Welcome to your complete guide to Gili Air! The Gili Islands (Gili Trawangan, Gili Air and Gili Meno) are three tiny tropical islands just off the coast of Lombok in Indonesia. The Gili Islands have a reputation for being a tropical island destination, without the hefty price tag. They are super popular amongst young party animals (Gili T), honeymooners (Gili Meno), solo travellers and families (Gili Air).
These islands are truly tiny (Gili means small)! You can see all three of them easily from each island, it looks like you could literally swim to each island (but please don’t, I’m told the currents are strong!!).
There is something for everyone on at least one of the Gili Islands. Each island has something different to offer and is suited to different types of travellers depending on your taste and travel style.
In this post, we are going to be going over the island of Gili Air in great detail. By the end of this post, hopefully, you know everything you need to know about Gili Air so you can decide whether it is the Gili Island for you.
The Gili Islands are home to all of the things we love about the tropics, warm crystal clear water, tropical fish, tons of sea turtles, white sand, mind-blowing sunsets, a laid-back local lifestyle and of course cats, lots of cats (fun fact, there are no dogs on the island, just cats!!). There are also no motorised forms of transport, not even scooters. The only way to get around is by walking, cycling or a horse-drawn carriage. This is the same for all three Gili Islands.
In this guide to Gili Air, I am sharing everything I know about Gili Air after spending four glorious days on the island in October 2022. After reading this post, you should have a crystal clear idea of whether this beautiful tropical island is a destination for you!
Guide to Gili Air
Gili Air is a beautiful relaxed island, nearest to the coast of Lombok’s mainland. Gili Air has a reputation for being more laid back, with hippy yoga vibes, yet still has a buzzing scene (without the all-night raves!). It is a beautiful mix of Gili T (party vibes) and Gili Meno (very quiet).
I really struggled to decide (I’m a Libra, it’s not my fault) which island to visit because I wanted to be around people and have fun (I went for my birthday, solo) but I also wasn’t too keen on having a string of benders or feeling like an old lady – which is why I opted to go to Gili Air and stay in a hostel instead of an Airbnb or private villa. I am also obsessed with yoga and so wanted to go somewhere that I had a place I could take classes and just be amongst a conscious crowd. Gili Air sounded like it would be the right balance of everything I was looking for on a tropical island – and it certainly didn’t disappoint (apart from the toilet and rubble on the beach – more about that later!).
Gili Air has a wide range of options for activities, accommodation and dining across the whole island, meaning this is a great place to come and experience the Gili Island life if your days of partying extremely hard are behind you (me). Gili Air is also the island with the largest population of permanent residents, giving the island a more authentic feel. Here you can see how the locals live!
When this post was written (October 2022) there were many yoga studios, accommodations and restaurants on Gili Air that were starting to reopen after the pandemic. Always double-check before you go that a place mentioned is actually open. All places mentioned in this post are currently listed as open.
Guide to Gili Air: Things to do on Gili Air
Yoga
Gili Air is becoming well-known for yoga and yoga retreats. While Covid certainly paused the momentum, the daily yoga classes are starting to come back! Whether you are an advanced yogi or a beginner there will be a class for you.
There is nothing quite like starting your day with a beautiful yoga class followed by a healthy brunch and a sea swim on a tropical island. This is honestly how I want to live every day of my life!
At the moment, daily classes are being held at Flower and Fire Yoga Garden. They also facilitate yoga retreats, check their website for any retreats coming up. This is the only place I went for yoga when I stayed and it didn’t disappoint. The place itself is beautiful with cute bungalows, a nice pool and a cafe to have a healthy vegetarian meal. Their yoga shala is a gorgeous rooftop space. They offer vinyasa and restorative styles and have other workshops as well like breathwork. It’s the type of place you go to connect with like-minded people too which they really encourage. High recommend a visit, even if it’s just for brunch!
Mandala Blue, located at Blue Marine Dive, has also just started up its drop-in yoga class schedule. Start your day here with a class right on the beachfront! In November 2022, regular classes at H20 will start again.
Hang out at the beach
When you’re on a tropical island, there’s honestly not much else to do other than go to the beach. This for me is a daily MUST! My blog isn’t named Chasing Coconuts for nothing – I am deadly serious about beautiful tropical beaches, pristine sand, and sparkling clear water. YES PLEASE!
