We finally got back to explore more of Lombok, once travel opened up for us kiwi's again in July 2022. Gili Trawangan is well known as the party island, but there are gorgeous quiet beaches and sensational resorts around the north and west sides of the island. Gili Meno is quiet and peaceful, with fewer resorts but great snorkelling directly off the beaches. We chose Gili Air as we were travelling with extended family and thought it would have enough chill for some and enough activity for others. None of the Gili's have roads and vehicles. Most people travel by pushbike or on foot. It takes about 30 minutes to circumnavigate Gili Air by bike or 2 hours to walk. There are horse drawn carriages which work as taxi's on the Gili's sandy paths. We try to avoid these as it's hard to know how well the horses are treated. On Gili Air, they seem to have more rests and water breaks than the busier Gili T. It costs 150,000 IDR to travel most places by horse ($NZ 17, $US10). I love exploring all the options to chose the right location and was very happy with my research to put us on the west side of Gili Air, which has not only the most beautiful beaches but also the incredible sunsets which were certainly a highlight for us. The best snorkeling on Gili Air is the north end of the east coast. There were some ok resorts near the top, but the east coast in general, I found unappealing. There was a dirt track and cheaper accommodation options. The northwest beaches are very relaxed, the occasional lumbung style resort, a few scattered beachfront restaurants and sand trails between them. It has a back packer vibe, but would be too quiet for many. The south west coastline for most people would be the obvious choice. It has lovely clean, sandy beaches and a decent amount of restaurants and bars. It is also much closer to the township and the ferry terminal. We chose to stay mid way up the west coast at Vyaana Resort which was perfect for our needs and, in my opinion, one of the best places to stay on the island. Vyaana Resort had 8 lumbungs of which we occupied 4. Each Lumbung came with 2 bicycles to explore Gili Air. The breakfast was served on the beach. From Vyaana you could access restaurants further north or south within 5 minutes walk, but the restaurant next door (The Island View Resort) was fabulous and we rarely felt the need to eat elsewhere. The most obvious activity is snorkeling, which you can do from the north east beaches yourself, but most will take a snorkeling trip to Gili Meno. The snorkeling is world class. You can snorkel amongst man made statues set in the ocean floor, and follow giant turtles feeding off the East coast of Gili T. The coral was stunning and varied and at times felt like an alien planet landscape. You can keep active attending cooking schools and yoga studios, as well as day trips to the mainland of Lombok, but most people go to Gili Air to relax and do as little as possible aside from enjoying the Indonesian cuisine, reading books and prioritising sunset cocktails on the beach. |
finding freedom with four backpacks
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