Indonesia - The Gili Islands

The Gili Islands are located in the north west of Lombok, just off the coast. To get there you either travel by boat from Bali, or fly into Lombok and travel up overland. We decided to get the boat across from Pagan Bai, to save on time, cost and have a nice boat journey.

The crossing was really nice. The sea was flat calm, the sun was shining and we could sit on the top deck and relax. Soon the three little islands of the Gili's came into view.

The beach on Gili Air

The three islands are Gili Trenwagan, Gili Meno and Gili Air. We had decided to stop on Gili Air as Gili T is the most developed and known as the party, drink and drug island. Gili Meno is the least and is known for the honeymooners who have one thing on their mind, and Gili Air is the family island, or basically where all the locals live and run the other two. It is also the closest island to Lombok, making it a lot easier to travel to Lombok.

The boat dropped people off at Gili T to start (the majority of the boat), then popped over to a random beach on Lombok and finally with only Julia and I left on board, it headed to Gili Air. As you get closer the water turns from a dark rich blue to a light bright turquoise. Forget about mooring up, the boat simply went straight into the beach and dropped us off onto the sand.

Getting off the boat

We wondered up the main street to our accommodation at Suena Guesthouse which was a single room built by the owners. It was well appointed, with AC, private bathroom, comfy bed with mosquito net, snorkel gear (bonus!) and the, now customary, heart of flowers on the sheets. There was also a yummy breakfast included, which was a bonus. We didn't have a view of the sea, but it meant we had privacy and we liked that.

Lovely bedroom

Nice little place

The island is very easy to get around, we walked everywhere (which is very easy as there is a good sand path all the way around). You could also cycle (there are many for rent) or take a horse and cart - there are no cars and no scooters (apart from a few electric ones) on the island making it very safe. We decided to walk everywhere (bring a torch for after sunset) and circumnavigate the island to get a feel for all the bars, restaurants and beaches.

Transport

This was always going to be a bit of R & R and so the aim of the game was to do nothing, apart from swim, snorkel, read, drink beer, sun bathe and repeat. 

I can swim!

The beaches were nice, but a little coarse due to the coral, and we will be honest with you, there is a lot of rubbish which gets washed onto the beaches and floating around in the sea, making snorkeling off the beach not the most pleasant of experiences. The worst time for this is high tide or when the tide is coming in. The best beaches are to the north, and make a beeline for our favourite spot; Chill Out bar (they rake the sand every morning!) and south west.

The classic jump pose

The snorkeling is good, but a lot of the coral has been destroyed by, so we understand, dynamite fishing. There are a large array of fish, including the slightly rare clown fish (saw one... I think), puffer fish, tiger fish and sea eel. The highlight of the snorkeling was a snorkeling boat trip (100,000 rupiah) as we were able to see and then swim with turtles which was just an amazing experience (and see babies at the hatchery on Gili Meno).

Little turtles

A lot of time is spent in bars on lounging bamboo sofas that you will see about. Our favourite all rounder was Chill Out bar, as there was good snorkeling, the sea was fairly clear and the food was cheap and good. However, for sunset you need to walk around to the west side and sit in one of the bars along there which have comfy bean bags! They have the normal fix of Indonesian food, Pizzas, etc, but most importantly include government tax - hooray for open pricing! A large Bintang beer will set you back about 35-40,000 (around £2).

One of the excellent sunsets

We loved exploring more of the tracks through the centre of the island, down the backs of all the restaurants and bars which line most of the coastline. Here you discover the local life and ways of living. Most had merely a bamboo/wooden shack for their home, cooking on fires and sitting out in shaded bamboo shelters during the day.

We got up at sunrise to experience the island come to life, watching the children head off on their bikes to school, men working on building new tourist bungalow accommodations, and women setting up the Warung's (small home stay cafe/restaurants with only a few tables for locals and tourists alike to enjoy a home cooked meal). Whilst the R n R was great, it was this that really opened our eyes to the Indonesian island life.

Off to school

Overall we liked Gili Air. It looks set for huge development as there are many building sites on the island, one of which is for an estimated 250 rooms we understand. This is too much for such a small island and is likely to impact the local community, who from our walks around the centre, live in bamboo shacks and have small home stays or a few cottages which earn them a living.  Are the beaches as good as the Caribbean or Sardinia... no, and the snorkeling isn't the Great Barrier Reef, but there is a secluded island charm to the place and if you want to escape and relax, it is definitely worth the short trip over from Bali.

The beach