Lombok
Island
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Mount
Rinjani |
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Gili
Island |
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Komodo
Island |
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About
Us |
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The Three Small
island in Lombok " Gili Trawangan, Meno, Air " |
The three Gilis Island are
a small-scale backpacker, most popular tourist destination.
The islands are very relaxed and laid-back, with countless
little beachside cafes playing reggae and serving up banana
pancakes, and no cars or motorbikes to disturb the peace. The
beaches are without a doubt better than anywhere on Bali or
Lombok. The flip side of the coin is that as they exist solely
to cater for travelers, they're also rather anonymous (you
might as well be at anywhere) and, aside from snorkeling and
diving, there's little if anything to do. Note that there are
no ATMs on the islands, so bring plenty of cash with you. From
west to east, the islands are:
* Gili Trawangan, or "Gili T" is by far the most developed
with plenty of backpacker options and one swanky resort. There
are no dogs on the island but according to one local, there
are more cats here than people. The local population is around
800. There is no police on the island and all problems are
usually settled by the local "council".
* Gili Meno, the smallest and quietest, low-key with some
simple places to stay.
* Gili Air, closest to the mainland and with the largest local
population.
Strictly speaking, the name "Gili Islands" is rather redundant
as gili simply means "small island" in Sasak, but the name has
stuck and is universally used and understood in Lombok. |
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There are regular shuttle
services from Bangsal on the main island of Lombok, stopping
at all islands. The trip takes about 15 minutes to Air, 30 min
to Meno and 45 min to Trawangan.
Alternatively, the Gilis can be visited on a day trip from
Senggigi, in which case you'll get your own boat and crew to
take you around. The trip across take 1,5 hours each way and
is quite scenic, if a little bumpy when the waves are high.
Available from any travel agent, figure on Rp400,000 for a
tour for two.
Note that the sea is calmest in the morning and all transport
stops running in the afternoon, well before dark.
In a rare display of foresight, all forms of motorized
transport are banned from the islands: your only choice is
horse-drawn carts, known as cidomo, which are used even to
shuttle around diving gear. However, as the islands are only a
few km in diameter, it's entirely possible to just walk
instead. |
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There are no sights as such
on the islands themselves, but the excellent snorkeling and
diving all around is a major draw. Sea turtles are also
common, especially around Turtle Point just north of Gili Meno.
You can rent masks and fins off the beach, or contact any of
the numerous dive shops to arrange snorkeling or diving at
choice spots nearby.
There are regular party nights on Gili Trawangan - the various
bars take it in turn to host the late night gig (up to
4.00am), to ensure that everyone gets together in one place
rather than being spread around. Ask around for where the
party is going on on any given night.
Small but annoying
jellyfish are common in the waters around the Gilis, so
wearing a full-length wetsuit or surf skin in the water is
advisable.
Tap water is not potable. Bottled water is widely available
and some cafes will fill up bottles for a nominal charge,
Mobile phone towers ensure you're never out of touch, and
there are several Internet cafes on Trawangan for feeding your
Internet addiction. Printing is possible in a few internet
café's and you can even hook up your laptop in some. |
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[[
Snorkeling to Gili ][
Diving Adventure ]] |
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For
further Information, please be feeling free to contact
Us |
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