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Gili Islands
Car-free islands, turtles & sunsets (Islands)
About Gili Islands
The three Gili Islands lie off Lombok's northwest coast, a fast boat ride from Bali. There are no cars, only bicycles and horse carts, and sea turtles feed on the reefs around them. Gili Trawangan is the lively one, Gili Air the easy-going middle ground and Gili Meno the quiet one for couples.
Best for: Couples, divers & island hoppers
- Swimming with turtles
- Car-free islands
- Trawangan sunsets
- Diving & freediving
Gili Islands at a glance
- Beach: Excellent (5/5). White-sand beaches with clear water and turtles; mind the currents between the islands.
- Nightlife: Very good (4/5). Gili Trawangan parties most nights; Gili Air and Gili Meno are quiet.
- Prices: $$ · Moderate. Moderate: a little more than Bali for food, since supplies come by boat.
- To the airport: 3–5 h. Fast boat from Padangbai (1.5–2.5 hours), or fly to Lombok
- Climate: Hot & humid · coast
Ratings
- Calm-water swimming: Very good (4/5)
- Surfing: Poor (1/5)
- Diving & snorkeling: Excellent (5/5)
- Sunsets: Excellent (5/5)
- Restaurants & cafés: Good (3/5)
- Culture & temples: Poor (1/5)
- Nature & landscapes: Good (3/5)
- Yoga & wellness: Good (3/5)
- Family-friendly: Good (3/5)
- Peace & quiet: Good (3/5)
- Remote work: Fair (2/5)
- Walkability: Excellent (5/5)
Rated from 0 (none) to 5 (excellent), compared with Bali's other areas.
Resorts in Gili Islands
- Pearl of Trawangan: Lombok, from about $100 a night
- Kuno Villas: Lombok, from about $200 a night
- BASK Gili Meno: Lombok, from about $300 a night
- Aston Sunset Beach Resort Gili Trawangan: Lombok, from about $50 a night
- Cocana Resort Gili Trawangan: Lombok, from about $120 a night
- Hotel Lumi Gili Trawangan: Lombok, from about $80 a night
Sights in Gili Islands
- Gili Meno Underwater Statues (landmark). The underwater statues off the west coast of Gili Meno, a work called Nest, are a ring of 48 life-size human figures cast in concrete and laid on the seabed by the British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor in 2017. Coral and sponges are slowly growing over the figures, which lie in about four meters of clear water. Snorkelers can swim out from the beach, but the current can be strong, so many join a boat trip.
- Gili Meno Salt Lake (nature). Gili Meno's salt lake is a shallow brackish lagoon in the west of the island, ringed by mangroves and cut off from the sea by a strip of land. Herons, egrets and kingfishers feed along its muddy edges, and a few simple shelters look out over the water. Early morning is the quietest time and the best for birds, before the heat of the day.
- Gili Air (nature). Gili Air is the Gili island closest to Lombok, a small, flat island ringed by white-sand beaches and coral reefs where sea turtles often feed. A sandy path follows the shore all the way round, a walk of one to two hours, and there are no cars or motorbikes. Public boats cross from Bangsal harbor on Lombok, and island-hopping boats link it with Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan.
Beaches in Gili Islands
- Gili Beach (beach). Gili Beach is the quiet stretch of sand along the south coast of Gili Trawangan, the largest of the three Gili Islands, with views across the strait to Lombok. The water is shallow over a wide coral reef, so swimming is awkward, especially at low tide, and reef shoes help for wading. When the swell is up, a fast right-hand wave breaks over sharp reef about 300 meters out; it suits experienced surfers, is best at higher tides, and boards can be rented nearby.
- Gili Trawangan Beach (beach). Gili Trawangan Beach is the main beach of the largest of the Gili Islands, a strip of white sand along the east coast around the harbor, backed by hotels, cafes, bars and dive centers. Snorkelers rent masks and fins on the beach and wade straight in, and green sea turtles are often seen over the seagrass and coral close to shore, especially north of the harbor. A current often runs south along the shore, at times strongly, and at low tide the shallow reef makes reef shoes useful.
- Gili Trawangan Sunset Beach (beach). Sunset Beach runs the length of Gili Trawangan's west coast, a walk or bike ride across the island from the harbor. Bars put beanbags on the sand, swings stand in the shallows and horses are ridden along the shore, and in the late afternoon people gather to watch the sun go down, with Bali's Mount Agung on the horizon on clear evenings. A wide, shallow reef flat lies offshore, so swimming is best at high tide; low tide exposes coral rubble, and reef shoes help.
- Turtle Beach (beach). Turtle Beach is the sandy stretch at Turtle Point on Gili Trawangan's northeast coast, north of the harbor. Green sea turtles graze on seagrass a short swim out, so people snorkel straight off the sand with gear rented from beach shacks, often drifting south with the current, and the reef drops off into deep water farther out. The shallows near shore are sand and dead coral, so reef shoes help at low tide, and snorkelers should watch for passing boats.
- Gili Air Sunset Beach (beach). Gili Air Sunset Beach is the white-sand shore along the northwest and west coast of Gili Air, the Gili island closest to Lombok, looking across to Gili Meno, Gili Trawangan and Bali's Mount Agung. Beach bars and cafes, several with swings, line the sand, and people gather there in the evening to watch the sunset. A shallow reef flat with seagrass lies just offshore, and the water is too shallow for swimming at low tide, so swim at high tide.
- Gili Meno Beach (beach). Gili Meno Beach runs south from the boat harbor along the southeast coast of Gili Meno, the quietest of the three Gili Islands. Its white sand is scattered with bits of coral, the clear water is good for swimming, and there are views across the strait to the mountains of Lombok. Cafes and places to stay line the shore, a turtle sanctuary on the beach cares for hatchlings until they are released, and swimmers should watch for boat traffic near the harbor.