Here I am trying to find the right words to describe Gili Air. Not an easy task.
Air is a tiny idyllic island just off the northwest coast of Lombok, Indonesia. Next to it you can find Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan. I've been to all.
Gili Meno should be great if you are deeply in love, and, of course, if the object of your love is there with you.
Gili T is perfect if you are into the Bintang Tanktop scene, you are under 23, wanna get wasted and wanna share the only swimmable beach with hundreds of other people. It's also great if you wanna listen to techno music all day long. You might get lucky and have some methanol in your drinks. After that you will probably not be able to see the garbage accumulating all over the island and you won't feel the sharp dead coral under your feet. So it's all good, I would say.
Gili air is a little piece of heaven. Amazing people, both locals and expats, delicious food, cute little resorts and bungalows, great snorkeling and diving, perfect sunrises and sunsets, no air pollution, no loud music, relaxing bars by the sea and nice beaches. By nice beaches let me just make something clear: It is not Thailand. No perfect white sand beaches and not perfect for swimming. Why? Dead coral. It doesn't have as much as Gili T, but it has enough not to be perfect. Better to swim in the morning in the high tide. I still went to the beach everyday and loved it. The perfection of Gili Air is that you can find your own beach and almost don't see a soul for hours except for one or two snorkelers passing by every hour somewhere in the middle of the ocean.
I spent a week in Gili Air and it wasn't enough. I loved every second of it! I can't wait to spend a month there next year!
How to get there:
From Bali (Kuta, Ubud, Sanur...):
Fast Boat, Wahana, 450k return ticket. Includes: hotel pick up+ shuttle bus + boat. Two hours by boat plus bus depending on location and traffic. I was picked up at 7am in Kuta and got to Gili Air at 12h00. Be careful with the return ticket, some companies only operate in the morning and others only in the afternoon. Wahana only has return trips at 11h30am.
From Lombok: Slow boat, 15k.
What to do:
1. Spend a day in Gili Meno (best beach out of the 3 islands). Boat departs at 8.30am and returns at 4.30pm. Return ticket: 50000IDR.
2. Snorkeling tour in glass bottom boat. Departs at 9h30am, returns at 4h30pm Goes to 5 snorkeling spots in the 3 islands. Ticket: 100000IDR
3. Pub Quiz, Saturday Nights, 9pm, Manta Dive Pub Quiz. 100k per person. Winner: 2 million.
4. Party Boat: Bikini Party by DMZ every Wednesday and Sunday, 350k male, 175k female. 1.30pm (from Gili T) till 7pm. Includes one welcome drink.
5. Diving: a lot of different prices and dozens of companies.
6. Yoga: H2O Meditation Center. No idea about the prices. You can contact them here: http://www.h2oyogaandmeditation.com/
7. Surfing: There's a reef break 250 meters from the shore on the south west side of the island. Surfboards can be rented from Seven Seas.
8. Jogging, walking: No cars, no motorbikes! Its just perfect for an early morning or evening workout!
9. Watch the sunset at the Legend Bar.
10. And eat and eat and eat and relax and relax and relax!
What not to do:
Do not take a Cidomo (horse-drawn carriage). Horses are horribly thin and underfed and the owner use a whip. Some horses have already died of exhaustion in Bali and Lombok. Use your legs. Walk.
Do not walk around in a bikini. This island has a local muslim community, respect it. Topless is not a good idea as well, but you can still do it in some spots of Gili Meno and Gili Air where you can't see a single soul. It's all about common sense.
What to bring: mosquito repellent, flashlight (to walk around at night), earplugs (specially during ramadan, there's a mosque in the middle of the island and they get quite excited with the mic until 5am). suncream (too expensive there). plug adapter.
What to buy: pearls. Pearls are the only thing worth buying. Everything else is double price from the mainland. I paid 60k for earrings and 200k for a necklace. I checked already, they're real pearls. Two ways to check if they are real: use a lighter, plastic will melt, rub a real pearl against your tooth or against another pearl, it should feel sandy or gritty. And remember, real pearls aren't perfect, aren't round and aren't all the same colour.
Where to stay: I stayed with a friend so I can't recommend any place. Prices start for 150000IDR for a double room with fan.
Money: There are two ATMs in the island. Do not exchange money in the island, I couldn't find good rates. I highly advise you to bring rupias with you.
Internet: If you are planning to buy an Indonesian simcard and buy a 3G pack, the simcard you want is eXcel. It's the only one with full and good coverage in the whole island.
Tip: Best ice cream in town: scooperific. 14000 IDR per scoop.
Gili Air Map
Gili Air | Daily Budget
IDR / USD /EURO
Gili Meno
Gili Air
Pearls!
