirely possible to just walk instead.

Traveling between the islands requires either catching the infrequent shuttle boats or chartering one to take you across. The distances between the islands may seem swimmable, but do not attempt it — the currents can be fierce and several backpackers have died trying.

[edit] See & Do

There are no sights as such on the islands themselves, but the snorkeling and diving all around is a major draw. Sea turtles are also common, especially around Turtle Point just north of Gili Meno. You can rent masks and fins off the beach, or contact any of the numerous dive shops to arrange snorkeling or diving at choice spots nearby. A daily snorkeling programme usually involves a 10:00 departure and 16:00 return that includes three or four spots around the three islands and a two-hour lunch break. The cost ranges from RP 60,000 to 150,000 depending on the shop and your negotiating skills and includes the fins, mask and snorkel, but not the cost of lunch.

One of the attractions of the islands is the ability to do nothing. With no cars on any of the islands and the lower tempo of Gili Air and Gili Meno, there are several bungalow-style accommodations with verandas that overlook gardens of the ocean. The styles of cafes and restaurants involves small open huts perfect for two to four people to claim for a good part of the day. With a good book and your swimsuit, the day passes quickly is you leave your watch in your bag. The beaches are not exceptional. Gili Trawangan has the nicest physical beaches of the three islands, but even these are not great and can be over-crowded in some seasons. Gili Meno and Air have their best beaches on the West side of the islands. The South side tends to be windy and rough and the North and East sides have a lot of coral on the beaches, making the sand rough. On Gili Air, the only pleasant beach for swimming is really in front of the Chill-out cafe and Sunrise Hotel on the main strip.

It is also nice to walk around the islands. The perimeters of the islands are conducive to a two or three hour leisurely walk with no strenuous hills. Just follow the coastline and put on your sunscreen and it makes a nice morning.

Gili Trawangan is known as more of a party island and activities tend to revolve around the bar scene.

Gili Meno has a "bird sanctuary", which is more like a bird zoo owing to the fact that birds are caged and not free to fly around. There are a range of birds and tourists used to go to see the komodo dragon which died in 2007. Access to the site is a short walk in island from the North end of the main strip on the West of the island.

[edit] Eat

"Cafe View"

All the islands feature a myriad of restaurants and cafes concentrated on the beaches. The East sides of all the islands have the most activity. The majority are small cafes with decent food oriented toward tourists in small open huts. Featured food is usually barbecued fish or pizza from a wood-fired oven.

[edit] Gili Air

Starting at the Jetty and working your way North on the East side is the island up to the Hotel Gili Air there are lots of decent places to eat. Since there is no "fresh" water on the island purified shipped water is the norm, which does not mean that salads are safe, but food might be safer here at most restaurants than other international destinations.

• Chillout Cafe at the foot of the Sunrise bungalows has the benefit of the nice beach and good food. Mostly serving some variation of Sasak food with a lot of good curries and satays. Expect about Rp. 20,000 for a decent main dish.
• Hotel Gili Air is at the North end of most of the action. This is a fancier restaurant than most of the cafes on the island and serves and excellent meal with a nice selection of wines and spirits. The nprice tag is a bit higher than the others at about Rp 40,000 for a meal and another Rp 40,000 for each glass of wine, but the quality is nice. Mostly Italian food served.

[edit] Gili Meno

"Good Heart", Gili Meno

• Good Heart Good local dishes (ie, seafood). Located directly on the beach overlooking the sea. This hotel and restaurant are off the beaten track a bit on the other side of the island from most of the facilities. You can take the ring road around the island or a shortcut across the middle of the island to get there. If you are not staying there, this might be a better choice for lunch as walking through the island in the dark may not be comfortable for some travelers.
• Yaya warung Choose your fish and let Yon cook it on the open fire. Inexpensive, expect to pay around 25000 for a fresh fish with nasi goreng and vegetables. Nasi goreng is 7000 and fresh juices around 6000. Around 200 m on the right of the "harbour". Slow service, but a chat with the owner and the view will distract you.

[edit] Gili Trawangan

• Anna Between the Jetty and the Borobudur Restaurant, this place serves superb local food and is one of the cheapest on the island. Expect to pay for a Nasi Campur around 7.500 Rp (around 0,60€)
• Beach House, Trawangan. Great seafood buffet but extremely expensive.
• Coco Near the ferry-stage. open over the day only (till 5PM), selling the best deluxe sandwiches on the island. Try BLT or grilled vegetables with feta on brown bread. Illy Cafe and funtastic brownies or apple-crumble-pie.
• Manta Cafe Run by the dive shop next door, has a very large menu offering Western, Italian, French, Mexican and Indonesian dishes for around Rp20-30,000 each. Very good watermelon lassis but dont try the pizzas.
• Pesona Shisha-Lounge and great indian style food! Try Daals, Curries and Naans. Located directly in front of the sea. Very nice atmosphere, you can chill on a matress on the ground or lay down in a typical indonesian 'bruga' (little house on stilts) and listen to Cafe del Mar-Cds. Like in heaven.
• Ryoshi restaurant Great Japanese food and fresh air-flown sushi, right next to the Irish Bar (TirNanOg).
• Scalywag Most fantastic seafood, in comparison to others its maybe expensive (even cheaper than European prices) but with all-you-can-eat tasty salad buffet. Next to beachhouse directly on the sea.