Therefore, the most exciting thing to me about going to the Gilis was hanging out on a tropical beach and eat, sleep, swim and repeat. To be completely honest, the beaches on Gili Air were a bit of a major letdown. The coastline was littered with abandoned resorts, empty swimming pools, beach shacks in ruins, actual concrete rubble and even toilets – YES TOILETS. This is clearly the effects of the pandemic that heavily impacted the island. So it’s equally heartbreaking and disappointing.
Inside of me, I wanted to cry a little as I walked the circumference of the island looking for *the spot*. I honestly didn’t really find the perfect spot. Maybe my standards are too high, but I just want you to be aware of the actual state of the beaches here so you don’t feel the same sadness I did at my expectations not being met.
Things to know about the beaches on Gili Air:
- From the port at the south all the way up the east coastline there is NO BEACH. It’s just restaurants, concrete and steps that go directly into the water – yes you technically could swim and snorkel (there are lots of turtles), but it’s not enticing to me at all.
- There are some nice spots of beach with beach bars and restaurants) in between the ruins to hang out and swim and snorkel in some sparkling water. When I was there this was the only beach I hung out at because it was close to where I was staying and it wasn’t windy AF. I chose to chill at Legend Bar. The sand on the north side isn’t pristine and white like you’d expect – it’s mixed in with black sand.
- The west side of the island is much more deserted with some beautiful spots to perch without having to go to a beach bar. The sand is also beautiful and white here. Towards the southwestern side, there are heaps of beachfront bean bags and restaurants for sunset. I didn’t even bother hanging out here for the beach however because when I was there it was VERY windy and also the sea around the beach was barely ankle deep. Even when the tide is high it’s still so shallow.
- The entire island is surrounded by a reef so the water all the way up to the sand is really shallow it doesn’t get deeper than your knees or hips for a long way, even when the tide is high. This creates beautful blue pools of water to take a little dip in. But unless you go on a boat ride or trek out deeper you can’t really dive around and splash in the water. This was a bit of a letdown but also not unexpected given the nature of the landscape.
This definitely wasn’t a dealbreaker for the island it was still beautiful and amazing. Don’t let it put you off either, as you will be able to find an awesome spot to hang out. These islands need our support to recover from the years of being closed so they can bring all the deserted businesses back to life so that hopefully the coastline is back to its dazzling self very soon!
Snorkelling
You simply cannot go to Gili Air without snorkelling! There are some amazing reefs around Gili Air. The best spots are just off the east coast of the island. The east coast is a beautiful place to spot sea turtles before sunbathing on the beach with beautiful views over Lombok’s coastline.
This is one of the only proper activities that I did during my stay! I decided to go on the snorkelling tour organising by the hostel I was staying at, The Tipsea Turtle. It was a 5-hour trip that went to the top snorkelling spots on Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili T. I saw some really epic coral gardens, lots of beautiful fish, got up close to at least 3 turtles and I got to see those famous underwater statues. We also stopped for lunch at the most idyllic beachfront warung on Gili Meno. It was a bit shitty and the toilets were BAD but it was literally a shack on a white sand tropical beach. Now that’s heavenly. All of this only cost $16 NZD!! I couldn’t believe it.
There are heaps of snorkelling tours on Gili Air that go to the same spots that you can easily organise with your accommodation or random locals at the port when you arrive.
Diving
Diving is one of the biggest draw cards for many to Gili Air. There are heaps of diving schools and centres on the island with many awesome dive spots nearby. This is also one of the most affordable places in the world to go diving and to get your PADI license.
I’ve never been diving before and I didn’t end up going while I stayed there, but I kinda wish I did! I talked to so many people there who were there for diving and they would go multiple times a day and see awesome marine life. They convinced me that diving on Gili Air is awesome and probably one of the best things to do while you’re there!
Explore the island on foot or bicycle
As I mentioned above Gili Air has no motorised vehicles on it. Therefore the main form of transportation is walking and cycling. One of the best ways to explore all corners of the island is to bike or walk around. Gili Air can be explored by bike in as little as 30 minutes.
If you prefer to explore on foot, like me, it will take around 2 hours to walk around the entire island. I decided I couldn’t really be bothered dealing with a bike, especially on sandy walkways so I just walked everywhere. It was a great way to get in exercise and explore all the little corners of the island around the coast and inland. This was also by far the best way to scope out the parts of the island with the best beaches!
