The Gili Islands is an island group consisting of Gili Trawangan (Gili T.), Gili Meno, and Gili Air. They lie just off the coast of Lombok, Indonesia. These islands are perfect for sunbathing, snorkeling, enjoying a drink at a beach bar while watching the sunset, and just overall relaxing. Indonesia can be an intense country and these islands are perfect for winding down. Many people wonder how long you need for the Gili Islands and it really depends on what you are looking for. You can tick off the sights in as little as a day, but to really enjoy the islands I recommend staying for a week and following this Gili Islands itinerary. This way you get to appreciate the differences between each island, there will be plenty of chances to see turtles and you have enough time to relax.
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Table of Contents - The perfect Gili Islands itinerary - 1 Week in the Gili’s
How to get to the Gili Islands
From Bali: From Bali, you can buy tickets directly to the Gili Islands. One option is to travel overland to Pandai Bay and take the public ferry from there. Most agencies will offer this option. But it’s also possible to travel all the way via speedboat, via Nusa Penida. It’s possible to buy tickets for the whole way, but we didn’t have the best experience with this.
From Nusa Penida: There are a few daily trips between Nusa Penida and the Gili Islands. Most of them leave in the morning and the cheapest ticket I found is 250.000 Rp. with Semaya One or Starfish. Both leave from different harbors, so check which one is most convenient for you.
From Lombok: Lombok is the closest to the Gili Islands, and it’s only a very short trip with the speedboat. You can also opt for the cheaper public ferry, but this one doesn’t leave until full. So a speedboat is the most efficient way to travel from Lombok to the Gili Islands. There is no need to book in advance, just show up. It doesn’t hurt to ask at the counter how many people are signed up for the public ferry. If there are only a few missing you could wait. If not, you can just buy a ticket for the speed boat.
Our experience traveling between the Gili’s and Bali – We got a ticket from Gili Air going to Sanur in Bali but wished we just bought separate tickets from Gili Air to Nusa Penida and another from Nusa Penida to Bali. There were only two trips a day to Bali via speedboat, and the first one appeared to be canceled (although they told us it was delayed so we just waited there). We waited for 3 hours until a boat from another company picked us up. When we finally arrived at Bali, they didn’t even drop us off at Sanur, but at a different harbor. So we had to get a Grab to Sanur, arriving there even later.
So with so many boats going daily between Nusa Penida and the Gili Islands, and even more between Nusa Penida and Bali, it would have been a lot more efficient to buy two separate tickets, and in many cases it would have been the same price.
Getting around the Gili Islands
All three Gili Islands are rather small and it’s possible to walk around them. There are no motorized vehicles on the island, so if you don’t want to walk, your other options are renting a bicycle or an electrical scooter (on Gili T.). There are many locals offering rides by horse carriage too. I don’t really recommend this though as, from what I saw, the horses are often making long hours, I’ve never seen a water station at any of the waiting points for them and not much attention is paid to weight. The carriages just get stuffed to the max.
In order to move between the islands, you can take a speedboat for 85.000 Rp. Speedboats leave roughly every hour.
1 week in the Gili Islands itinerary
You can follow this itinerary in any order you see fit. I recommend starting with Gili T., as it’s the busiest and most happening of the three. So if you have been to the other two, you might not enjoy it so much. Unless this is what you’re coming for of course.
If you are coming from Lombok and making your way to Bali or Nusa Penida afterward, it might make more sense to follow this Gili Islands itinerary in the opposite direction though. Because Gili Air is closest to Lombok, and Gili T. is the closest to Nusa Penida and Bali.
Limited time, and not sure if you can fit any more islands in your trip? Check out this self-guided one-day itinerary for Nusa Penida.
Day 1 - Arriving at Gili Trawangan (Gili T.)
Take a boat at any time during the day that best suits you and make your way to Gili T. Enjoy a walk on the beach, some swimming, and of course a sunset. Many beach bars offer happy hours at sunset, but you can also just buy a drink in a shop and find a spot on the beach. If you feel like a party, the area around the harbor is the most buzzing area of the island. You won’t have a problem finding somewhere to go.
The sunset side of the island tends to be a bit quieter, so nicer to stay. We stayed at Cape Rose 2, which was good value for money. They have a small pool where you can relax and you rent snorkeling gear from them too.
Day 2 - Snorkeling in the grass meadows
After breakfast, rent some snorkel gear for the day and head out to the grass meadows in front of the northeastern coast of the island. You’ll find plenty of signs saying you’ve arrived at Turtle Point and there will be many boats too. So you’ll know when you have arrived. Visibility is best in the mornings and here you have the best chance to see turtles. So best to go here in the morning. If you keep swimming further out to sea, passing the grass meadows, you’ll find some nice coral reefs too for a change of scenery.
We had breakfast at a beach bar and went one by one so we could bring our stuff and enjoy the beach in between snorkeling. If you don’t want to do that, just bring as little as possible so you can just leave your bag with a towel and your flip-flops at the beach while you’re in the water.
