Gili Islands - holidays, how to get there, what to see, where to stay

General information about Gili Island, what kind of vacation is here and why to go

Gili Islands are three small tropical islands off the northwest coast of Lombok, Indonesia. Located 40 kilometers from Bali (Gili on the map), but radically different atmosphere – there are no noisy cities, cars, or even paved roads. Movement is possible only by bicycles, horse-drawn carts or on foot. The islands are known for their white beaches, turquoise waters and coral reefs, attracting divers from all over the world.

From an economic point of view, Gili is a purely tourist destination. The main income of local residents is associated with hotels, restaurants and diving centers. There is no industry here, and the infrastructure is sharpened for vacationers. At the same time, unlike Bali, there is almost no mass development on Gili – most hotels retain an eco-friendly format (private guest houses, bungalows).

Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air – each island has its own character:

• Trawangan or Gili Ti is the busiest, with night parties and well–developed infrastructure.
• Meno or Gili M is quiet and romantic, suitable for a relaxing holiday.
• Air or Gili Hey is the golden mean, with cozy cafes, but without noisy parties.

There are no attractions here, because the main feature here is nature and the sea. However, there is something to do: diving and snorkeling, kayaking and SUP-surfing, yoga retreats, spa and massages.

There is nightlife here, but these are not nightclubs at all, as, for example, in Kuta in Bali. These are just beach bars with music until late at night in Trawangan. And on Meno and Eira it's quiet in the evening, only the whisper of waves and relaxing music in the cafe.

In general, the Gili Islands are perfect for you if you are tired of the hustle and bustle of Bali and want a more peaceful secluded holiday without crowds, and beaches with clear water and without big waves. Gili is not a place for lovers of shopping, excursions and luxury spas. But here you can completely disconnect from civilization, enjoying nature.

Read on this guide – we tell you everything about the Gili Islands in detail and reliably! And also watch our video review of Gili to see with your own eyes what the islands are and how everything works here.:

What are the beaches on the Gili Islands

The beaches on Gili are considered one of the best in Indonesia. Fine white sand, clear water and palm trees create ideal conditions for relaxation. Unlike the crowded beaches of Bali, there are no crowds of tourists even in season. But the most important thing is that the coastal waters here are protected by a reef, and therefore there are no strong waves like in Bali. Therefore, Gili are not suitable for surfing, but for beach holidays, swimming and snorkeling – the best.

But in fairness it should be noted that not all Gili beaches are suitable for swimming. On the west bank of the Trawangan (on the left on the map) there is mostly shallow water, and in order to reach the depth and swim with pleasure, you will have to walk a hundred meters to the reef, and swim behind it. But we do not recommend doing so, it is dangerous. In addition, there are a lot of broken corals and sharp stones on the bottom in these places. But on this shore the best views of the sunset. There are also beaches unsuitable for swimming on Gili Meno and Air, but everything is simpler there: the islands are tiny, the neighboring kupable beach is easy to walk to in a few minutes.

By the way, all the beaches on Gili are public, there are no paid and closed ones. There are no beach activities on Gili, only the rental of surfboards and catamarans.

And here is a selection of photos of the beaches of Gili:

Infrastructure on the Gili Islands

All three Gili Islands are very well developed in terms of both urban and tourist infrastructure. When we arrived here after a few days spent in Lombok, we were very pleasantly surprised at how well everything is developed here. Of course, you need to understand that everything is arranged here, as in the village, but there is almost everything.

• Supermarkets and shops. There are everywhere, including chain supermarkets Coco, Alfamart, M Mart and small shops. They can buy drinking water, cold drinks and alcohol, snacks, ready meals. There are no shopping centers here, but if you urgently need to buy something from electronics or for recreation, such as a swimsuit, clothes, snorkeling mask, phone case, etc., then you will find everything in small shops and street vendors. Electronic cigarettes and consumables for them are sold freely.

  In chain stores, you can pay with a bank card, including Unionpay of Russian banks, we checked. Prices here are slightly higher than on the larger islands, but generally tolerable. Perhaps, only bottled drinking water stands out at a high price, otherwise you will hardly notice the difference.

  

• Souvenirs. You can easily buy souvenirs from stalls at markets and in shops here. Typical consumer goods from China with the "logos" of the islands are on sale, and more serious souvenirs made by hand by local residents. The main business card of Gili is souvenirs in the form or with the image of a turtle.

  

• ATMs and money exchange. There are plenty of exchangers here. The exchange rate is slightly lower than at the same time in banks in Bali, but with the exchange of several hundred dollars it is insignificant. ATMs are also available on all islands.

  

• Travel agencies, excursions, transfers. Everything is there, too, and at almost every step. They mainly offer ferry tickets +minivans to Bali and Lombok, boat tours for snorkeling, diving training and diving, equipment rental. But there are also excursions around Lombok Island, including trekking on Rinjani, rice fields, waterfalls, etc., and even Komodo tours.

  

• Rental of snorkeling and diving equipment. There are a lot of both for rent and for sale. Prices differ from places, so if you save money in principle. It is better to check and compare in place. For example, on the west bank (where there are sunsets), they asked for 100,000 for a set of mask + snorkel + fins at the box office, and on the beach next to the turtles it's twice as cheap: 25,000 for a mask + snorkel and 25,000 for fins.

  

• Restaurants and cafes where to eat. There is food almost everywhere, there are a lot of establishments. The prices are the same as on the big islands, well, maybe a little higher. But this is all very detailed below.

