A Complete Travel Guide To Gili Trawangan – Itinerary Included

Have you gotten enough dose of that Vitamin Sea? If not, pack your bags, trot with us and let’s escape to the land of sunshine, azure waters, vistas of active volcanic mountains and bluest blues from the ground and that of gliding sea turtles and colorful marine life from under its waters. Doesn’t it sound like an interesting island full of character and a personality that intrigues you to explore it further? To help you with just that we have put together a complete travel guide to this island called Gili Trawangan.

Sitting on the northwest coast of Lombok, Indonesia are the Gili Islands, an archipelago of three small islands. One of those three and the biggest amongst them is Gili Trawangan also referred to as Gili T, a must-stop on your itinerary.

If this will be your first time to the Gili islands and you have time to visit just one of them then we highly recommend you pick Gili T. Besides if you are still confused between which Gili islands (Trawangan, Meno, or Air) you should visit then you can use our travel guide to help you decide on the Gili island that is right for you here.

Gili Trawangan has garnered the reputation of being a party island but from our experience, we can tell you that is not entirely true. We recommend this island even to first-timers is because the beauty of Gili T is that it allows you to get the best of both worlds all in one place with plenty of options to choose from. It’s an island that caters to several types of travelers in terms of options related to not just activities but budget as well. 

We have specially curated this Gili Trawangan travel guide to cater to both our readers who love peaceful beach days and those who love an active island getaway and eccentric nightlife as well. 

HOW TO GET TO GILI TRAWANGAN FROM BALI 

The most popular way to get from Bali to Gili Trawangan is via fast boats. They leave from several departing points in Bali namely Padang Bai, Sanur Jetty, Serangan, Benoa Harbor, and Amed. Out of these, you can choose to embark on from the one that’s closest to where you are in Bali. The time it takes to reach Gili T is between 1.5-3 hours depending on where you start from and the weather conditions on the day of travel. We do recommend you take an early or one of the first boats out in the morning from Bali, timing it to the check-in time of your hotel. This way your wait during check-in is minimized and reaching early lets you utilize your first day much better. 

The cost of a return trip for one person is around 85 USD (1,238,858 RPS). You can find some great deals on tours and transfers here. You can also check another one we use called 12GoAsia for deals and availability.

For further details on more travel options for Gili Trawangan refer to our Gili islands guide.

Travel Tip: Pack light, it’s easier to manoeuvre smaller bags or better yet backpacks during boat transfers. Depending on the tide many times you will have to get off in shallow water instead of on the sand. Your luggage will be thrown on the sand and you can collect it from there once you get off the boat. So in case you have any breakables make sure to inform the staff beforehand so they handle your luggage with care. Or better yet, keep the breakables with you and not in the bag. 

HOW TO GET AROUND ON GILI TRAWANGAN

Here’s one of the reasons why we love adding this island as a stop to our Indonesian itinerary more so after Bali. The traffic in Bali can get quite crazy at times along with the honking noise of the vehicles. Hence, the best part about these Gili islands is that they are non-motorized meaning there are no cars or scooters here. So the only way to get around is by foot, bicycles, or cidomos (horse and carriage). Even though it is the biggest of the three islands, you can go around the circumference of Gili Trawangan on a bicycle in just about 1-1.5 hours. 

We do have a request for our Trot.World family though and it is to refrain from using cidomos as there is a big question on how ethical that is. The horses do look sad and let’s together stray away from burdening them with pulling the cart with several people and their heavy luggage on them. 

Let’s be conscious travelers and work together towards refraining from participating in activities that harm these beautiful beings and more so where they are solely used for the sake of tourism.

This is where the earlier tip of packing light also comes in handy, easier to drag your luggage on foot if your hotel is away from the main jetty area. 

For the rest, enjoy your time on this island free of air and sound pollution. Instead, take in the smell of the ocean, sound of waves, and laughter all around you.

Do watch out for bicycle and foot traffic though especially around the main port area 🙂

WHERE TO STAY IN GILI TRAWANGAN

As we mentioned Gili T is what you make of it. You can enjoy peaceful, quiet, and laid back beach days here and also indulge in crazy parties and nightlife of the island. 

Where you stay and hang out is key in being able to achieve either of those experiences. 

