If you are planning a visit to Bali, and your itinerary hasn’t included a couple of days (or more) to the Gili islands, you might want to think about extending your visit a few days later.
While Bali undoubtedly has its share of paradise spots (or otherwise we wouldn’t be here), the Gili islands have their own unique charm and vibe that’s difficult to replicate in a large-ish island where motorbikes and cars try to co-exist amongst tropical goodness, polluting the gorgeous natural backdrops.
You won’t find any motor or mobil on the Gili islands. Only bikes, horse-drawn carts (cidomo) and your own feet are permitted official modes of transport to get around the island. Hello fresh unpolluted air!
But with limited time—how do you make up your mind about which one to visit? To help you answer that question, we’ve put together a little guide for Bali novices on the Gili islands. If you still can’t decide, you should just add a few extra days to your itinerary so you can visit more than one—or if you prefer, base yourself in one and go island-hopping across the nearest Gilis.
1. Gili Trawangan
Better known as “Gili T,” this place has been described to boast lots of “sun, sand and sex.” The Guardian has even dubbed it “the new Ibiza“.
Gili T is a party island—so by night it is definitely a backpacker’s mecca. Parties take place every night, centered around a different bar/club. Don’t worry, you won’t have any trouble finding where they are each night, if you walk out and about the island during the day.
Due to the influx of tourists that visit this island, Gili T is the most developed of the Gilis, with a range of accommodations largely located on the main strip (eastern side of the island) and a range of local/western eateries to suit your tastebuds. If you want to sleep somewhere where you can’t hear screams of bintang and fire-loving backpackers, you can opt to stay on the western side of the island. You just have to shell out a lot more rupiahs as the accommodations on that side are generally high-end resorts.
During the day, you can get your snorkelling or scuba diving on. While many diving centers in Bali try to claim that X is the best place to go diving, many non-partygoers venture to Gili T just for the diving, enduring the antics of party-crazed backpackers. It’s that good. As in you will probably see a reef-shark kind of good. Also the courses are relatively cheap, which is a bonus.
Gili Trawangan is for you if: You love to party and/or dive and/or snorkel (duh!) and you want a small tropical island escape where you can still get your basic Western comforts (i.e. burgers and cocktails).
Gili Trawangan is not for you if: You want to go someplace away from backpackers and tourists.
Photo: Flickr
2. Gili Meno
Doing nothing is the best thing to do in this quiet, romantic and family-friendly island. Though swimming in the picturesque and sparkling turquoise water comes close, we guess. Oh and the snorkelling is not so bad either.
Gili Meno is smaller than its party-centric counterpart and usually popular with honeymooners, couples and families with young children. Also apparently there are a lot of cats on the islands, a plus for feline lovers who might want a break from Bali dogs. And speaking of animals, there’s also a turtle sanctuary where for a small donation you can pick and release a young turtle into the sea.
While still touristy, you can probably get more of a local vibe than neighboring Gili T. Accommodation options are more limited, but there’s definitely more of a focus on quality here (so no seedy hostels). Because of the typical visitor, they are on average a little bit pricier than Gili T. But you get unparalleled privacy and a chance to experience santai island life without drunkards running around after sunset.
Gili Meno is for you if: You want to escape the backpacker crowd and your idea of a tropical island getaway is to do nothing.
Gili Meno is not for you if: You hate stillness and doing nothing, or if you are travelling with a big rowdy group who will end up causing silly antics anyway—respect the anti-Trawanganness on this island please.
Photo: Flickr
3. Gili Air
Want a vibe that’s “somewhere that’s in between”? Go to Gili Air.
We warn you though, a combo means that the “party” vibe here is a lot more toned down than Gili T, and the “tranquil” goodness a little less blissful than Gili Meno.
The plus side of Gili Air though, is that out of the three famous Gilis, Gili Air boasts the largest indigenous population (translate: locals who haven’t migrated to fill labour demands due to tourist numbers, but actually originate from and live on the island). Which means raw, authentic culture. The vibe is much more hippy and bohemian-like than Gili-T, attracting the “alternative” (translate: Bob Marley, reggae-loving) party crowds but also (interestingly) Bali expats and partygoers older than the backpacker demographic.
The only time where Gili Air’s rowdiness can compare to Gili T’s is during the full-moon parties that sometimes take place in Gili Air. In saying that, travellers reviews seems to indicate that it’s not quite Koh Phangan/Goa crazy.
Gili Air is for you if: You want a combo of partying and relaxing, but no extremities of either.
Gili Air is not for you if: You hate psychedelic-like parties and consider sophistication to be rather important.
Photo: Flickr
4. Other Gilis
Yes, there are other Gili islands apart from the three we’ve just mentioned, even though most travel blogs might have you think otherwise.
There about 26 other Gili islands, in total, scattered around Lombok. The reason that they’re not on the tourist map is probably due to a) proximity from Bali and b) lack of development on the island.
Going to these islands will probably involve than a boat trip from Bali (you will likely have to go to Lombok first and then make several trips). These islands are all largely unspoilt but not exactly super tourist-developed. It is an awesome place to do nothing and feel like you’ve escaped the outside world, if you are willing (and could enjoy) giving up your basic western comforts. However, some of these islands do have a range of accommodations containing modern amenities (Gili Nanggu, Gili Gede and Gili Sudak).
Other Gilis are for you if: You don’t mind a bit of a long trip and want to go somewhere less mainstream that’s not as tourist-populated.
Other Gilis are not for you if: You can only add on a couple of extra days and don’t want to spend those days traveling.
Photo: Flickr
