Three small islands off Lombok, Indonesia
Photo: (WT-en) Jpatokal at English Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Gili Trawangan (Terawangan, or Gili T) is the largest and most visited of the three Gili Islands off Lombok. It has evolved from a backpackers' haven to a more developed tourist island with a thriving dive industry. Despite these developments, Gili T has retained its small scale charm and has no high rises and remains free of motorized traffic.
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Uber Scuba
SSI diving courses up to instructor level. Behind the dive centre there are 5 renovated bungalows and the new Aqua hostel. Aquaddiction specialise in teaching small groups of people Scuba Diving. Professional training is available and many new Divemasters have begun their career through the Aquaddiction Divemaster Trainee (DMT) program. They also offer courses for more advanced divers in Deep diving (40 m), Nitrox and Sidemount.
PADI 5 star dive centre that accommodates small groups of divers, introduction dives and PADI courses. 3 dives per day from their boat, you can choose to dive 1, 2 or 3 times per day.
This operation has quickly built a stellar reputation for professionalism and being extremely friendly. British owned and run with native English and French speakers as instructors. Large purpose built dive pool and good quality bungalows behind the diveshop. A full range of PADI and SSI courses plus daily fun dives.
As it is German-owned and -run, this is the preferred choice of most German visitors to the island. A PADI centre with the same courses and services as all the others.
PADI Dive centre at Senggigi and on Gili Trawangan, French-owned.
English/Swedish management with an experienced and professional team of multi lingual instructors and divemasters. PADI and SSI courses up to professional level. New dive equipment. Gili Hotel and The Deck are associated with this diveshop. Also arrange snorkel and dive liveaboard trips to Komodo.
One of the longest established dive operators with international staff. The only 5-star SSI Diamond Instructor Training Facility in the region. All PADI and SSI courses are provided in main European languages, including introduction dives and Scuba Ranger courses for children. Daily dive trips around all 3 Gili Islands and frequent muck-dive trips to neighbouring Lombok. The dive school has direct access to the beach and boat. 8 traditional and 3 modern bungalows, café serving breakfast and lunch, free WiFi and freshwater swimming pool. A rustic beach bar serves sandwiches, salads and breakfasts. Also has a shop on Gili Air.
The oldest dive shop on Gili Trawangan. PADI and TDI licensed with professional instructors and well maintained gear. Has its own large pool and a fully equipped dive shop. Also a full technical dive centre with Closed-Circuit Rebreather training and Tri-Mix. Behind the centre there are eight bungalows and three newly renovated rooms. In front an open air cafe which is often busy. On Monday nights Blue Marlin hosts a very loud party up on the second level above the dive shop.
New gear, good boats and a saltwater pool for training. They also have 6 well appointed bungalows (US$55/60 single/double) with A/C, flat-panel TV/DVD and hot and cold showers.
Subwing is a water toy which allows you to swim like a dolphin or to fly underwater along the reef.
This is the Gili islands only party boat, it operates M, W and F and more often in high season. Starts at 15:00 and goes around the 3 Gili islands. They stop off at Gili Air for a swim and snorkel before watching the sunset over the water toward Bali. Dinner is served onboard on the way back to Gili Trawangan where the party continues onboard. They also offer budget overnight boat trips, one is 3 nights island hopping to Sekotong and another is 5 nights to Moyo and Satonda where they camp on the beaches, snorkel reefs, dive World War II wrecks, visit waterfalls and volcanic lakes.
Offers yoga and meditation all day for all levels in a peaceful surrounding. Daily stand up paddle yoga at 08:30 and sunset beach yoga at 16:30. Also has a vegetarian and vegan restaurant, which serves big fresh juices with no sugar added. Available food offerings include smoothie bowls, colourful salads, big veggie burger and vegan bean chili. Big portions.
A small stable of horses available for riding around the island. Book more than a day ahead for a sunset ride.
A decent budget place to eat serving the usual Indonesian staples for about Rp 15,000.
Tiny warung that serves up decent local fare at prices as cheap as any on the island.
A small restaurant serving Asian fusion meals. Taste the broccoli beef chestnut special or the tasty chicken salad. Also check out some of the other new eateries along the same street; The chicken rotisserie is not to be missed!
In the evening the main market pops up in an open square. Full of carts selling cheap food. There is a cart selling dessert pancakes, these pancakes are not like anything you've ever had as breakfast and are delicious.
Probably the best fish grill on any of the three islands. They get a bit creative with the marinades, but the fish is otherwise prepared in the traditional open wood grill manner.
Tapas is the go here and it is nicely prepared. A very nice location with beachside berugas.