[edit] Drink

Horizontal

There are regular party nights on Gili Trawangan - the various bars take it in turn to host the late night gig (up to 4AM), to ensure that everyone gets together in one place rather than being spread around. Ask around for where the party is going on on any given night.

• Horizontal, Trawangan. Probably the only place in the Gilis that wouldn't look out of place in Seminyak, this stylish outdoor bar offers fancy drinks, funky furniture and DJs spinning the night away.

• Tir Nan Og, Trawangan, [1]. The smallest island in the world to feature an Irish pub gets its self-proclaimed title from this long-running joint offering indoor and outdoor seating, a sushi restaurant and ten villas for rent (Rp200,000 and up). Party night weekly on Wed.

[edit] Sleep

[edit] Budget

There are plenty of largely identical backpacker guesthouses on the islands. The price ranges, depending on the season and island. Figure on RP 50,000-150,000 for a basic room with fan only. Air conditioned rooms are more in the RP 200,000+ range. When understanding hotel prices, try to negotiate for the "best price" and be clear on whether or not the quoted price includes taxes and breakfast. Some hotels feature fresh water for showering and others use sea water. Even fresh water is very soft (on the salty side) so it is hard to feel really clean after a few days.

[edit] Gili Air

Gili Air budget hotels tend to bear a striking resemblance to one another and most are on the West side of the island. There is not a wide range in quality or appeal, although a few stand out.

• Coconut Cottages, tel: +62 370 635365, [2]. About a 10 minute walk north of the main strip on the island. Kamil and Elaine, the owners, have developed a lovely grounds packed primarily with hibiscus. The low-season cost is RP 200,000 with air conditioning and RP 150,000 without, including tax and a great breakfast. This is a nice place to relax and enjoy as there is a decent restaurant and private cottages on account of the gardens. With spacious verandas one can spend the whole day there. There are several other restaurants within a five-minute walk of the cottages and Ozzy's Surf shop, which arranges day trips and transportation about 100m from the entrance to the Cottages. If you have heavy bags, a horse-taxi would be wise as it is about a 20 minute walk from the jetty on a dirt road.
• Indah Gili is arguably a step-up in terms of the quality of the bungalow and does not cost much more, if any, than the other hotels on the island. The grounds are not that nice though and the South side of the island has very rough water and is quite windy.
• Sunrise Hotel features bungalow-style accommodation right in the centre of the main strip of the island. The grounds are not inspiring, but the units are nice enough although many not be accessible to people who do not handle stairs well since they are in traditional styles with an open room on the main floor ans steep stairs to the room. None of the rooms have a really good sea view. The price in the low season is RP 150,000 with airconditioning and 100,000 without.

[edit] Gili Meno

[edit] Gili Trawangan

Pesona Resort All rooms decorated in unique style, including hot water, TV and DVD players in each room, private balconies, airconditioning. Fantastic resort to stay in Gili Trawangan. Private Rooms and Accomodation. The best Indian food and try the sheesha. Owners are Indian British who were travelling and fell in love with the island and decided to live the dream and take the plunge and build the resort. Take advantage of happy hours on Sheesha's and cocktails by the beach, especially at sunset. Best value resort and staff are friendly and helpful. Trips can also be booked here.

[edit] Mid-range

[edit] Gili Air

• Hotel Gili Air, tel: + 62 370 643580, [3]. The nicest hotel on the island. A bit out of the way on the North end of the West side of the Island, it has a tranquil ground, wonderful restaurant, and nice, modern bungalows. The cost is higher than the rest of the hotels on the island though. They have four level of rooms ranging from standard to "luxury", resulting of charges starting at RP 150,000 and going to RP 600,000 depending on the season.

[edit] Gili Meno

[edit] Gili Trawangan

[edit] Splurge

[edit] Gili Trawangan

• Hotel Vila Ombak, : +62-370-642336, Website: http://www.hotelombak.com. The first international hotel on Gili Trawangan Lombok. The Hotel Vila Ombak features the traditional building style of Lombok. $70 and up

• Dream Village, [4], only 5 bungalows available. AC, TV, Minibar, Babysitting, Massage, 24h Security service, very friendly staff and Angelo (the Italian owner) and Lulu (his little monkey) are two sweeties.

• Baruna Villa's, [5]. Brand new traditional, beautifully designed family run villa's near the main beach offering complete privacy and 5 star accommodation with all modern conveniences. Also with fresh water pool and showers!! Owned and run by Steve and Leila Jackson. Prices range from US$200-250.

[edit] Stay safe

...or ticket to jail?

True to the hippie vibe, magic mushrooms are widely available and openly advertised. Their legality is questionable, as are any physical and psychological effects.

Small but annoying jellyfish are common in the waters around the Gilis during August only, so wearing a full-length wetsuit or surf skin in the water is advisable.

[edit] Stay healthy

Tap water is not potable. Bottled water is widely available and some cafes will fill up bottles for a nominal charge, reducing waste.

[edit] Contact

Mobile phone towers ensure you're never out of touch, and there are several Internet cafes on Trawangan for feeding your Internet addiction. Printing is possible in a few Internet café's and you can even hook up your laptop in some.

WikiPedia:Gili Islands