• Transport. Transport with motors on the Gili is prohibited, mostly people move here on foot, on bicycles, horse-drawn carriages. Everything depends on the ransport and how to navigate below.

Where and what to eat on Gili (with prices)

As in any place in Indonesia, on the Gili Islands there are street cafes "varungi", tourist cafes and restaurants, fast food stalls at every turn. There will be no problems with food at all, and if you don't count every penny, then you won't notice the price difference at all compared to the big islands.

Here are the minimum prices in an inexpensive but decent cafe not on the shore from personal experience:

• A simple everyday dish like Nasi Goreng (rice with chicken) or Mi Goreng (noodles with chicken) – from 30,000 rupees / 1.84 rubles
• A small bottle of lemonade (soft drink) - from 10,000 rupees 0.61 rubles
• A small bottle of beer 0.33 – 35,000 rupees / 2.15 rubles
• A large bottle of beer 0.62 – 45,000 rupees / 2.76 rubles

All the same things on the beach in popular cafes and restaurants overlooking the sunset cost one and a half to two times more expensive, but drinks almost everywhere cost plus or minus the same.

Here are a couple of menus from the cafe and restaurant:

Just keep in mind that sometimes the prices on the menu may not be final, especially for places for tourists. As a result, the service fee and tax are included in the check, in total it can reach up to 20%. Some restaurants honestly indicate the tax amounts at the bottom of the menu in small print, but sometimes they cheat and do not indicate it, then it can be an unpleasant surprise. If you don't want such surprises, then just ask the waiters about it with the phrase: "Is it the final price?", pronounced "From it ze financial price?". In fairness, it should be said that this is typical not only for the Gili Islands, but also for any place in Indonesia, including Bali.

And now a little more about the places where to eat:

If you just need to have lunch or breakfast inexpensively, then look for "varungi" in the center of the island away from the beaches. There are also clusters of inexpensive establishments near the boat docks. Some hotels offer breakfast for an additional fee of 50,000 rupees. But as we have repeatedly seen, it is often cheaper to choose a room with breakfast included even at the booking stage than to order on the spot.

On Gili Trawangan on the west coast (this is on the left on the map) there are a number of cafes and restaurants with sunset views. Every evening, tourists from the center and the eastern shore move there to sit in romantic and atmospheric establishments overlooking the sunset. The places are cool, the prices are generally affordable, a large selection of dishes and alcohol flesh to champagne. So be sure to meet the sunset on this side at least once. There are also places with sunset views on Meno and Air on the west bank, but the sunsets there are not so cool, because in front of you will be

Another cool place that is worth a visit is the fish market in Trawangan. This is something like a food court, where they mainly offer fresh seafood. Who and what is not here. Prices are indicated here per gram for fish, crabs, squid and shrimp, and shellfish by the piece. Not to say that it's very cheap here, but everything is very fresh and tasty:

• Fish red or white Snapper (Red Snapper, White Snapper) – from 65,000 rupees /100 grams / 3.99 rubles
• Lobtser, shrimp, king shrimp – from 95,000 rupees/100 grams / 5.83 rubles
• Squid – from 65,000 rupees/100 grams / 3.99 rubles

Also, restaurants offer ready-made sets with several varieties of seafood at once, the price per set starts from 350,000 rupees / 21.48 rub .

Hotels in Gili, where to stay

On the Gili Islands there are enough options for guest houses and hotels for budget travelers, there are also chic expensive hotels with territory. Whatever your budget, you can easily find accommodation here to suit your taste and purse. For example, check out the review of the budget room with breakfast for two, in which we stayed for only $ 13:

Most of the accommodation options, especially budget ones, are on Gili Trawangan. Therefore, if you have a question about which of the three islets to choose for the first time for a holiday, then you can safely choose Trawangan. There is also the most developed infrastructure and the most active tourist atmosphere, and the other two are quieter.

As for choosing a specific place for a hotel, then, in our opinion, everything is solved quite simply:

• The further away from the coast, the accommodation will be cheaper.
• There are more hotels on the eastern shore (this is on the right on the map) and the beaches are more convenient for swimming, and on the western shore (on the left on the map) it is mostly very shallow and there are a lot of corals under water.

But don't worry too much about the fact that if you choose a hotel in the wrong place, you will be too far from the beach and infrastructure. In fact, wherever you stay, you will always be within walking distance to any place on the islets, because they are very small.

If you can't book your accommodation online in advance, you can find it on the spot. Just walk around the streets, you will find a lot of announcements on the poles and signs on the guest houses about the availability of rooms.

You can find and book accommodation on the Gili Islands on these reliable, trusted sites or through the search form:

• 🛌 Search for hotels on the Gili Islands on Trip.com (👍 Mir maps work)
• 🛌 Search for hotels in the Gili Islands on Yandex.travel
• 🛌 Search for hotels on Ostrovok.ru

Weather on the Gili Islands, tourist seasons

With the seasons on the Gili Islands, everything is very simple – you can go at any time of the year. Although there is a conditional low rainy season here, it is much milder than in Bali and even in neighboring Lombok. So come at any time, it's always warm and comfortable here. And here is a little more information on the months:

• 🌧 The rainy season runs from November to April. Mostly at this time it is cloudy, there is not so much rain.
• 🌞 The dry season runs from May to October. During this period, there are almost no drop-offs, the heat is weakening, the rest is very comfortable. The peak of tourist arrivals is in July and August.

Seasons on the Gili Islands by month, when is the best time to go

Current weather on the Gili Islands and forecast for the near future: