If you have heard of the Gili islands, the one you are probably most familiar with is Gili Trawangen (or Gili T as it’s affectionately known) due its reputation as “the party island”. I am here to tell you, there is more to Gili Trawangan than just beer pong and party boats.
With the most upscale resorts and boutique shops out of all the Gilis, Gili T is suitable for everyone from backpackers to families. Want to arrive by helicopter? Gili Trawangan has it’s on helipad!
Gili Trawangan and the Gilis are some of the few world-wide islands without cars. With white sand beaches, scuba diving, snorkelling, island hopping and much more, Gili Trawangan is a special place to visit.
So, is its reputation as a party island warranted if it’s a place everyone can visit?
With the most upscale resorts and boutique shops out of all the Gilis, Gili T is suitable for everyone from backpackers to families. Want to arrive by helicopter? Gili Trawangan has it’s on helipad!
Gili Trawangan and the Gilis are some of the few world-wide islands without cars. With white sand beaches, scuba diving, snorkelling, island hopping and much more, Gili Trawangan is a special place to visit.
So, is its reputation as a party island warranted if it’s a place everyone can visit?
Gili Trawangan is the largest of the Gili Islands and was the first of the three to start development. The majority of the shops, restaurants, bars and “nightlife” are situated around the harbour, so the remainder of the island is peaceful, green and still retains its local charm.
It's not a large island and it takes around 2 – 2.5 hours to walk all the way around. Like it’s neighbours Gili Air and Gili Meno, no motorised vehicles are allowed so the only form of transport are cidomos (horse & cart), walking, or you can hire a bicycle. During the day around the harbour, you dodge cidomos, bicycles and a plethora of people; it’s the Indonesian version of Amsterdam!
Polite request:
The island is part of a Muslim culture, so modest etiquette should be practised, You will see westerners walking/cycling around the main strip wearing bikini’s and exposing bare chests to show off tanned and toned abs as if they were strutting along Sunset Boulevard, but his is disrespectful to the island residents. So please, be respectful and wrap a sarong around you or put on a t-shirt, the locals will be very grateful.
It's not a large island and it takes around 2 – 2.5 hours to walk all the way around. Like it’s neighbours Gili Air and Gili Meno, no motorised vehicles are allowed so the only form of transport are cidomos (horse & cart), walking, or you can hire a bicycle. During the day around the harbour, you dodge cidomos, bicycles and a plethora of people; it’s the Indonesian version of Amsterdam!
Polite request:
The island is part of a Muslim culture, so modest etiquette should be practised, You will see westerners walking/cycling around the main strip wearing bikini’s and exposing bare chests to show off tanned and toned abs as if they were strutting along Sunset Boulevard, but his is disrespectful to the island residents. So please, be respectful and wrap a sarong around you or put on a t-shirt, the locals will be very grateful.
We stayed at Gilibong bungalows, a 7 minute walk from the harbour and it was lovely and quiet. All you have to do is walk a couple of streets from the main road to find warungs (family run restaurants) and homestays (cheap, private accommodation), and it's quiet enough for a decent night’s sleep (even the local mosque didn’t disturb us).
The guys working here were super friendly at all times and we had so many laughs with them. When it was Suvryan’s birthday, he kindly shared some of his birthday cake with us.
The guys working here were super friendly at all times and we had so many laughs with them. When it was Suvryan’s birthday, he kindly shared some of his birthday cake with us.
We found the people on Gili T to be really friendly; yes the touts along the harbour try to entice you into their bar/restaurant or sell you a boat ticket, but away from here, locals with no agenda smile and make polite small talk.
Immediately upon our arrival, we were endeared to Gili T and had a good feeling about the island. Unfortunately we only spent four days here as our Indonesian Visa was due to expire, otherwise I have no doubt we would have stayed longer.
Immediately upon our arrival, we were endeared to Gili T and had a good feeling about the island. Unfortunately we only spent four days here as our Indonesian Visa was due to expire, otherwise I have no doubt we would have stayed longer.
The very friendly team at Gili Bong Bungalows
Circumnavigating the island
We decided to take a stroll around the island one day to find out what it has to offer, and it was lovely. As it’s a sand island, beaches are a-plenty and we found a few beautiful white sand options to choose from. One of the most popular (which also means it’s the busiest) happens to be at the harbour. As it’s on the main road, there is a lot of “traffic” and if you are feeling sociable and energetic, you can have a game of beach volleyball.
Volleyball anyone?
If you are looking for something a little quieter, start heading north. We mooched along the seafront for about 20 minutes and came across the popular beachfront restaurant La Moomba which is another popular beach but with less “traffic”. We lay on sunbeds and ordered cold drinks to cool us down when the sun became too hot to bear.
The further north you go, the quieter the island so plenty of bean bags and sunbeds to choose from.
Beach path around the island
Away from the harbour in the centre of the island, it is very lush and green with palm trees lining the landscape. We passed the stables where some of the island’s horses are kept, not a bad place to live if you ask me!
Experiencing local culture is important to us and, because we were travelling on a budget, we were always looking for cheap places to eat. On Gili T this happens to be the popular night market which ticks both boxes.
They sell fresh, cheap snacks, meat on skewers, rice, veg, traditional Indonesian food and cakes for those with a sweet tooth. Wee ordered a plate full of food, a couple of Bintangs and sat around on a plastic seats enjoying our delicious dinner for 30,000 IDR each (£2 GBP).
They sell fresh, cheap snacks, meat on skewers, rice, veg, traditional Indonesian food and cakes for those with a sweet tooth. Wee ordered a plate full of food, a couple of Bintangs and sat around on a plastic seats enjoying our delicious dinner for 30,000 IDR each (£2 GBP).
You are not short of food choice or value at the Night Market
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Watching the sunset
If, like me, you love your sunsets, then the west coast is the place to be and there are a couple of options if you are staying on the east coast as we were.
Thankfully, there is a road that runs straight through the island so you can either grab a cidomo (which most people do), cycle or walk it in 30 minutes. There is a warung half way along if you wanted to stop and grab a cold drink or couple of beers (who doesn’t love a walking beer?).
At the end of this road there is a spot where the North to South and East to West roads meet - a quiet place for watching the sunset on the beachfront.
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Is riding a horse on the beach at sunset your bucket list? Gili T is the place to do it! Whilst watching the sunset, on a couple of occasions at different places around the island, we saw people riding their horses into the sea, sometimes splashing them with water. Apparently this practice is to get them used to the water for beach rides.
One of the most popular sunset spots is Ombak Sunset Bar on the south-west coast. It has an iconic couple’s swing which has become synonymous with sunset romance on all the Gili Islands. Sit yourself down on a bean bag, order snacks and a cold Bintang and just wait for the sky to start changing colour (do note that if it’s around a full moon this means low tide and exposes the rocks close to the shore; you will therefore have this view instead of the usual soft sand – so just look up at the sky instead!)
One evening, it wasn’t the sunset which was spectacular, but the moon rise! It was a full moon and it shone so bright in the sky it looked like a setting sun.
Water activities
One of the popular island activities is snorkelling and you can either take a trip to the best spots around the three islands, go on a glass bottom boat or hire a mask and snorkel and do it yourself off the beach. The latter is what we chose to do. There are a few popular snorkelling spots around the island but one of the best for finding turtles is on the north coast (by La Moomba restaurant).
When the tide was high, we swam out from shore into the warm, crystal clear calm waters and found a turtle swimming near a giant barracuda – we didn’t know which one to look at! During our 30 minute swim, we also saw pufferfish, a lone batfish, butterfly fish, Moorish idols, a small school of sergeant majors and a small school of surgeon fish. Not bad at all.
One of the popular island activities is snorkelling and you can either take a trip to the best spots around the three islands, go on a glass bottom boat or hire a mask and snorkel and do it yourself off the beach. The latter is what we chose to do. There are a few popular snorkelling spots around the island but one of the best for finding turtles is on the north coast (by La Moomba restaurant).
