Are the Gili Islands worth visiting?
Yes the Gili Islands are definitely worth visiting. Whether you’re looking to go diving/snorkelling with sharks, enjoy the cute cafes, try a cooking class, relax on the beach, or party, Gili is the place to be. Your choice of island may vary depending on what you’re hoping to do so keep reading this Gili Island guide for some insight.
Best time to visit
The best time to visit the Gili islands is during the dry season, which is from June to September. Generally it’s hot and humid all year round. We were there in December and it was quite wet but also had some really good hot and sunny days.
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Which island is the best?
We think Gili Trawangan is the best island because it is the biggest, had the best party life and the most diving opportunities. But it really depends what you’re wanting to be doing. Put simply, Gili T is the party island, Gili M is the honeymoon island, and Gili A is somewhere in between.
Gili Trawangan
The party island. Gili T is the western island and the biggest of the three. Renowned for its awesome night life, there are many beach bars and it is way more populated by tourists. You’ll find more shops, accommodations, and restaurants here. It is also louder and more chaotic on the streets.
Gili Meno
The honeymoon island. Gili M is the smallest and wedged in the middle. We did not actually visit Gili M so we can’t comment on it too much. But from what we heard and read, we decided to give it a miss.
Gili M is the most quiet and mainly consists of resorts and fancy hotels, which is why it is known as the Honeymoon island. The only thing that we could find that was worth visiting (in our opinion) on Gili M is the underwater statues. It is located not far off the shore of the western side of the island however it is easily accessible from the other islands.
Gili Air
The “somewhere in between island”. Gili A is the eastern island and a quieter version of Gili T. The atmosphere is generally more peaceful and relaxed. Cycling around the island is much easier as the streets are not as crowded. You will find many people going here to relax at cute cafes, read along the beach, or get a massage.
How to get to Gili
Getting to the Gili islands is quite easy. There are no airports so you’ll need to get there by boat. A number of ferry’s run between Gili, Bali, Lombok and Nusa Penida.
From Lombok
The islands are quite close to Lombok so its very easy to get across. You can get a fast ferry from any of the ports on Lombok, but the best way would be to get the public ferry from Bangsal harbour. There is no set schedule for this but try not to get there too late.
From Bali/Nusa Penida
The best way to get to Gili from here is by fast ferry. There are three ports on Bali (Padang Bai, Senur and Serangan) and three on Nusa Penida (Buyuk, Banjar Nyuh and Sampalan) so check your closest port and find which time best suites you. These ferries take 1.5 to 3 hours and cost between 250,000-400,000Rp, depending where you’re coming from.
If you’re on a real tight budget, there is a slow ferry that will go from Bali to Lembar (which is on Lombok) and only costs 35,000Rp but takes 4 to 8 hours. Then you can get a car up to Bangsal harbour and get the cheap public ferry across. Its not really practical at all because these ferries only depart when they’re full so the timing is random. But it will get you from A to B eventually if you’re not on a tight schedule.
How to Travel Between Islands
The only way to travel between the different Gili islands is by boat which takes about 20 minutes (from Gili A to Gili T). You can either take a public slow boat, a public speed boat, or a private longtail boat.
This public slow boat will cost you about 40,000Rp. There are just a few options for the public slow boat, one leaving in the early morning and one leaving in the late afternoon. The exact timetable can be checked at the pier where you can also buy your ticket.
Public speedboats are double the price of a slow boat (85,000Rp) but are quicker and leave hourly between 9am-5pm.
The last option is a private long tail boat. These are much more expensive, but you can rent them anytime and you can go anywhere you want. We did this to go from Gili A to Gili T, as we wanted to leave early (before public boats) to snorkel around the Gili ‘Circle of Life statues’. For this snorkel tour and the longboat transfer from Gili A to Gili T we paid 500,000Rp.
How to Get Around on the Islands
On all the islands there are no cars or motorbikes, so there’s only a few ways to get around: by foot, by bike or by horse and carriage. This last option is something unique to Gili but the horses are treated very poorly. You’ll see them loaded up with an inhumane amount of weight, running in the blistering heat all day with little food and water. Avoid taking part in this cruelty and opt for one of the other options above.
Where to stay on Gili
All three islands have good and affordable accommodations with some awesome hostels, villas and homestays. Below you can find the places we stayed at and some of our other recommendations.
