Gili Air is one of the three Gili Islands just off the coast of Lombok. The tiny island is surrounded by white sand, turquoise water, sea turtles, and nemos at your fingertips, the island has incredible peace and quiet, chilled beach bars, and breathtaking sunsets. Gili Air is also a great location to add to your holiday list.
With the intense calm of the islands with beautiful scenery all around, this sand island has no motor vehicles to dull the senses. The local transport is a bike, electric bikes or horse taxis. In general, it is not recommended to take a horse taxi since it is commonly known they are not treated well and a backpack can really become pretty heavy, but the way the horses are kept there is far from decent.
A few years ago the Gilis were a real secret tip, now more and more backpackers come to this little paradise which nowadays draws backpackers and other tourists alike. We quickly discovered there is much more to do here than lazing around in a beach hammock drinking fresh coconuts. So if topping up your tan doesn’t suit you, there are plenty of other things to do in Gili Air.
Go Explore The Underwater!
Gili Air is home to countless fish. Once you put your goggles underwater, you will discover an entirely new world. If diving isn’t for you, no worries! Snorkeling is also very popular, and one of the wonderful things to do in Gili Air. But there are some good schools on Gili Air that will teach you diving and bring you to the best places for doing so once you have gained a little experience. Sea turtles, sepias, colorful corals, and beautiful fish await you!
Explore The island
One of the best things to do in Gili Air is to rent a bike and explore the island. Actually, it will only take about two hours to walk around the entire island and enjoy its full beauty. If you want to know the real Gili Air and how locals live, walk inland where you will be rewarded with fields of palm trees, free-roaming cows, chickens, and cats. Gili Air is a cat island and no dogs are allowed. If you are too lazy to walk on some days and know that you might be going back and forth between your accommodation and the beach and maybe want to go to a restaurant in the evening, then rent a bike.
Enjoy The Beach
The best sunsets are on the west side of Gili Air. During a cloudless day, you could even have Mount Agung from Bali in the backdrop. Be it cozied up in a bean bag, feet in the sand grab a drink or a fresh coconut and enjoy the atmosphere when the ocean retreats sun disappears behind the volcano of Bali. Don’t forget to have a swing at one of the many swings around the Gili air.
They are owned by the beach clubs but don’t worry, it is free to swing. During sunset, the swings become even more magical! Enjoying the sunset on the beach completes your Gili Air sightseeing experience.
It’s Time For Shopping
This might sound strange but you can really go shopping nicely on Gili Air. Of course, there are not many shops but you will find clothes, accessories, and shoes as well as little souvenir trinkets like wall decorations from small boutique stores selling clothing for both men and women, to local beachfront stalls.
Cleanup The Beach
If you want to help keep Gili Air beautiful, why not take part in a beach clean-up? Gili Air is one of the most beautiful destinations in Indonesia. With everything here made of wood and stone, it will not be long before nature replaces trash with more trash. It is a great way to meet people and cleaning takes only one or two hours in the morning or afternoon.
One of the things to see in Gili Air is the sense of community and shared responsibility towards their environment. We all need to make sure paradise stays paradise. Clean-ups are needed all over the world and luckily we have companies like TrashHero. They are a global volunteer movement, led, supported, and governed by Trash Hero World.