When the tide was high, we swam out from shore into the warm, crystal clear calm waters and found a turtle swimming near a giant barracuda – we didn’t know which one to look at! During our 30 minute swim, we also saw pufferfish, a lone batfish, butterfly fish, Moorish idols, a small school of sergeant majors and a small school of surgeon fish. Not bad at all.
The waters around all the Gili islands are crystal clear and turquoise
If you want to scuba dive the Gili Islands, or you want to "get your PADI", there are around 30+ scuba diving schools on Gili Trawangan. It won’t be hard to find one, the difficulty will be which one to pick! All dive centres across the three Gilis charge the same, so you can choose your dive centre for another reason than the cost.
Gili Eco Trust have introduced artificial metal reef cages (called Biorock) which are fed a constant voltage of electricity to encourage coral regeneration and are a natural attraction for all forms of marine life. There are now 33 individual projects in the Gilis' and its possible to snorkel or dive round them.
We saw quite a few people paddle boarding which you can combine with sunset yoga. Oh yes, test your balance by doing yoga poses on a paddle board!
Gili Eco Trust have introduced artificial metal reef cages (called Biorock) which are fed a constant voltage of electricity to encourage coral regeneration and are a natural attraction for all forms of marine life. There are now 33 individual projects in the Gilis' and its possible to snorkel or dive round them.
We saw quite a few people paddle boarding which you can combine with sunset yoga. Oh yes, test your balance by doing yoga poses on a paddle board!
Party time!
It would be wrong of me not to mention the partying on this island, after all, this is what it has become famous for! If you like live music, head to Sama Sama which has great reggae bands playing every night and it’s also a cool place to chill out with a beer.
If the clubbing scene is more your thing, to start off the party, Jiggy Bar run booze cruises from 1pm – 7pm on Wednesday and Saturdays. For nightlife, bars take it in turns hosting big party nights and will close at 3am when all the others will shut at 1am. Recent government initiatives (which I will mention below) may have affected the weekly party schedule so it’s best to ask around and check what is happening before you get yourself all dressed up and raring to go!
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Plastic Free Paradise - keeping Gili Trawangan beautiful
One of the downsides of a small island and rapidly increased its tourism is litter control and waste management. Gili Eco Trust work hard to help preserve the island’s beauty the best it can and have educated some local establishments to follow suit.
When you visit, please bear this in mind and use the recycling bins provided and say no to plastic as often as you can. For more information on other conservation and environmental initiatives Gili Eco Trust have introduced, please visit their excellent website.
One of the downsides of a small island and rapidly increased its tourism is litter control and waste management. Gili Eco Trust work hard to help preserve the island’s beauty the best it can and have educated some local establishments to follow suit.
When you visit, please bear this in mind and use the recycling bins provided and say no to plastic as often as you can. For more information on other conservation and environmental initiatives Gili Eco Trust have introduced, please visit their excellent website.
Plastic straws are a real problem
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Every little helps, including waste separation
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Want to travel Plastic Free when you visit Gili Trawangan? Here are 7 Easy Ways to Travel Plastic Free
Reclaiming the Beaches
Gili T was the first of the three islands to begin development and tourism in the Gili’s was a IDR 130 billion business (nearly 8 billion GBP or 9.5 billion US Dollars).
Some of the beachfront establishments had built structures 5-10 metres from the shore which violated the permitted 30 meter limit. The local government stepped in and re-claimed the beaches increasing public access.
In February 2017, the 143 bars and restaurants were pulled down. We visited a week after and saw sections which were just a pile of rubble but it's all been cleared up now, and you will not notice anything different. In July 2018 Gili Air and Gili Meno followed suit under the Government's instructions.
Update - Gili Trawangan after the earthquake
I'm going to address the elephant in the room - the magnitude 7 earthquake which struck Lombok and the Gili Islands on 5 August 2018. Nearly all loss of life occurred on Lombok. The locals that live on the Gili islands are mostly from Lombok, and nearly every person lost at least one family member or friend.
We were living on Gili Air at the time and were in the earthquake. We saw how residents of Gili Air and Gili Trawangan rallied together to resume life as quickly as possible. Residents are strong, resilient and they love their island so wanted to return it to paradise as quickly as possible.
