The Gili Islands are chain of three small islands
1. Gili Trawangan
2. Gili Meno
3. Gili Air
These Islands are just off the northwest coast of Lombok, Indonesia. The islands are a well-known vacation spot for tourists. Every island has various small resorts, generally containing collection of huts for tourists, a small pool and restaurant. Vehicles are restrict on the islands by local law. So, the recommend mode of transportation is by foot and bicycle or the horse-drawn carriage cidomo. Diving in and close to the Gilis is well-known because of the variety of marine life and beautiful coral structures.
Gili Trawangan
It is biggest of Lombok’s Gili Islands which is 3 km long and 2 km wide. The name Trawangan generates from the Indonesian word Terowongan (Tunnel) due to the presence of a cave tunnel built there during Japanese occupation in World War 2. Trawangan is the most develop and target towards tourism.
On Gili Trawangan, there is restriction on motorised vehicles. The main mode of transportation are bicycles which are rented by locals to tourists. Other is cidomo which is a small horse-drawn carriage.
Gili Meno
This island is the middle of Lombok’s three northwest coast Gilis. The main earnings comes from tourism, coconut plantation and fishing. On the west side of the island there is a small shallow lake that produces salt in the dry season. Until a few years ago there was also a small production of seaweed on the reef at the north end of the island. Gili Meno has swimming beaches all around the island, and a turtle sanctuary.
Gili Air
The second smallest of the islands. It is nearby to mainland Lombok. Gili Air is popular in honeymoon couples and tourists seeking a peaceful retreat. The island features fantastic snorkelling and scuba diving off its east coast. Turtles can be seen along the coral reef. Other water sports such as Stand Up Paddleboarding and Kitesurfing are also available.
How to reach Gili Islands?
There is no motorized transport on the Islands. The short distances on land are traversed on foot, by bicycle or Cidomo. The Islands can only be reached by sea. It also frequented by a variety of fast boats operating various routes from Bali.
1. Flights from Ngurah Rai International Airport (IATA: DPS) to Lombok International Airport (IATA: LOP) take about 40 minutes followed by a 2 hours taxi ride to Bangsal harbour in Northwest Lombok and a Local boat to the Gili Islands for a further 20-30mins.
2. Public Ferries depart from Padang Bai (Southeast Bali) every hour, taking a minimum of 4–5 hours to reach Lembar (Southwest Lombok), after which a taxi can be taken for a 2 h drive to Bangsal harbour where local boats to the Gili Islands await during daylight hours.
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