Gili Trawangan - One of the Gili Island

The Gili Islands are located just off the northwest tip of Lombok, Indonesia.

The three Gili Islands are a small-scale backpacker mecca and Lombok's most popular tourist destination. The islands are very relaxed and laid-back, with countless little beachside cafes playing reggae and serving up banana pancakes, and no cars or motorbikes to disturb the peace. The white side beaches are without a doubt better than anywhere on Bali or Lombok. The flip side of the coin is that as they exist solely to cater for travellers, they're also rather anonymous (you might as well be at anywhere) and, aside from snorkeling and diving, there's little if anything to do. From west to east, the islands are:

Gili Trawangan (sometimes Trewangan) or just Gili T is the most developed with plenty of backpacker options, one swanky resort and increasing numbers of villas. There are no dogs on the island but according to one local, there are more cats here than people. The local population is around 800.

Gili Meno, the smallest and quietest, low-key with some simple places to stay.

Gili Air, closest to the mainland and with the largest local population.

Strictly speaking, the name "Gili Islands" is rather redundant as gili simply means "small island" in Sasak, but the name has stuck and is universally used and understood in Lombok.

There are also some other islands off Lombok called Gili Something, eg. Gili Nanggu and Gili Gede, but these are located to the southwest near Lembar, quite a distance from the "main" Gilis.

The Gilis are noticeably drier and hotter than Lombok, but evenings are still cool and refreshing and, at night, air-con is more of a luxury than a necessity. The rainy season is roughly from November to April, but it rains much less than on Bali. The peak tourist seasons are July-August and December-January.

There are no sights as such on the islands themselves, but the snorkeling and diving all around is a major draw.

The Gili islands have excellent diving, with an impressive array of sea creatures and plant life to be seen, such as green and hawksbill turtles, manta rays, bumphead parrotfish and more. Visibility is commonly in the 15-20m range. However, due to the exposed position of the Gilis, currents can be quite strong and drift diving is the norm.

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