The Gili Islands is an island group in Indonesia and consists of Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air. They are famous for their crystal clear water, relaxed island vibe, and great snorkeling opportunities. It’s one of the best places to snorkel with turtles. Each island has its own vibe and caters to a different type of tourist. So whether you’re looking to party, chill at a beach bar, or just want to enjoy paradise-like beaches, there is a perfect island for everyone. We’ve stayed on all three during our travels and definitely know which one is our favorite! Which I’ll tell you at the end. 😉
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Table of Contents - The Gili’s: Which Gili Island is the Best
Why you should visit the Gili Islands
The Gili’s are beautiful islands, with great beaches for sunbathing and swimming. Unlike the bigger islands of Bali and Lombok, or even Nusa Penida, the water here is very calm everywhere. This makes these islands great for enjoying the water too. There are lots of corals just off shore and many turtles around which makes these islands great for snorkeling. Each island has its own charm, and if you have the time, I recommend staying a couple of nights at all three. If you’re short on time or just prefer to make your base on one island, keep reading to find out which Gili island is best to stay on for you.
How to get to the Gili Islands
From Lombok: The Gili Islands lie just off the coast of Lombok, and it’s a short ride from there with a speedboat or the public ferry. The public ferry is a lot cheaper (around 25.000 Rp., less than 2 EUR/USD). But they don’t leave until they’re full. So the more efficient way to travel to the Gili’s is by speedboat (85.000 Rp., about 5 EUR/USD)
From Bali: You can also travel to the Gili Islands from Bali. The most common way is to take the public ferry to Lombok from Pantai and take a speedboat from there. Another possibility is to travel via Nusa Penida. You can then take a speedboat from Sanur to Nusa Penida and another speedboat from Nusa Penida to the Gili Islands. Some agencies offer this trip as one too, but our experience with that is not so great.
From Nusa Penida: Multiple boats make the trip from Nusa Penida to the Gili Islands every day. Most boats leave in the morning and the trip takes around 3 hours, depending on which island you want to visit. Especially Gili T. sometimes has a line in for the pier and boats need to wait a while before they can dock.
The three Gili's
Gili Trawangan (Gili T.) - The buzzing party island
Gili T. is the biggest and most popular island of the three Gili’s. It’s the most crowded one and has a reputation as a party island. There is a lot going on here on the island. There are plenty of beach bars, souvenir shops, tour agencies, spas and people. The streets feel quite crowded with people walking, cycling, riding electric motorbikes, and horse carriages transporting people and building materials. There are quieter and busier areas on the island, but overal Gili T. is quite saturated.
Around the island in the water, you’ll find grass meadows and corals, with plenty of turtles. Especiallly on the grass meadows there are many. Since Gili T. is the island furtherest to the west, this one has the best sunsets of the three. The whole coastline of the island is full of beach bars and alsmost all offer happy hours at sunset where you can strike down and have a drink while enjoying the sunset.
Gili T. is the best island for: Backpackers traveling alone who want to meet people and people looking for parties. If you’re looking to spend your days at a beach bar, strolling the streets buying some souvenirs, getting a massage, and party it up at night, Gili T. is the right island for you.
If you want to see a lot of turtles, you’ll often find lots on the grass meadows here. Of all the places we’ve snorkeled at the Gili Islands, this is where we saw by far the most turtles. Although we did see more than one at any place we snorkeled at.
And as I mentioned before, since Gili T. is the westernmost island of the group, you get the best sunsets here.
Gili T. is not so good for: People who are looking for a relaxed place. If you’re looking for empty beaches where you can just wind down and listen to the sound of the waves and the birds. If you’re looking for a more natural experience, Gili T. is not the right island for you.
Gili Meno - The quiet honeymoon island
Gili Meno is the smallest, quietest and emptiest of the Gili’s and known as the honeymoon island. Most people only visit on a day trip as word goes around that there is nothing on Gili Meno. Contrary to this belief, Gii Meno does offer everything you need. Just not in big quantity.
There is accommodation ranging from resort to simple homestay and there are beach bars, restaurants, and places to rent snorkel gear from.
The most popular thing to do on Gili Meno, is snorkeling at the underwater statues. But you also find corals and plenty of turtles around.
Gili Meno is the least crowded of the three, and here you’ll find plenty of empty beaches, with trees for shade instead of beach bars and umbrellas. There isn’t as much human noise here, so it’s easy to just relax and read a book, listening to the sounds of nature instead. There is a big lake on the island too, where you can go for an even more peaceful stroll.
GIli Meno is the best island for: People who want to have the most natural experience. If you’re looking for a quiet island and prefer to lie your towel down on the sand underneath a tree for shade and you’re not looking to go shopping or partying, then Gili Meno is your island.
Gili Meno is not so good for: People who are looking for an active and buzzing environment. Gili Meno is a very calm and peaceful place with not so much going on.
Gili Air - The one that everyone likes
Gili Air is like Gili T.’s little brother. It has a similar infrastructure and you find the same things, there is just less of everything. It has a much more relaxed vibe than Gili T., but has a lot more going on than Gili Meno. It’s the one that (almost) everyone loves.
And GIli Air offers great snorkeling too! We found some of the best corals in the Gili’s of the shore of Gili Air, and so many fish! The only downside of this island is that due to its position, you can’t see the sun drop behind the horizon, the view gets blocked by the other islands. But you can still enjoy the colors of the sunset of course.
Gil Air is the best island for: People who are looking for plenty of things to do, but do enjoy a more relaxed atmosphere. If you do like to go souvenir shopping, or chill at a beach bar, but you’re not really looking for a party atmosphere, Gili Air is your island. They call it the family island,
Gili Air is not so good for: People who love the idea of Gili Meno. Even though Gili Air is a lot less crowded and full on compared to Gili T., there are still a lot of people and it is quite built-up. So if you want as much nature as possible, Gili Air might still be a bit too much for you.
This was The Gili’s: Which Gili Island is the Best
As you can see, there is a perfect Gili Island for everyone, with the three of them being quite distinct from each other. They all have their pros and cons though, so if you have the time, spend some time at all three. Our overall favorite was definitely Gili Meno though, because we loved the connection with nature. The other two are quite built-up and when we imagined the Gili’s, we imagined ourselves underneath a tree on a white beach and snorkeling with turtles and corals. So Gili Meno came closest to that.
Don’t be scared of by people telling you to not stay here because there is nothing there. Those people generally have not actually been to Gili Meno and are just repeating what others have told them. When we share our experience of Gili Meno with people who have been to the Gili’s, but skipped Gili Meno because people told them not to go, they were always a little disappointed they didn’t go.
Next article up: The perfect Gili Islands itinerary. For those of you who have the time to spend a week at these amazing islands.