The Guide to The Gilis: 4 Days in Gili T & Gili Air

I usually have some sort of itinerary or list of what I want to do or see in each place I visit, but for The Gili Islands, the only thing on my list was to kick back, relax, and enjoy the sun. The Gili Islands are made up of three small islands (Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air) each with their own vibe and unique personality. I didn’t stop off at Gili Meno (just snorkeled near by) as it is known as the Honeymooners Island. I would start in Gili T, as this is known as the party island and finish your trip by relaxing on Gili Air.

Getting to The Gilis:
There are two ports you can leave from, Padang Bai or Amed. Based on research, the boat ticket from Amed was substantially cheaper (I paid 225,000 one way) and I had a friend staying there, so I chose to go all the way to Amed, but keep in mind Padang Bai is much closer from Ubud. We boarded the boat the next morning all wide-eyed and bushy-tailed until we were told an hour later that the boat wasn’t working and we had to go all the way to Padang Bai. This added on another 2 hours to our already late start, but the boat ride over to Gili T was an absolute blast. Expect bumping music, dancing, and Bintangs. It’s basically a party boat to bring you to a party Island.

Getting between the Islands is pretty easy and very cheap making it easy to bounce around and experience each one. There are public boats that island hop and cost between 12,000 and 15,000 (about $1USD), but there aren’t specific times of when they leave. They just leave when the boat is full! My friend and I took all of our stuff with us on the snorkeling trip and they just let us off at Gili Air so we could stay there.

GILI T
Accommodation:
I stayed at My Mate’s Place, which has only been open for a few weeks, and I would absolutely recommend it. There’s only three to a room, huge clean bathrooms, and a great open common area for backpackers to meet up with each other. Everyone was here to have a good time, but it’s a lot more chilled out than many of the other hostels on the Island. If you’re looking for a party hostel, I’d try Broken Compass or Gili Castle. Both were recommended to me by friends, so I’m sure they’re great, but I was happy to have a more chilled vibe at My Mate’s Place.

Party:
I only went out for one of my two nights in Gili T, but I’m pretty sure it’s the same party every night! The night starts out at Jungle Bar for super cheap drinks, and ends at Sama-Sama with a live Reggae band. There are also loads of beach bars all along the coastline that are worth checking out. Exhile on the southwest side of the island had some good reggae music playing and had that beach-shabby charm that I love.

To Do:
If there is place to not make a to-do list, it’s here. My favorite thing was to just wander the edges of the island to see what we came across. In doing this, we found some amazing secluded beach spots with crystal clear water for swimming as well as some authentic Indonesian food off the beaten path. Apart from wandering around with no agenda, the only other thing I urge you to do, is take a day snorkeling trip. Make sure you choose a glass-bottom boat and don’t pay more than 100,000. Most companies do the same thing – take you to an epic snorkeling spot at each Island, but not much else. Don’t expect music, drinks, a dry place to put your things…it’s a pretty basic trip. But even without the bells and whistles, as far as I’m concerned, snorkeling three islands for $8 is a bargain!

GILI AIR
Accommodation: Since Gili Air has a much more relaxed vibe than Gili T, don’t be concerned with getting stuck at a party hostel. It is much less developed than Gili T, and there aren’t all that many hostels to stay in. I stayed at another brand new hostel called Captain Coconuts and had a pleasant stay. They are still in the process of building, so no private rooms are available, but they offer “dorm” style rooms by the form of a bamboo lodge. It is entirely open air, with beds hanging from the ceiling, all equip with a fan and mosquito net. It was a beautiful place to sleep, just be warned that it is VERY noisy. Since there are no walls, you can hear the roosters chirping away at all hours of the morning, as well as the Muslim prayer at 4am over the loudspeaker (Indonesia is predominately Muslim). If you are traveling with a friend or as a couple, I highly recommend renting one of the many beach bungalows. You can get these for 300,000-350,000.

Party: There are places to go late night, but this is more of a place to head to a beach bar and watch the sunset with a pineapple juice in hand. (You will most likely want to detox after spending time on Gili T)!

To Do: Staying true to the relaxing atmosphere of Gili Air, I went for a glorious 60-minute massage at Spa Bulan Madu. It was double the price of getting a massage in Bali, but it still only cost me about $13 so I went for it! As mentioned previously, I would stop into any of the beach bars littering the coastline, but I recommend Lum Bung Bar & Restaurant. They do a 2 for 1 happy hour like most other places, but play fun music, have a swing in the water and also have a great location to watch the sunset.

Enjoy the Gilis my wanderers!

Wander On,
wanderluluu xx