Stop off for swims to cool down and refresh yourself with a cold coconut on your way. Or go inland and experience the way the locals live. On the inland of the island expect roaming cows, chickens, cats and local warungs. Gili Air is a Muslim island so it is best to cover your shoulders and knees when away from the beach to respect the local culture.
Make watching the sunrise and sunset your daily ritual
When you are living the island life, taking the time to watch the sunrise and sunset is one of the most magical and memorable experiences you can have. The Gili Islands have some of the most beautiful and colourful sunsets and sunrises on offer.
Along the east coast, wake up and start the day with a sunrise swim before going to a yoga class or breakfast. There are many accommodation options on the east coast, so you will likely already be staying there! The west coast has an abundance of amazing restaurants and beach bars to enjoy the sunset with a cocktail or Bintang! There are plenty of iconic swings in the sea on the west coast to get the perfect snap for Instagram.
Lucky’s Bar and Mowies Gili Air are two sunset beach bars & restaurants that are perfect for watching the sun go down. All along this stretch of beach, there are beautiful outdoor setups with beanbags to enjoy the sunset. I just walked along the beach until I found a bean bag I liked the look of and ordered a glorious pineapple juice. You will not be disappointed! I highly recommend going to Mama Pizza after sunset for a legit amazing pizza.
Pamper Yourself
When relaxing on a tropical island, why not take it further by pampering yourself while you are there? Indonesia is well known as one of the best places to go for a massage a day, due to the affordable prices of massages on offer!
Several spas offer a variety of treatments on the island including massage, reflexology, flower baths, body scrubs, facials and so on. Recommended spas include Slow Spa, Zone Spa and Coco Breeze Spa. Plus many more are spas available on the island which you will stumble upon when you are there!
I happened to be on Gili Air for my birthday so I decided to splash out on a luxurious and expensive 90-minute package deal at Slow Spa. It was honestly so amazing. The place is gorgeous and beautifully presented and the treatment itself was very high quality. I was super happy to hand over 500k IDR ($54NZD which is dirt cheap by NZ standard by EXPENSIVE by Indo standards), however, when I went to pay the owner refused to take my payment.
He gave me the whole thing for free, no not because he found out it was my birthday, but because there was construction noise happening during my massage (which I barely noticed). I just loved the synchronicity of it being my birthday and also how he was so particular about holding up a certain standard he would take no money from me. This place is quality and I highly recommend it!
Stand Up Paddle Boarding
On a calm day, Gili Air is a wonderful place to try SUPing. Make your way around the island and take in all of its splendour. I didn’t try this because watersports aren’t for me, but if you love a bit of adventure, this would be awesome.
Cooking Classes
Gili Air is a great place to take a cooking class and learn how to prepare some Indonesian dishes. This is the perfect activity on a cloudy or rainy day, which were quite plentiful in October 2022. Cooking classes are located at the harbour and are offered multiple times per day.
Movies On The Beach
For a more relaxing evening, watch a movie on the beach. There are two venues on Gili Air every night from 8 pm offering movie screenings on the beach. Ombok Paradise on the southwest coast and Bel Air on the east coast offer moves on the beach.
Go Island Hopping
One of the best things about the Gili Islands is that even if you choose to stay in one place, you can still see all the Gili Islands by island hopping. Gili T and Gili Meno are each a short boat ride from Gili Air. There are public boats that run twice a day between all three islands, leaving in the morning and returning in the afternoon. Half a day is plenty of time to explore Gili T and Gili Meno. Purchase your ticket from the ticket office by the jetty.
Nightlife
The nightlife on Gili Air is buzzing but not crazy! There are many places that play live music on certain nights of the week and the popular restaurants, especially on the west side are really busy. The party night on the island is Wednesday nights and on this night there is a party that goes really late at Legend Bar – with a DJ and all.
Gili Air also has quite a cool Rasta vibe which I really liked! Gave me warm fuzzies as it reminded me of some of the places in India where I spent a lot of time. There was a Reggae bar called Sama Sama which played live music – I didn’t end up going there but walked past it a bunch of times and it looked like an awesome vibe.
If you’re a female solo traveller, Gili Air feels really safe. I’d suggest just going out at night with people from your hostel if you’re staying at one to have a better time. When I went for a walk at night along the eastern coast I did have a lot of local men talking and flirting with me which made me a bit uncomfortable, they never made me feel unsafe though.