Gili Air
We stayed in an awesome little villa called WP bungalow for around 190,000Rp a night. Great place located within a coconut farm with an outdoor ensuite, bike rental and washing available. The host, Tati, was super helpfull and lovely. We would highly recommend staying here.
Gili Trawangan
We stayed in an airbnb called Almaida II which was a very basic little villa located in the middle of the island. It cost 175,000Rp for a room which included breakfast and even free bike rentals. The central location meant we were only a 5-10 minute bike ride to any beach on the island. While being far enough away to not hear any noise from the bars.
Another place we looked into staying was the mad monkey hostel. This was another good cheap option for a hostel with a great reputation. We’ve stayed in Mad Monkey before and it’s a great spot for backpackers looking to meet new people as they run lots of different events. However on Gili T it’s located on the northern tip of the island and further away from the main area.
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How Much Time to Spend on Gili
We stayed here over Christmas in 2022 and spent 3 days on Gili A and 6 days on Gili T. Depending on what you want to do and see your desired time may vary but we’d recommend at least 3 days.
Top Things to do on Gili
There’s plenty to do across all the islands. While we were here the weather was not favourable but we still made the most of it. Here are some of our recommendations of the best things to do, based on our experiences there.
Explore the Islands by Bike
We hired bikes and rode around both Gili A and T and was a great way to take in the serenity. Renting bikes is easy and cheap. Some accommodations have them included. However, we do recommend to rent good bikes. Most of the roads are dirt and when it rains its quite slippery. Plus the street lighting is subpar so at night you cant see anything. So try and get a bike with a light.
Go Diving
The diving around Gili is really good and a lot of fun. Many of the dives are drift dives, this was something quite different. The current is quite strong around the Gili islands, so you jump in at one point then drift around the reef then the boat comes and picks you up.
We did our diving with Blue Marlin who are based on Gili T. The two dives we did were at Halik and Shark Point as we got told these were the best (along with turtle heaven). They certainly did not disappoint, we saw reef sharks, rays, turtles, eels and some awesome reefs/wrecks.
Get a Massage
We came to Gili A after hiking Mount Rinjani so our legs were very sore. We got a full body massage for an hour at H2O Yoga and only cost 180,000Rp each. But there are heaps of massage parlours around so take your pick.
Catch a Sunset
The western sides of the islands are full of great viewing points. Grab a beer at one of the many beach bars and watch the sun set into the Bali Sea. Our favourites were the Cheeky Monkey beach bar on Gili A and Pink Coco on Gili T.
Enjoy the nightlife
Take your pick from one of the many beach bars in the afternoon. Most places open early so get out there and find the best happy hours. If you want the best nightlife go to Gili T. We loved the Reggae bar, was packed full of tourists, cheap drinks and good music.
Visit the Gili Meno Statues
This artificial reef called “The Circle of Life” is a great spot to snorkel. The current is very strong so be careful if you’re not a strong swimmer. We’d recommend not going with a tour group because it is way too crowded, so get a small group together and get a private boat to go outside of the tour times.
We combined snorkelling here with our transfer from Gili A to Gili T. We rented a longtail boat the night before and woke up early to arrive at the statues. It was not crowded at all.
Do a Cooking Class
Learn the secrets to some of the most famous Indonesian dishes. If you have some extra time, a cooking class is a fun activity to learn something about the country and try some delicious new tastes. Most of the cooking classes offer different deals, ranging from 1-3 hours and 250,000Rp to 400,000Rp per person. On both Gili A and Gili T you can find these classes given by Gili Cooking Classes!
Best Places to Eat
On both Gili A and Gili T you will find a lot of delicious places to eat. From cute cafes, to western restaurants and local warungs, there are many options to choose from. We noted down our favourites for both islands to share.
Gili Trawangan
- Regina Pizzeria – our absolute favourite. Delicious and cheap pizzas, good ambiance
- Coffee & Thyme – relaxing coffee spot, have good carrot cake and brownie
- Hellocapitano Lifestyle Cafe – tasty sandwiches, only service can be improved
- Voodoo Gili – nice burgers and good atmosphere
Gili Air
- Warung Mexicana – good and cheap mexican food
- Burger Lady – burgers are good if you’re looking for a break from local food
- Legend Restaurant – located on the north of the island. Bar/restaurant overlooking the sea
- Cheeky Monkey Beach Bar – great spot for a dinner with sunset
More About Indonesia?
Are you planning to go to Lombok before/after the Gili islands? Read about the best things to do on Lombok
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