About Gili Air

Part of the three Gili's in the North West of Lombok, to the east of Bali, Gili Air is considered a perfect blend of the other two islands. Gili Trawangan (Gili T) party island, and Gili Meno the chilled out honeymooners island. 

Gili Air has a fabulous mix with great restaurants and bars, chilled out resorts, massage spas, private villas, clothes and local products shopping, beach clubs, water sports, yoga, gyms, and plenty of other activities.

It is famous for scuba diving and snorkeling, you are guaranteed to see turtles, coral reefs and tropical fish not far from the sandy shores. Also famous for its sunrises and sunsets as at sunrise you have the majestic Mount Rinjani on Lombok in the background while you enjoy your coffee and breakfast with your feet in the sand. After a hard day at the beach you can go to the sunset side and sip on happy hour cocktails while the sun sets over Gili Meno and see Bali's Mount Agung in the background. There are no cars, motorbikes or other motorised vehicles on the island, walking, pushbikes and cidomo (horse & cart) are the modes of transport for everything that is brought onto the island by boat.  

Horses of Gili is a well known charity on facebook if you'd like to educate yourself about the treatment and care of horses on the Gili Islands and make donations to this worthy charity.  Contrary to some posts they are cared for very well and there are strict rules in place about their work hours and conditions so don't believe what you read on some posts.  

There are lots of cats on Gili Air and you may think that someone has chopped off part of their tail - not so - just the results of inbreeding and if you see a little chunk cut out of their ear it means they have been desexed. On the island we have a charity vet Lunito, they look after all the cats (and other animals) to make sure they are all happy and healthy. Any contributions to them will help the animals on the island too.

Gili Air has two main seasons: a dry season from May to October, ideal for sunny weather and calm seas, and a wet season from November to April with occasional rain showers, higher humidity, and fewer tourists. The best time to visit depends on your preference, with May to September being the most popular for outdoor activities and the shoulder months of April and October offering a good balance of pleasant weather and fewer crowds.

Gili Air sits between Mt Rinjani in Lombok and Mt Agung in Bali and as a result has a very different climate to Lombok or Bali - the Gili Islands generally only get 1/3 of the rainfall of their bigger neighbours. Great for holidays but not so good for the garden.  Rainy season here generally means a downpour late afternoon that might last an hour and maybe a shower in the middle of the night. 

Nearly everything is communicated in Gili Air by WhatApp, if you don't have it already we highly recommend you download it as it will make your connection with everything on the island so much easier. 

You can easily do day trips between each of the three gili islands for if you like, there is the island hopper boat in the morning and afternoon or you can take a fast boat from 9:00 - 17:00 on the hour. Whist the islands look very close together never attempt to swim between them as beyond the reefs the currents are are extremely strong.

The local community and landowners are predominantly Muslim and whilst they are very welcoming and warm towards tourists they are a modest religion and while it's fine to wear a bikini or swimsuit on the beach or around the pool it's seen as disrespectful if you walk around like this in villages or streets - so ladies please cover up with a sarong or dress and guys please put a shirt on.

Its always appreciated by the locals if you can speak a little of the language, Bahasa Indonesia.
These are a few things to know to chat with the locals...

Salam (Greetings)

• Hello / Hi - Halo / Hai

• Good morning - Selamat Pagi

• Good afternoon - Selamat Siang (around - sekitar 11:00 - 15:00)

• Good afternoon/late afternoon - Selamat Sore (around - sekitar 15:00 - 18:00)

• Good evening/night - Selamat Malam

• How are you? - Apa Kabar?

• Good - Baik (or - atau) Bagus

Introduction - Perkenalan

• What is your name? - Siapa nama Anda?

• My name is... - Nama Saya ...

Important - Penting 

• Yes - Ya

• No - Tidak

• Please - Tolong

• Thank you - Terima Kasih

• You're welcome - Sama-sama

• Sorry - Maaf

• Excuse me - Permisi

Asking for Help - Minta Bantuan

• Can you help me? - Bisakah Anda membantu saya? 

I don't understand - Saya tidak mengerti 

Can you speak slowly? - Bisa bicara pelan-pelan? 

Where is the bathroom? - Dimana kamar mandi? 

How much is it? - Berapa harganya? 

One Love - Satu Cinta