Here is an overview of the East, West, North, and South sides of the island and where you need to be for the peaceful vibe and which side hosts the party-goers. 

Also, Gili T being the biggest, has varying accommodations from budget to luxury ones to choose from. The same goes for when it comes to shopping, restaurants, bars, and clubs. You wouldn’t have to eat and drink at the same place twice (unless you liked it so much and want to eat there again). 

East: Almost in the centre of the east side is where the jetty is and where you will be picked up and dropped off by the fast boats. Around the jetty is where all the action is, several accommodations, bars, and restaurants. This means a lot of pedestrian traffic and where the crowd gathers both during the day and night. Avoid hotels in this area unless being amidst the crowd and socializing is what you are here for.

West: This side is mainly resorts and stunning sunset views with the volcanic Mount Agung in the background, quieter beaches, and a couple of sunset bars. Also, the Instagram famous swings are over on the west side. 

North: Northern side of the island is again super laid back, with a few luxury and budget accommodation options, and a handful of chilled restaurants and bar. Just like the west side, the sunset from the Northern coast is also quite stunning. Plus, the North-east side of Gili T is a great snorkeling spot to see turtles. Here you have great chances of spotting sea turtles feeding off the underwater grasslands not far from the shore along with other beautiful marine life.

South: This side, the south-eastern side to be precise, has to be our favorite for it is the right balance between quiet and lively with easy access to the plethora of restaurants, bars, and shopping sites that line the eastern side going towards the jetty. It is away from all the crowd yet closer to the action. So you can easily switch between the peaceful and happening vibe as you like throughout the day. 

At night we would head towards the buzzing piece in the center of the eastern coast, grab a few drinks and when we feel we have had too much of crowd and chaos we would return to our hotel or an eating join on the southern side reboot and go back out again for another round of drinks and socializing. 

South side has some great accommodation options suitable to even couples on their honeymoon and even families. 

A hotel on the south-eastern side we would recommend you check out is Pearl of Trawangan. We personally loved our stay here and loved the location as well making it within the walking distance to the jetty/party area. It was quite easy to walk from here to the main center and back even at night, and the path was well lit up as well. Plus on this route, you will find everything from bars, restaurants, spa, dive centres, supermarket, and even an ice cream spot! 

Note that if you would stay on the northern or western side and wish to visit the party centre for a change of scene you would have to bike the way there and back as it’s quite a walk. Also, there are some dark paths in between on those routes which we weren’t too keen on commuting post-sunset and late at night. 

So if you are a first-timer we would recommend staying on the south-eastern side. 

HOW MANY DAYS TO STAY IN GILI TRAWANGAN

A 3 night/4 days’ stay is a good start here in Gili T. Reasonable amount of time for you to be able to explore the island, go on island hopping tours and relax on the beach. However, if you plan to get your dive certification here you will have to spend more days depending on the level and time required to complete the certification. 

4 DAY GILI TRAWANGAN ITINERARY

Here’s a breakdown of how you can spend your 4 days here on the island to make the most of your time.
Ps. Stay tuned for our in-depth travel guide on some of the best things to do in Gili Trawangan (coming up soon).

Day 1: Arrive close to your check-in time, settle in, head out for lunch at the hotel, or venture out on the street to pick a restaurant. 

Post lunch get towels from the hotel and lay on the beach or relax on the sun loungers. Pearl of Trawangan also has a swim-up pool bar you can hang around at. 

At night check out the main area and the bars lined up. Each night different bars take turn to entertain the guests of Gili Trawangan. Some of the most popular ones are Tir Na Nog Irish bar, Sama-Sama Reggae Bar, Blue Marlin, and Evolution Bar for some games and beer pong. If you prefer to stay away from the main hub, then hang out in your hotel’s bar or nearby restaurant/bars for a chill night out.

Day 2: Hop on the wooden outriggers for a day at sea and go on a snorkeling tour around the Gili islands. Swim amidst the vibrant colorful marine life and sea turtles, explore the sunken man-made human sculptures at Gili Meno, and stopover for lunch at the other two Gili islands. Once you are back relax, freshen up and chill on the bean bags of breezy sunset bars or party the night away.
You can book your snorkelling trip right from the many tour operators around the jetty area. As in Indonesia, always remember to bargain to get the best price.