All restaurants and accommodation are fully operational, have been open since end of 2018, and you will not notice any debris. Locals and business owners on Gili Trawangan, the Gili’s and Lombok depend on tourism to survive, and with less tourists on the islands, NOW IS THE BEST TIME TO VISIT.
Gili T was the first of the three islands to begin development and tourism in the Gili’s was a IDR 130 billion business (nearly 8 billion GBP or 9.5 billion US Dollars).
Some of the beachfront establishments had built structures 5-10 metres from the shore which violated the permitted 30 meter limit. The local government stepped in and re-claimed the beaches increasing public access.
In February 2017, the 143 bars and restaurants were pulled down. We visited a week after and saw sections which were just a pile of rubble but it's all been cleared up now, and you will not notice anything different. In July 2018 Gili Air and Gili Meno followed suit under the Government's instructions.
Update - Gili Trawangan after the earthquake
I'm going to address the elephant in the room - the magnitude 7 earthquake which struck Lombok and the Gili Islands on 5 August 2018. Nearly all loss of life occurred on Lombok. The locals that live on the Gili islands are mostly from Lombok, and nearly every person lost at least one family member or friend.
We were living on Gili Air at the time and were in the earthquake. We saw how residents of Gili Air and Gili Trawangan rallied together to resume life as quickly as possible. Residents are strong, resilient and they love their island so wanted to return it to paradise as quickly as possible.
All restaurants and accommodation are fully operational, have been open since end of 2018, and you will not notice any debris. Locals and business owners on Gili Trawangan, the Gili’s and Lombok depend on tourism to survive, and with less tourists on the islands, NOW IS THE BEST TIME TO VISIT.
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We found Gili Trawangan to be a fascinating island and nothing like its reputation. Initially, we were in two minds whether or not to visit but we are so glad we did! It's very easy to keep away from the “party scene” and we never felt we were on a “party island”.
Yes, if you want to party, go to Gili T. If you want to go to an island for white sand beaches, water sports, sunbathing, horse riding, good food and friendly people –go to Gili T.
Yes, if you want to party, go to Gili T. If you want to go to an island for white sand beaches, water sports, sunbathing, horse riding, good food and friendly people –go to Gili T.
How to get to Gili Trawangan
The Gili Islands are a 30 minute fast-boat ride away from Lombok and 2 hours by speedboat from Bali (Padang Bai or Sanur). If you wanted to island hop between Gili Air, Meno & Trawangan, it will take you around 20 minutes to travel between each one using the local “Island Hopper” boat.
If (like me) you are concerned that the “local Hopper Boat” will be rickety, small and over-crowded … don’t be. They are a good size, sturdy and tickets can be purchased easily and with confidence from a desk at the harbour.
Where to stay
There are places to suit all budgets, from the boutique hotels to mid-range and hostels/homestays for the budget traveller. As we fit into the latter category, we stayed at the simple but delightful Gilibong Bungalows and loved it! We find places to stay by looking at Booking.com then compare reviews against Trip Advisor before booking.
You can book your Gili Island hotel or homestay through our website as we have an affiliate partnership with Booking.com. Click here to visit our Hotel Booking Page then search as normal. There is no extra cost to you but you will be helping us!
The Gili Islands are a 30 minute fast-boat ride away from Lombok and 2 hours by speedboat from Bali (Padang Bai or Sanur). If you wanted to island hop between Gili Air, Meno & Trawangan, it will take you around 20 minutes to travel between each one using the local “Island Hopper” boat.
If (like me) you are concerned that the “local Hopper Boat” will be rickety, small and over-crowded … don’t be. They are a good size, sturdy and tickets can be purchased easily and with confidence from a desk at the harbour.
Where to stay
There are places to suit all budgets, from the boutique hotels to mid-range and hostels/homestays for the budget traveller. As we fit into the latter category, we stayed at the simple but delightful Gilibong Bungalows and loved it! We find places to stay by looking at Booking.com then compare reviews against Trip Advisor before booking.
