Where sea creatures rule!

Of course we’re amazed by this little hermit!

Go to GILI T

I’ve been living in Indonesia for about 2 1/2 years. Never in that time, I pushed to go to Gili for vacation. I kept ditching out the idea. I thought, “nah…it’s just another island”, and would always end up in Bali. I’m such a fool. Now I wished I was always doing trips here.

“Bagus! C’est trop beau. Precioso. Schön. Bella. Maravilhoso!” No matter the language, we share the same expressions about how gorgeous the views are in Gili T.

You can fly into Lombok from Jakarta and take the 5 minute speed boat to Gili. Just make sure to plan this prior to your arrival, otherwise you’ll see yourself waiting for the ferry boat to fill up with people before they take you there which means you gotta wait. Plus, leave room for time in between airport transport and Gili transport. From the airport, it takes an 1 1/2- 2 hours depending on traffic before you reach the harbor closer to the isles. Just putting it out there.

Or…

***If you’re in Bali, you can actually do the Bali-Lombok transport or Bali-Gili transport options. There are plenty of transport companies available to bargain the prices with, but depending on how much you spend, then that’s the kind of ride you’re gonna get. Roughly, it will take an about 2 1/2 hour ride from Bali to Gili, again, depending on what kind of “fast boat” you reserve/pay. I’m just putting it out there. Do your research to avoid any surprises.***

Not far at all from the Gili T harbor, we found our destination. It took us less than 10 minutes to get there. Mind you. There are no cars in the island. You can walk, ride a bike or ride the horse driven carts known as cidomos. Just like many tourists that visit the island are opposed to this because some of the horses are obviously not well taken care of by their owners. So, the organization Gili Carriage Horse Support Network was created to support them because it provides a mean of income to the locals. The cidomo is used in all three islands: Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili T. There are currently some movements about banning the cidomo and implementing the idea of using solar powered tuk tuks instead. However, just like everything else in Indonesia, changing their old ways of thinking and doing things hasn’t been easy. Still, there’s always room for wishful thinking, right?

They should have solar powered tuk tuks instead…

This place was amazing! Definitely, exceeded my expectations.

I made the reservations through booking.com because it had the best pricing at the time. Their pictures were pretty accurate too. I chose the Pearl of Trawangan due to its beachfront accommodation. Every morning, breakfast was served right on their terrace-restaurant offering stunning views of Lombok and the open sea. The breeze was so relaxing, and I’m getting carried away…anyways.

Family friendly island

This was a family trip. That meant splitting up our time accordingly so that everyone could have their share of fun. Luckily, there were plenty of things to choose from:

Snorkeling in Gili Meno,
Lunch in Gili Air,
Tour the entire island on a bicycle
Paddle boarding
Fishing
Shark swimming
etc., etc., etc.

Also!!! When considering the islands, Gili T is best for families, in my opinion. They say Gili Meno is better for families. I disagree. I believe Gili Meno is more for couples. It’s very secluded and the less developed. If you stay there, make sure you have local currency with you. There’s no ATM and not all places take you plastic card. Gili Air is the smallest of the 3, so we only went there for lunch and to chill out, but there’s not a lot to do there.

Walk the beach

In Gili T. When the tide is low, you and your kiddos can go for sea shell and sea creature’s hunting. We saw lots of urchins, sea stars and mantis shrimps.

Go snorkeling in Gili Meno

Snorkeling is a must when visiting the Gili islands, especially around the waters of Gili Meno. It does get crowded with a bunch of tourists during the high season in June-August, but it still a pleasant snorkeling experience. The guides are pretty friendly, they speak English and will navigate you well around the areas. When booking a snorkeling trip for the day, ask the hotel for assistance. It’ll make the process a cinch.

Can you “sea” the Sea turtle?

Ride a bike

My oldest daughter and I rode the bikes around the entire island. It took us an 1 hour. As you go along, you’ll see the scenery change into more quieter secluded areas, then, all of the sudden you hit the hippie areas, then it goes back to the ritzy areas. Before the hour passes, you arrive to the main street where you see most of the tourists, vendors, local markets, restaurants and people arriving at the harbor to Gili T.

Leaving our location where Pearl of Trawangan is located.

The hippies are here! I can “smell” it. It’s also an area not very well developed…yet.

Nice villas around here by Sunset Point.

Chill at the beach

We took the rest of the time to chill and relax. For once, the air was clean. Only the smell of great food was making our stomachs growl. Speaking of…, go to Scallywags Seafood Bar and Grill. It’s just a couple of steps away from the Pearl of T. You won’t regret it. We ate there every night. Some things are overpriced, but I couldn’t defaulted the place nor the food. Really. Our tummies were happy campers.

AND……our trip came to an end 3 days too soon. I leave you now with another video taken by my eldest daughter from this little island called Gili Trawangan or as the locals call it…Gili T. Hope this short article motivates you to take the leap. Visit Gili T!

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It’s a little island called “Gili T”