Day 3: Have a hearty breakfast and rent bikes either from your hotel or from the many rentals around the island. 

Note: Check the bicycles before picking them up for any damage and make sure you are given locks along with it that work. Anytime you stop over and park your bikes make sure to lock them when left unattended. 

Spend this day cycling around the island which will take you around 1-1.5 hours. Make plenty stops in between to stop and eat at warungs (small local family-owned restaurants/cafes) or whichever beachside restaurant speaks to you. Stop for drinks or to sip on some fresh coconut water. Find empty beaches on your ride and roll out your towels to sunbathe and lounge around. Go for some free snorkeling around the northeastern point of the island and try to spot some turtles!

Stopover to take some gorgeous pictures that we like to call as postcard pictures throughout the way. Wherever you are on your cycling trip make sure to reach the western coast in time for the sunset. You can stopover at several points to witness the glorious sunset and take some pictures with those famous swings and hammocks in the water you see popping up on Instagram. 

They are spread out on the western coast so you can stop over at whichever you like. Some of them are at Hotel Ombak Sunset, The Exile (this is the one with a swing and hammock both), Malibu Beach Club (a great place to then also stay over for some food and drinks and chill on their colorful bean bags). Pink Coco is another one that hosts these sea swings. 

We stopped over at Malibu Beach Club for some sunset and drinks which was about an 8-minute bike ride from our hotel, Pearl of Trawangan. There was a dark patch in between but not too bad with so many other tourists cycling back. Another reason why later at night we just prefer hanging around the south-eastern and the main strip side is to avoid cycling through dark areas. 

So, make this whole day about just unwinding, eating delicious food, and soaking in the beauty of this island in its different colorful corners. 

Taking postcard-like pictures are our favorite for keepsake and to even mail to our family. Check out our postcards from Bali.

Day 4: It is time to check-out and move ahead on your travels. It is always so hard to bid goodbye to beautiful islands like these. But you must leave so you can return! Maybe next time to explore the other two Gili islands: Gili Air & Gili Meno.

So enjoy these last moments here, have a hearty breakfast by the beach, indulge in some juicy and fruity smoothie bowls to fuel yourself for the boat ride back to Bali, or your next destination!

GILI TRAWANGAN TRAVEL TIPS 

Now before you swoosh away on that fast boat we wanted to share a few travel tips for your visit to Gili Trawangan through this guide.

• Whenever you rent your bikes check them for dents or any damage/working condition before you walk away with it. Make sure you are given a lock along with it.
• When you park your bikes to go take pictures or watch a sunset, lock it up, there are bike stands around the island especially around restaurants/bars.
• Don’t heavily drink and bike. There are small clinics on Gili T but no hospital, the closest one is in Lombok
• Carry some cash, although there are now quite a few ATMs spread across the island.
• If you wish to do a lot of free snorkelling by yourself, carry your own equipment or you can rent them from almost anywhere on the island. Again just check it before you leave with it.
• Methanol poisoning is quite common in Indonesia, so we would recommend sticking to bottled alcohol like beers that get opened in front of you. Or if you wish to drink spirits then branded and sealed bottle for you and your companions that you open yourself.  
• There are guys on the side of the streets selling shrooms, shakes made out of them, things like helium gas inhaling but if you just ignore and walk off they don’t bother or follow you at all. 

These are just some tips to keep you aware but for the rest the island’s super safe and just pure bliss! 

So with the help of this travel guide to Gili Trawangan, we want you to just enjoy your time in the sunshine, floating in blues, saying hello to turtles and endless beach days, and magical sunsets.

Sending you lots of sunshine and happy vibes and leaving you with yet another one of favorite islands to read about next:

If you know us, you know we are a big fan of tropical escapes, and island life is our favorite. A plus is when the islands we visit have more to offer than just beaches and is an experience rather than just a destination, just like this one. 

If you are like us and love such enriching tropical getaways, then you would absolutely enjoy getting to know another of our favorite island called ARUBA through this travel guide.

Also known as One Happy Island, this tropical getaway has beaches that rank among the top ones in the world and is again a paradise for every type of traveler. Plus if you love the idea of swimming with turtles then think about how cool would swimming with flamingos be!

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