Bali is the most visited island in Indonesia, but lately another island is getting more famous by the day. We all heard about Gili, I wanted to explore more Indonesian islands, years ago when I’ve been to Bali for my first time, but I stayed only one week in Indonesia then and I couldn’t. So, now that I had more time, I wanted to explore another island in Indonesia apart from Bali. But I guess, that´s the magic of going back to a place you loved so much the first time, you can keep exploring what you couldn’t at first.
The Gili Islands are the perfect tropical destination. These islands are very tiny (Gili means small)! You can see all three of them easily from each island, it looks like you could literally swim to each island. Depending on what you are looking for, there is something for everyone on each Gili Islands. One is for those who like to party, another one is for families and the other one is to relax.
I decided to visit the less crowded and noisy one, as I am looking for peace, nature and animals in my travels. In this blog post, I will share my experience in Gili Air.
how to get to Gili Air
There are no airports on any of the Gili Islands so the only way to reach the islands is by boat. There are plenty of ferries that travel to Gili T and Gili Air every day from Bali and Lombok. I took the airplane from Bali to Lombok and from Lombok I took the boat to Gili Air, which is about 10 minutes boat ride. I chose to take the airplane because the Lombok Strait, between Bali and Lombok experiences some of the strongest tidal flows on Earth. It is an option I highly recommend for those who have Thalassophobia or suffer sea sickness. Trust me, it is not fun at all.
from Bali
Bali is the most common place people travel from to reach Gili Air. There are many direct fast boats from Bali’s PadangBai which will take 1.5 to 3 hours. You can book tickets directly with the boat companies, but if you want to, you can also buy from your tour guide or a trusted local. Many fast boat providers such as GiliGili Fast Boat, Ekajaya and BlueWater Express offer transfers to the port from all of the popular Bali spots either for free or for a fee.
these ferry rides come with a warning!
Some companies are known to overbook the boat which means it can be very crowded and uncomfortable and also very delayed at times. There were people who were not able to catch the ferry at all. Many of the fast boat companies that are guilty of this are the ones with the bigger boats and lower prices. This is one of the many reasons I chose to travel by plane and then I took the short ride to Gili Air.
If you dare to take the boat, in bad weather the bigger boats are more stable, feel safer and you will be less likely to get seasick. Talking about the smaller fast boats, their service is generally much better and runs on time, however, if the waves are strong it may be pretty scary, so take your sea sickness pills with you.
explore the island on foot or bicycle
Gili Air is that place where you move by foot, or bike, no other way, there are no vehicles. Well.. there is another way, the barbaric way.. by horse.. DON¨T do that. Those poor horses are treated terribly, they stay all day in heat without water or food, they are beaten, some of them had wounds, that it was very clear that were not treated. To me that was the most horrible and disgusting thing to see. Any animal lovers nightmare. I just can’t stand to see abused animals. People! you have two feet, use them. Luckily most of people were not using the horses, but instead they chose to walk with their big luggage at the hotel. So cheers to those who think about animals!!!Gili Air is very small, it can be explored by bike in as little as 30 minutes and if you walk, it will take max 45 minutes.
Wandering around the island it´s a great way to get some exercise and explore all the hidden spots, is a nice way to discover the parts of the island with the best beaches, restaurants and you will meet many friendly cats and not being on a bike, it is easier to stop and pet them.
I loved my morning walk, meeting the roaming cows, chickens, cats, I stoped off for a little swim on a cute beach I found on my way back to the hotel and then I had coconut water at a beach bar while I was enjoying the pristine water in front of me, wandering if life can get any better.
hang out at the beach
The best thing about this tiny island is that all you can do is to relax, it means swimming in the warm blue water among colourful fish and turtles, drink coconut water, pet cats and repeat. Of course if you are someone who is hyperactive in need of thrills and crazy escapades, like me, after a day will be boring, but nobody was hurt for chilling for a few days. To be honest, for me it was a firs, to have so many chill days.
There are some nice spots of beach with beach bars and restaurants, to swim and snorkel in the pristine water. The west side of the island is much more deserted with beautiful spots, palm trees, cute cows, but without having to go to a beach bar. The sand is soft and white almost all over the island. In the southwestern side, you can find many beachfront bean bags and restaurants to watch one of the most amazing sunset you will ever see in the world.
The entire island is surrounded by a reef so the water all the way up to the sand is really shallow it doesn’t get deeper than your knees or hips for a long way, even when the tide is high. This creates beautiful blue pools of water perfect to jump into on those hot tropical days. When you go into the water, you should use water shoes, because there is plenty of dead reef, or seashells. And if you want to enjoy more sea life, the only way is taking a boat ride or trek, where a guide will take you to the best spots.
watch the sunrise
When you are living this slow, calm island life, watching the sunrise and sunset becomes part of your everyday routine. We all agree that one of the most magical and memorable experiences in life is watching a perfect sunset. The Gili Islands have some of the most beautiful and colourful sunsets and sunrises that you will ever see on Earth. The volcano in the backdrop is without any doubt the most amazing thing I have ever seen and trust me I’ve seen some dramatic sunsets around the world.
For better memories, I made my little routine the days I stayed in Gili, each morning when I woke up I started my day with a sunrise swim before breakfast. The west coast has an abundance of amazing restaurants and beach bars to enjoy the sunset while you have breakfast!
Madeleine 𓇼 