Gili Islands are paradise on earth! It’s not hard to understand why it is such a famous side trip from Bali. Even doing nothing over there is amazing. But if you want your day to get moving, here are 8 things you can and should do!
- Rent a bike
- Island hopping
- Snorkeling
- Scuba diving
- Catch all the sunsets you can get
- Experience the nightlife
- Gili T’s night market
- Enjoy the beach
Rent a bike
Renting a bike is something you should do your first day on Gili T. Rent it for your whole stay on the island. This will be your way of transportation around the island while doing an activity every day. It only costs around 50k IDR per day and most of the time you can negotiate for a deal if you take it for more than one day. The island is so small, you could explore it entirely in 2 hours!
Island hopping
Being only a short boat ride away from Gili Meno and Gili Air, it’s a really common activity. In my previous article: “Where Is The Best Place To Stay Gili Islands” I gave you a short description of the 3 different islands. It can be really fun to see the small differences, and doing that in only one day is easy. Just go directly to the harbour and buy your tickets there. That will be your cheapest option.
Snorkeling
It is one of the top things to do in Gili Trawangan. It is a really popular activity around most of Asia, but the Gili Islands are definitely the right place to do it. You can see beautiful coral reefs filled with so many different fish. You can swim really close to the turtles and even see the famous statues you might have seen before on the internet.
There are a lot of sellers for snorkeling trips near the harbour. See all the different options of itinerary they offer with their different prices and choose what is best for you. Most of the trips take the entire day, but they bring you to the 3 Gili Islands and make more than one stop to explore the waters.
Scuba diving
If you’re more on the pro side and snorkeling is not good enough for you, scuba diving is also available over there. You can rent some equipment, and you can even book a scuba diving lesson on the island. There are two fascinating wrecks that you could explore more profoundly.
Catch all the sunsets you can get
Like I’ve explained in my previous article “Everything You Need To Know About Gili Trawangan”, the island is divided into two sides: the sunrise side and the sunset side. If me calling them like that doesn’t give you an idea of how many beautiful sunsets you can get, I really don’t know what will. There are so many chilling spots you can enjoy while the sun goes down. It will be hard to miss it.
Experience the nightlife
The nightlife on Gili T is amazing! The beach bars were definitely my favorites, but there were so many different options. You can try all of them in one night if you want since they are so close to each other. Walk along the beach and go to the place that calls your name the most.
For a really intense party with EDM music and flowing shots head out to The Jungle.
For something a little different, Sama Sama Reggae Bar has a reggae music show live every night at 7 pm! The vibes are immaculate.
Finally, if you want to talk with people and enjoy the night with a more chill vibe and less loud music: the beach bars, Blue Marlin, The Irish Pub and Ruby’s are good options too.
Gili T’s night market
Definitely the cheapest place to have dinner on Gili T. So many different stalls offering delicious local food, tasty barbecue, fresh seafood and so much more. Go over there, blend in with locals, and then you’ll be able to tell me why it is such a must-visit place.
A big part of the stalls and vendors open at 6 pm and run pretty late into the night.
Enjoy the beach
After all, you might just want to spend some time relaxing while you’re on vacation. What better place to do that than the beach? There are a couple of different beaches on Gili T.
North East Beach: Relatively quiet, has great swimming conditions and best place to spot turtles in the shallow waters.
Sunset Beach: Where the famous swing is, and the name says it, you can catch amazing sunsets.
Malibu Beach: Find a good spot in the sand, watch the waves and grab a drink.
South or Good Heart Beach: That’s where the crowd is, where the party is and where you will find good happy hour deals.
