Day 1- Our ferry ride took only 90 minutes and was very comfortable. We arrived on Gili Air around noon and as soon as we got off the boat we realized our bungalow was on the west side of the island and the harbor we landed at was on the east side. You can walk from one side to the other in around 30 minutes but with our bags we opted to hire a horse and buggy as there are no motorized vehicles in the Gilis. More on the charm of these 3 small islands in my upcoming blog Nusa Penida vs the Gili Islands. After dropping our bags in our private beachfront bungalow we did our thing and set out on foot to explore what Gili Air had to offer. The big draw of these islands is the minimalist vibe, white sand beaches, laid back atmosphere and coral reefs. Catching a tan and watching the sun set was our goal. The reefs extend from the shore out around 100 meters and are exposed during low tide. Because the water is so shallow its not ideal for swimming. If you’re into snorkeling there are boats that can take you past the shallows where you can swim with sea turtles. We choose to overeat and wander around until sunset. Gili Air is the closet of the 3 islands to the mainland and is mainly a day trip destination so after the last boats leave at night the island buzz dies down.
Day 2 – We woke up pretty early and headed out to explore the island again. We spent the first half of the day bouncing from beaches to cafes and the second half of the day lounging in the sun on the beach in front of our bungalow. We had no desire to snorkel in shallow reefs and since the island doesn’t offer much else we just took it easy.
Day 3- The second of the Gilis and smallest is Gili Menos. It is the least visited and is know for it’s turtle sanctuary and it’s world class scuba diving. We choose to skip over this island like most and head to Gili Trawangan, the biggest of the Gilis. It’s not only the biggest in size but it is the most developed and by far our favorite. Our hotel is owned by an Australian ex-pat who also owns the nicest gym we have seen in Indonesia and it’s attached to the hotel so we got to use it for free during our stay. We spent the morning walking around and the evening relaxing on the beach eating Tapas. The island was a backpackers playground but lately the government has been trying to divert tourism here by subsidizing large 5 star hotels. We saw a few and couldn’t believe our eyes. They were by far nicer than anything we have seen in Indonesia so far. The food here has also been much better than in Bali also. Huge elaborate expensive buffets on the beach with live music and some world class BBQ joints. If it wasn’t so small Gili Trawangan would steal all the tourists from Bali. The beaches are ok for laying out but still not good for swimming due to the dead reef surrounding the island. This is the first island with a real nightlife as well. Tomorrow we are heading back to Bali for one night before we catch a flight to our last stop in Indonesia. This last stop is one of the things on this trip I was most excited about. We are going to try to make our first full destination travel video as we are extremely lucky to be getting to go here and some of the last people allowed for quite awhile. Stay tuned for more details