Gili Trawangan Photos
Gili Trawangan has something to offer for pretty much everyone! Whether you want to learn to dive, swim with turtles, party or just sunbathe, it's the place for you. This tiny island can be cycled round in less than an hour and offers some of the whitest beaches and clearest water we've ever seen. There are no cars or scooters on the island which makes it feel super reclusive and chilled. We chose to spend 5 nights here and felt that was plenty however you can never get enough of its beauty.
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Things to do...
Snorkelling With Turtles-
If, like us, swimming with turtles feels like a dream you would like to live, then Gili T is the place to do it. You can hop in the sea just off the beach on almost any part of the island and spot turtles. There are however, two main turtle points which are illustrated with signs.
The first: In front of Villa Almarik
The second: just past La Moomba Bar and Restaurant
The turtles are perfectly comfortable being in human presence, so much so that they allow you to swim right next to them without batting an eyelid. (Can turtles bat their eyelids?😂)
Take a Boat Trip-
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If you would like to see the other islands (Gili meno and Gili air) but you would rather not stay the night, doing a boat trip is the best way to do this. You can explore both of the islands, snorkel in some of the most amazing spots and view the underwater statues for around 150k each (£7.50!). That is the price most places offer but feel free to barter and see the best deal you can get!!
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Cycle The Entire Island-
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We spent a morning doing this and it was one of our most enjoyable experiences on Gili. The front of the island can be pretty hectic so if you want to see the real Gili- pristine, empty beaches, beautiful clear paths and vivid flowers- then travel to the other side of the island and you'll feel like you have the whole place to yourselves! One point we would add is to make sure you do this early and bring a swimsuit! We enjoyed going earlier as the heat of the day wasn't at its peak yet and bringing swimsuits allowed us to just stop of at different beaches and explore the water to our hearts content!
Do a Pub Crawl-
If pub crawls are your thing, you'll be sure to want to hop on this one! Every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday, Gili T has a pub crawl starting from The Irish Bar. You can sign up at 6.30pm. It costs 250k. You get a free T-shirt, a free bucket and then a free drink in every bar you visit! Seems like a pretty good deal!! There are usually quite a lot of people who attend so you'll end up meeting some awesome people too.
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Visit the underwater scooters-
On the beach just outside of Villa Ombak there are underwater bikes attached to the ground. When we saw photos online of these we were unsure how far out in the sea they would be but we were pretty happy to discover that they were only 3M in depth, just off the beach! So grab your snorkel and explore!
Visit an Open Air Cinema-
Every night, many hotels put on films on the beach that you can watch as the stars shine above you! You can watch these at:
Pink Coco: Time: sunset, Price: free
Villa Ombak: Time: 7PM and 9PM Price: 50k per person with free popcorn.
Pearl Beach Lounge: Price & time unsure.
Le Pirate Beach Club: 8:30pm. Price: free
Go Paddle Boarding-
Gilis waters are almost the polar opposite to those in the rest of Bali. Whilst Bali is famous for its surf, Gili if famous for its coral and clear, still waters. This makes paddle boarding one of the best experiences you can partake in! Whilst standing on the board you can see the turtles through the clear water swimming just below you!
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Explore all of Gilis Water Swings-
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On your trip around the entire island, you'll spot plenty of amazing swings and hammocks in the water. These are the perfect instagrammable spot at sunset and beautiful to just relax on in the day!
Where we ate...
There are plenty of restaurants around Gili which offer an amazing setting with their tables sitting right on the beach front.
Manta Cafe- this was the place we found to be our absolute favourite. Situated right on the main strip, It serves THE BEST jacket potatoes, wraps and everything delicious. We're not ashamed to say that we visited here for almost every meal on our trip!
Crepe stalls- Something that Bali seems to lack is crepe and street-food stalls however this is made up for in Gili. Esme ate a Nutella crepe for breakfast almost every single morning!
Egoiste- Situated right on the sand, this place serves great pizza and BBQ food.
The Banyan Tree- This place serves the absolute best smoothie bowls and cakes!!
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One thing to note whilst visiting Gili T... Gili is really small and not at all difficult to walk around. Most of the accommodation is at the very front of the island therefore it usually won't take you more than 5 minutes to walk to your accommodation from where the boat has dropped you off. Please do not use the horse and carts that are being offered on the island. These horses suffer horrible negligence and treatment that no animal should have to endure. Many tourists have chosen to boycott the use of horses and you should do the same! Please read this article before you visit Gili T so that you are aware before you arrive.
Thanks so much for reading, we hope to see you over at @followintheirfootsteps.
Lots of Love,
Esme and Zac