Swedish-style meatballs, pasta with a pesto sauce. Nice location with a fantastic view toward Mount Rinjani. You can chill on a bean bag on the beach or go upstairs. Free WiFi. If you stay in Gili Hotel, The Deck will serve you a nice breakfast in the morning.
Wide range of good local and international cuisine. Locally sourced produce and well trained staff.
Breakfasts and a selection of baguettes filled with a variety of meats, cheeses, seasonings, salads and sauces.
Delicious vegan food with a health focus. Western/local management. Involved in charity work for poor people of Lombok. Borrow a book and read or chat with the big crowd of expats usually found here.
It is definitely not as good as it used to be, but still one of the better eateries on the island. Seafood buffet is excellent, if not exactly cheap. Also has a range of accommodation from tree houses up to a 4 bedroom luxury villa.
Fine wine and cuisine seated in the restaurant or in the open air on the beach. Fresh local seafood and imported prime Australian meats. Great imported wine list and live music.
Fine French cuisine on the serene northern shore of Gili Trawangan. Not just some of the best food to be had on the island, but also a great place to hag out during the day if you want to escape the more bustling Gili T centre.
Can be reachable by bikes or cidomo (horsecart) and also by walk. Wide range food and drinks options.
The only Irish bar on the islands, and also the busiest. Great atmosphere, big screen sports and the location of the famed original Manta Dive 'snorkel test' - Always a fun activity for both participants and onlookers.
A beach bar operated outside of Manta Dive. Serving cool beers and cocktails in an intimate beachside setting.
Probably the only place in the Gilis that wouldn't look out of place in Seminyak, this stylish outdoor bar offers fancy drinks, funky furniture and DJs spinning the night away. Also has rooms for rent.
Live reggae music every night. Despite feeling like it is stuck in a timewarp, this place really pumps and can be a lot of fun.
Rudy's Friday night bashes get very messy indeed. On non-party nights, still often gets a crowd.
This is a great value place if you do not mind being a little away from the action. Very quiet spot overlooking a nice stretch of beach.
This homestay is super clean and quiet (except when the prayer at the mosque is going on). The family that runs the 4 rooms is very kind and helpful. A great budget place to stay with simple, sparkling rooms and relaxing porches. Great banana pancakes for breakfast.
Run by some great local guys, this is a clean, friendly and cheap place to stay just a few minutes from the centre. Delicious breakfast served whenever you are ready to wake up and free tea and coffee all day.
Probably the cheapest accommodation on Gili Trawangan. Located at the best snorkelling beach. Simple but OK budget rooms as well as more stylish ones for about double the price. The family is very hospitable and there is also a cheap warung.
Small place which is clean and well run. A decent budget option.
Oda's has only two bungalows, so neighbours won't be bothering you a lot. Nice staff, price includes breakfast. No fresh or hot water available. You can rent snorkelling gear for Rp 25,000, and this is really close to the best place to start snorkelling.
Super clean fan-cooled room with western bathroom. A great safe and friendly place all in a gated garden and in a central location. A favourite choice of budget visitors and they get a lot of repeat customers.
Six clean little rooms all in a line with a pleasing garden. Rooms are fan-cooled and without hot water.
This is another popular budget haunt. The rooms are well appointed with A/C and your very own DVD player.
Owned by Marta and his English wife Jo. Traditional 1-2 bedroom bungalows with a pool.
A-frame thatched bungalows. A bit off the path so the only noise you hear is the mosque and the chickens. All the rooms are fan-cooled and breakfast is included in the price.
8 bungalows with a shared pool in a secluded location on the north coast. Rooms are decorated in an elaborate Balinese style.
Little bungalow resort on the northern coast. Rooms have A/C, hot & cold freshwater, TV & mini bar. Has perhaps the best Italian restaurant on Trawangan.
Only 5 bungalows available. A/C, TV, minibar, babysitting, massage, 24-hr security service, very friendly staff and Angelo (the Italian owner) and Lulu (his little monkey) are two sweeties.
Opened in 2010, simple modern little bungalow resort on the north side. Smallish pool and a kiddie pool. Rooms have A/C, cold freshwater, TV and DVD player, safe.
Features a restaurant, tour desk and an outdoor pool with a sun deck. It houses bright and spacious rooms with rustic wood furnishings. Massages can be enjoyed at the resort's spa facilities and snorkelling trips can be arranged on site.
Locally owned and operated. Rates can be negotiated down to around Rp 450,000-550,000 depending on the time of year. Rooms have A/C, hot water and flat screen cable TV.