Once you’re snorkeled out, take a break and grab some lunch. If you would like to snorkel again, you could head for the coral reefs on the northwestern side of the islands. We also saw turtles here. Not so many as on the grass meadows, but it was nice to snorkel along the colorful reefs too. Once you’re done, hand the snorkel gear back in and enjoy another one of Gili T.’s beautiful sunsets. For something different, you can go horseback riding on the beach at sunset too.
Full relax – There are many massage spas on the island offering cheap massages. Most of them are located on the harborside of the island. There is a really good one around the corner from Cape Rose 2 too: Desha Spa. It’s a little pricier than the ones on the main street, but it was one of the best massages I’ve had in South East Asia, and the best in all of Indonesia.
Day 3 - Take the boat to Gili Meno
Make your way to the next island: Gili Meno. Don’t listen to anyone saying there is nothing on Gili Meno, this island offers everything you need and it was by far our favorite one to stay on. Gili Garden Homestay is a nice and simple homestay with breakfast included. The cheese omelet is delicious! And a welcome change from the banana pancakes most ho(s)tels offer for breakfast.
Spend today relaxing on the beach or go for a walk around the lake. Since most people come for the beach, it’s super peaceful there. Grab a beer for sunset and I highly recommend Bubbels Bar and Restaurant for dinner (their eggplant burrito is especially amazing). If you’re feeling like grilled fish, Gili Beach Bar and Bungalow next door is really nice too.
Day 4 - Snorkeling at the Bask Nest Statues
Get up early today to be one of the first people at the statues. They are one of the most popular snorkeling locations of the Gili Islands, so they get very busy with tours during the day. We rented our snorkeling gear at 7 a.m. and made our way there. The statues are located in front of the Bask Gili Meno resort, so not hard to find. There were people already, but not so many. So we could still see them and get some footage without other people on it.
The area is only small, so once you’re done with the statues, you can snorkel in the area around and see corals, fish, and turtles. Head back to your accommodation for breakfast and spend the rest of the day relaxing on the beach and snorkeling.
Day 5 - Take the boat to Gili Air
Gili Air is a little more lively than Gili Meno. So if you’re looking to buy souvenirs for example, this is your place. There are also plenty of places offering massages and of course, many beach bars and space on the beach itself to relax. If you don’t like to walk, you can rent a bike to cycle around the island. Many parts of the “road” are super sandy though, so you’ll need to walk at least some parts. Melbao Homestay is a lovely place to stay, super close to the harbor! Making it easy to get to with luggage.
Even though you can’t see the sun dropping directly in the water from Gili Air (or at least we couldn’t when we were there, I’m not sure if the angle changes enough throughout the year that some months it is), it’s still nice to head out to the beach and enjoy the sunset. As for dinner, I highly recommend Classico Pizza. If you are staying at Melbao, it’s right around the corner. It’s a little more pricy but totally worth it. They have many amazing dishes, but the lasagna is definitely our favorite. If you’re looking for something cheaper, check out Warung Mexicana for Mexican and Indonesian food. There are some other nice and cheap restaurants in this street too.
Day 6 - Enjoy your last snorkeling day at some of the best reefs of the Gili's
This snorkeling spot was my favorite snorkeling spot in the Gili’s overall. The corals are just so lively and colorful and there were so many fish. And of course some turtles too. Especially the northern part of the area (left on the map of the website) was very nice. Make sure to check the tide before heading over. When the tide is too low, it’s not possible to snorkel here without hitting (and damaging) the reefs.
There are plenty of nice restaurants to choose from for lunch. I’d pick one near the beach so can chill there below an umbrella when you’re not snorkeling. The beaches here don’t offer as much shade as at Gili Meno.
For your sweet tooth – Damonte “Il Gelato” has the BEST ice cream. We had way too much of it, but it’s just impossible to pass and not have an ice cream.
Day 7 - Off to your next destination
This is the end of the one week Gili Islands itinerary. If your next destination is Lombok (or one of the other Gili Islands if you’re following this itinerary in the opposite direction) you’ll have plenty of options for transport. So you can enjoy your morning here still if you’re not ready to say goodbye yet.
If you’re heading to Nusa Penida or Bali, make sure to check the schedules ahead of time as transport is not as frequent.
What if I only have 2 or 3 days to visit the Gili Islands
Even if you only have 2 or 3 days to spend at the Gili islands, it’s still worth going. On each island, you’ll find island hopping tours that take you to snorkeling points around the Gili Islands. So this way you can tick all those sights off in a day and enjoy the rest of your time here at the beach. If you only have 2 or 3 days for the Gili’s, I recommend staying on one island only. So make sure you do your research on which Gili Island is best for you and spend your nights there.
This was The perfect Gili Islands itinerary - 1 Week in the Gili's
If you feel like there is just to see in Indonesia to squeeze into the one-month on-arrival visa you get, then you’re right! Indonesia is a huge country with so much to see. And as travel becomes more and more inefficient as places are less touristy, you’d need a lifetime to explore it all. And possibly more. While that will be a bit much for most people, it is easy to extend your Indonesian visa for a month and spend two months in Indonesia before you do need to get a flight out. Read more about this in next week’s blog.