Do you want to go to the moon?
You may have heard that on Gili T, anything goes when it comes to partying. The island is well known for having magic mushrooms readily available. It’s the same story on Gili Air. You’ll see references to it everywhere, from humorous signs, to psychedelic wall art to a pool that is actually shaped like a mushroom.
So if it’s your thing, you can definitely easily have a fun time on mushrooms on Gili Air. They sell them fresh and can make them into a shake for you. Since they’re fresh you need to have quite a lot to receive a full trip experience. On a foreign island it may be nicer to just have a light buzz anyway as you watch the sun go down.
If you want to find some, the best place to go is Pelangi Beach (where Legend Bar is). There are a few beach bars that even have signs saying you can buy mushrooms there. You can’t miss it! Before going though I would ask around to see what the going rate is so you can barter appropriately!
Guide to Gili Air: Where to eat
There are many incredible eateries on Gili Air to keep you happy and satisfied. There is plenty of local food as well as Western food and options for vegans and vegetarians. Here are my recommendations for this guide to Gili Air:
- Barefoot Blondie (healthy & vegan cafe by the port – also do great cocktails on a Wednesday night)
- Pituq (EXCEPTIONAL vegan food with a mission for sustainability)
- Mama Pizza (sunset authentic pizza vibes, yes please!)
- Legend Bar (for great beachfront vibes by a beautiful part of the beach -eat, drink, swim, repeat)
- Mowies (sunset restaurant)
- Warung Sunny for local food
Guide to Gili Air: Where to stay
There are plenty of accommodation options on Gili Air for every budget and every taste. You’ll find bungalows, luxury villas, beachfront resorts as well as affordable homesteads and hostels.
The western side of the island has more luxury villas and resorts. This side of the island is quieter so perfect for a romantic getaway with an emphasis on beautiful sunsets. North Gili is also quiet with great snorkelling.
South and East Gili Air are more bustling. Accommodation here is closer to the port and is full of options for accommodation and restaurants and cafes. This is the place to stay if you want to be in the action. In this guide to Gili Air, I will share with you about the place I stayed.
The Tipsea Turtle Hostel & Bungalows
I opted to stay in a private Bungalow Room at Tipsea Turtle and it was a really good decision. I wanted to stay somewhere that I could meet people but also wanted to stay in a nice room. Tipsea Turtle had what I was looking for exactly. They have brand new bungalow rooms which are stylish and spacious with all the luxuries of a hotel. They also have an awesome hostel with dorms and plenty of cool people to meet and hang out with at the bar and by the pool.
They organise little sunset missions each night, have a long happy hour and take everyone pub crawls on the party night (Wednesday!), and do pub quizzes. They also make waffles and coffee for breakfast. They get bonus points for being very accommodating to my vegan diet! They especially brought in extra fruit to cut up for me each morning. That is the way to my heart! I definitely can recommend staying here if you want to be social and meet people but also want some niceties. The location is great too!
If you are booking in advance, we recommend always reading the latest reviews for an up-to-date picture of the quality of the accommodation. Many places have been neglected and not well maintained over the pandemic, so read new reviews to avoid disappointment. Agoda is a great place to find deals on accommodation!
Getting to your accommodation
For my animal lovers out there, it’s important to know that the only way to get to your accommodation with all your luggage is by foot or with a horse-drawn carriage. I really wasn’t keen on spending $16 to support animal cruelty (it would have cost 150k IDR to get a ride to my hostel!), so I toughed it out and walked. This is a heads-up so you can prepare yourself for a long walk and take the appropriate luggage with you (maybe even leave a bag on mainland Bali if you can?) if you aren’t comfortable with the horse-drawn carriage.
Guide to Gili Air: Who is Gili Air for
- Couples
- Yoga lovers
- Solo travellers who love their own space and relaxed vibes
- Group of friends who aren’t into partying
- Beach bums and turtle lovers
- Chilled people who want to relax
Guide to Gili Air: How long to stay
You could see and do everything on Gili Air in 2 days. However, if you love the beach and don’t mind repeating your days then 4 days or even more is perfect. If you aren’t limited on time, stay until you’re ready to leave (it could be a while!).