13 standard rooms and 1 family room. All with private toilet and fresh water shower, A/C, fan, flat screen TVs with DVD player, DVD selection, super comfortable beds safe and WiFi. Breakfast is included and will be served in The Deck resto on top of Gili Divers or on the beach.
Has a 25-m swimming pool. All rooms are set in their garden and face inward to the yoga hall.
The first of this type of accommodation on the island, based on traditional rice barns with high roofs and generous balconies.
Comfortable rooms with A/C, fresh water, semi-open western bathrooms. Also has a seafood & wood oven pizza restaurant right on the beach.
Palmeto village is a nature-friendly boutique resort comprising 10 vintage gladak houses, each with their own furnished verandah. They are 100-year-old teak wood traditional houses restored in a fresh colonial style.
Bollywood-style resort with flamboyant rooms and bungalows, hot water, TV and DVD players in the bungalows, but not the standard rooms. Private balconies, A/C and safe. Owners are Indian British who were travelling and fell in love with the island and stay. Has a good Indian restaurant attached.
Just 4 rooms at this cute little guest house, each for triple occupancy with a double bed and a single. Has a small pool and a barbecue area for guests to use. The cheaper rooms are fan-cooled, and you pay more for the options with A/C.
10 rooms with private gardens and outdoor shower, flat screen TVs with satellite service, mini bar, and ethernet in all rooms. Also has one of the better restaurants on the island.
10 standard rooms, 10 deluxe rooms and 1 family villa. All rooms come with private toilets, fresh water, A/C, WiFi access and safety deposit boxes. The deluxe Rooms have additional flatscreen satelliteTV, Balinese indoor/outdoor bathrooms and a private garden to the front. Breakfast is included in the price and is served on the beach overlooking the Lombok Straits. The complex includes the Irish Bar with indoor and outdoor seating, nightly DJs, it has a wide selection of drinks on the menu and shows sporting events in the inside bar. Their party night is every Wednesday from 22:00-04:00. 2 restaurants, a Ryoshi Sushi Restaurant and the Tir Na nOg have pizzas, gourmet burgers, the fresh fish/kebab BBQ, pastas, salads, noodles and Japanese specialities at Ryoshi.
Newly built, traditional design, family run villas near the main beach offering privacy and 4-star standard accommodation. Has a fresh water pool and fresh water showers in each bathroom.
Beachfront resort with wooden Javanese joglo-style bungalows arranged around a large communal pool. Located just about as far away from the action as you can get and still be on Trawangan. A great choice for those seeking some solitude. Quite deliberately has no A/C and no TVs.
Features 8 teak wood cottages set amidst gardens, a restaurant, beach bar and private freshwater pool, all overlooking a white sand beach that boasts spectacular sunset views toward Mt. Agung (Bali) on the horizon.
A resort of 4 villas, each with private pool, combining privacy with the services of a hotel.
Probably the nicest luxury villas on the islands. You do pay up for it though. One-, two-, three- and four-bedroom villas available, all with their own private pool.
Italian-owned and -managed 4-star hotel has 16 large rooms, which are arranged nicely around a central pool. The rooms are well appointed with quality furniture. Facilities include a spa & jacuzzi, gym and Italian restaurant. In a quiet, rural setting.
Claims to be the first international standard hotel on Gili Trawangan. Features the traditional building style of Lombok. Has a fully fledged dive school attached.
Boutique hotel with a private beach. Standard rooms, villa and family rooms available. The hotel touts its "nice rooms", "beautiful garden", and swimming pool facing the beach.
Kuno Villas
Sixteen villas and rooms, with the main buildings made from Javanese houses more than 120 years old, dismantled and rebuilt by The Old Tree Company. Six poolside rooms share a central freshwater pool. Ten villas, from one to three bedrooms, have a private freshwater pool. The four multi-bedroom villas sleep 4 to 7 guests and have full kitchens. The on-site kitchen serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Vegetable garden, chickens, composting and no plastic water bottles.
From Lombok
BlueWater Express departs daily from Teluk Kode at 11:30, arriving in Gili Trawangan in around 15-20 minutes. From June-October, there is a second departure time at 14:30.
From Gili Air and Gili Meno
To move from one island to another the formal procedure is to take the public boat (ferry) to Bangsal and then a further similar ferry to the required island departing from Bangsal.
From Bali
For more detailed information on fast boat companies, routes and travel advice see Gili islands main page.
Bicycles are available for rent and the main tracks are good enough for riding. Expect to pay between Rp 30,000 to Rp 50,000 per day, often the cheapest places to rent are inland from the waterfront.
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