You can book your Gili Island hotel or homestay through our website as we have an affiliate partnership with Booking.com. Click here to visit our Hotel Booking Page then search as normal. There is no extra cost to you but you will be helping us!
Simple, well priced, well located accommodation at Gilibong Bungalows
Travel Facts & tips
- The local currency is Indonesian Rupiah - £1 GBP = 16,000 IDR
- Their official language is Bahasa Indonesia which is similar to Malaysian and is used throughout Indonesia in general.
- If you can use just a couple of Indonesian words, this will give you big smile in return, even if you simply use “Pagi” (morning) and “Terima Kasih” (thank you), it will be hugely appreciated.
- A 30 day visa is given at the time of arrival in Indonesia (not for all countries, check with your embassy) but if you want to stay longer, you can obtain a 60 day visa in advance at consulates and embassies.
- There are plenty of ATM’s on the island so you don’t have to bring wads of cash.
- Just like it's neighbours Gili Air and Gili Meno, there is a very low crime rate on this island so you will feel completely safe.
- Free Wi-Fi is available in most places around the island including homestays, bars and restaurants.
- In addition to the beachfront restaurants, small, family run restaurants known as warungs are dotted all around and are a cheap and tasty way of eating locally.
- Bring a small torch for the evening as there are parts of the island that do not have lights, especially if you want to watch the sunset on the west coast and walk to the east coast for dinner.
- All toilets for the restaurants are “public” so carry a small packet of tissues and antibacterial handwash in your bag as they don’t always have toilet paper or hand washing facilities.
- Electricity on the island can sometimes be interrupted, so be aware of this as it can affect internet access and all important ATM machines.
Have you heard of Gili Trawangan and did you always believe it was a party island? Have I managed to change your mind now? Let us know in the comments below!
Want to know more about the Gili Islands, Lombok & Bali?
Gili Air - The Perfect Island?
Gili Meno - The Island of Love
Volunteering at Gili Air Cat Clinic
Scuba Diving the Gili Islands
10 Must Try Indonesian Dishes
Gili Gede - The Secret Gili Islands
Gili Asahan - The Secret Gili Islands
Gili Sudak and Gili Kedis - The Secret Gili Islands
Kuta Lombok - The New Kuta Bali?
Is Pink Beach Lombok Worth Visiting?
Wonderful Waterfalls of Lombok
Bali - Is Sanur Worth Visiting? You May Be Surprised
Searching for Street Art in Canggu, Bali
15 Things to Do in Canggu, Bali
Travelling around Indonesia? Hope these links help!
Awesome Things to Do in Nusa Penida - Bali's Best Kept Secret
Lembongan - Bali, but Better!
Tarsiers and a Monkey Selfie
Komodo Dragon Hike in Rinca
Komodo, Flores, More Than Just Dragons
Jewels of Java - Borobudur & Prambanan
Indonesian Orangutan Adventure
Derawan & Sangalaki - Borneo's Hidden Gem?
Raja Ampat on a Budget
Gili Air - The Perfect Island?
Gili Meno - The Island of Love
Volunteering at Gili Air Cat Clinic
Scuba Diving the Gili Islands
10 Must Try Indonesian Dishes
Gili Gede - The Secret Gili Islands
Gili Asahan - The Secret Gili Islands
Gili Sudak and Gili Kedis - The Secret Gili Islands
Kuta Lombok - The New Kuta Bali?
Is Pink Beach Lombok Worth Visiting?
Wonderful Waterfalls of Lombok
Bali - Is Sanur Worth Visiting? You May Be Surprised
Searching for Street Art in Canggu, Bali
15 Things to Do in Canggu, Bali
Travelling around Indonesia? Hope these links help!
Awesome Things to Do in Nusa Penida - Bali's Best Kept Secret
Lembongan - Bali, but Better!
Tarsiers and a Monkey Selfie
Komodo Dragon Hike in Rinca
Komodo, Flores, More Than Just Dragons
Jewels of Java - Borobudur & Prambanan
Indonesian Orangutan Adventure
Derawan & Sangalaki - Borneo's Hidden Gem?
Raja Ampat on a Budget
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