Guide to Gili Air: How to get to Gili Air
There are no airports on any of the Gili Islands so the only way to reach there is by boat. Luckily there are plenty of ferries that travel to Gili T and Gili Air every day from Bali and Lombok. Each ferry that goes to the Gili Islands will usually make a stop at each one. You can get to Gili Air by boat from Bali or Lombok or from one of the other Gili Islands.
From Bali
Bali is the most common place people travel from to reach Gili Air. There are many direct fast boats from Bali’s PadangBai which will take 1.5 – 3 hours. There are also other ferry services from Sanur and Serangan further south. For detailed options and routes check here! There are many third parties selling ferry tickets. You can also book directly with the boat companies. Shop around and look for the best price. Many fast boat providers such as GiliGili Fast Boat, Ekajaya and BlueWater Express offer transfers to the port from all of the popular Bali spots either for free or for a fee.
You can also take a slow public ferry from Padang Bai, but this isn’t recommended as it will take all day (goes via Lombok) and won’t be the most comfortable journey. Use it as a last resort!
Another option is to fly to Lombok and get a ferry from Bangsal Port, around 2 hours from the airport.
How I got to and from Gili Air
I opted to go for GiliGili because they had decent reviews on TripAdvisor (the horror stories from the cheap ferries were enough to truly put me off cheaping out). They also offered a really well-priced shuttle service from Ubud to the port. Other companies will charge you loads for a private driver and it made the price of the ticket just as much or if not more than the expensive reputable companies.
I was very happy with this option, everything went smoothly. They had great communication on email and WhatsApp. The Shuttle dirver picked me up on time, and the boat left on time, was safe and comfortable. Can’t fault them. The same thing happened on the way back. I got a shuttle to Sanur which was actually free! All up I paid around $45 USD each way plus $8 USD for my shuttle from Ubud to Padang Bai. This may sound expensive compared to what other companies offer but it was worth it for me. I booked directly through their website because they were offering 30% off at the time. But there are also tickets available from a third-party agency. I would check both and pick the one with the best price (DUH).
From Lombok
If you are already in Lombok this is where you will go (Bangsal Port) to get the ferry to the Gili Air. Gili Air is the closes island to Lombok and so the journey is nice and short. There are frequent fast boats from Lombok to Gili Air.
There is also a public ferry that runs daily from Bangsal Port to Gili T, which is a better budget option than from Bali as the journey is shorter. This boat ride can be overcrowded and fully booked in peak season
From Nusa Lembongan
The last way to get to the Gili Islands is from Nusa Lembongan. If you are spending time on the Nusa Islands and want to head to the Gili Islands, this is a great option to save you from going back to Bali’s mainland. There are a few ferry operators running this route with options every day.
These ferry rides come with a warning!
It’s important to note that these ferry rides to the Gili Islands, particularly from Bali have a bit of a bad wrap, especially in bad weather and the busy season. Some companies are known to overbook the boat which means it can be very crowded and uncomfortable and also very delayed at times. It also means you may not even be able to catch the ferry at all. Many of the fast boat companies that are guilty of this are the ones with the bigger boats and lower prices. This is one of the reasons why I went with GiliGili Fast Boat.
However, in bad weather the bigger boats are more stable, feel safer and you will be less likely to get seasick. Whereas in the smaller fast boats, their service is generally much better and runs on time, however, if the water is choppy it may be unpleasant. If you’re prone to seasickness make sure you take some seasickness tablets with you.
Guide to Gili Air: When to go to Gili Air
There are 2 peak seasons on Gili Air. The first is May-September during the dry season. The second is December and January due to Christmas and New Year. Note that the December and January peak season is also the wet season. If you plan to go during these times, book ferries and accommodation in advance.
The low season coincides with the wet season and runs from October to November and then again from February until April. During this time everything remains open, there are fewer crowds and great deals. It will usually rain at some point each day but you should also have some fine weather and warm temperatures to enjoy. The ferry is also unlikely to be overcrowded.
Visiting during the shoulder months of the wet and dry seasons (September/October & April May) are great times to take advantage of the best of both worlds. Fewer crowds, better prices and less rain!
I went in October and it felt pretty quiet in terms of the number of people filling up the restaurants. But it was still alive and buzzing, especially since my hostel came with a crew of people to hang with. The weather was pretty rainy and windy on the western side of the island but there were a couple of beautiful days and each day had at least one burst of sunshine. In 2022 wet season arrived early and I’m guessing that’s a trend that will continue!
Pin this Guide to Gili Air to save it for later!
