Gili Trawangan

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.



Understand
This is the largest of the three Gili Islands with an estimated permanent population of about 1500.

Trawangan was the first of the three islands to attract visitors in any numbers, and it was backpackers who led the way. In the 1990s the island developed a reputation as a wild party destination with cheap accommodation, no police and heavy recreational drug use. While a strong party atmosphere can still be found, Trawangan has since matured into a destination that has a far wider appeal.

Any visitor to Trawangan should be prepared for a real mix of fellow travellers; some will be ensconced in US$400 per night, unashamedly Bali-style villas, while others would be quite happy to crash in a dorm after a tough evening of partying.

The thriving dive industry of the Gili Islands is centred here (although some operators have outposts on the other two islands), and since about 2005, the island has gone through a considerable development boom, and a number of upscale sleeping, eating and drinking establishments have opened. In 2018, by order of local authorities, much of the increasingly chaotic beachfront was cleared of clutter and small businesses, returning it to a more accessible and clean state. Later that year, Lombok was hit by an earthquake that also caused considerable damage to the island. Following a clean up and restoration effort, Gili Trawangan has improved in terms of built environment and is in a significantly better state than before. With the hiatus on travel caused by Covid-19, locals have also witnessed a marked improvement to the natural environment and state of the coral too. Conversely, the tourism economy has been hit hard.

Orientation
Most of the accommodation and other facilities on the island are on the eastern side, sheltered from the winds and rough seas of the Lombok Strait which very occasionally affect the opposite side of the island. Fast boat services from Bali and Lombok dock here as well, on the beach just north of the market. This generally means a walk in the shallow water to disembark. There is also a private concrete and wood jetty used by a few local companies for inter Gili island transfers.

A footpath goes around the whole island and various tracks criss-cross, nearly always leading back to this coastal path. The area set back behind the east coast beachfront establishments is where most of the locals live (and where a lot of budget accommodation can be found), and is known as "the village". There is a low lying hill in the southern centre of the island, which is easily reached from the tracks heading southwest from the back of the village.

In the late 2010s, the north and western shores of the island have begun to be further developed that tend to cater to travellers seeking a bit more peace and quiet away from the nightlife that typifies the main settlement.

Get in
The sea is calmest in the morning and all services from Bali stop running in the late afternoon, well before dark. During periods of southerly winds and in July and August especially, the swell can be a bit hairy and you are very likely to get wet on the crossing. Put laptops, cameras and phones in waterproof bags for the crossing. In most cases, you will have to wade through shallow sea when disembarking, so wear either appropriate footwear, or none at all.

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.

The daily Perama service will take you directly from Senggigi departing 09:00 to Gili Trawangan in under 2 hours for a flat Rp 100,000, plus optional Rp 10,000 for pickup at your lodging in Senggigi. Other operators can provide transfers for Rp 75,000, but these often involve going through Bangsal.

Another option is to arrange a speedboat charter or pickup with your hotel, or a dive shop on Trawangan. These speedboat services run in and out of the lovely Teluk Nare bay in Lombok, south of Bangsal and thus avoiding the thoroughly unpleasant experience of combating the touts there. A speedboat charter normally takes up to three passengers, crosses in 20-30 min, and will cost about Rp 450,000-500,000.

The drive north from Senggigi follows the coast and the road offers panoramic views and glimpses of roadside village life. It is not a lengthy trip, and the road has been upgraded throughout almost the entire length to either Teluk Nare and Bangsal a little further to the north. It is a quite scenic trip and glimpses of the Gilis can be seen as the road rises over the headlands whilst travelling up the coastline.

Public boats
The cheapest way to reach Gili Trawangan is on a public boat which departs from Bangsal from 08:00-17:00 (but rarely later than 16:00). The official price is Rp 22,500. Sometimes these depart only when there are enough people, normally a minimum of 15 is enough. If numbers are insufficient you might be in for a long wait. The official maximum is 20 people but sometimes the boat is overloaded by the time it is ready to depart. The experience of departing from Bangsal is rarely pleasant due to the very persistent touts who infest the place. Try to ignore them and do not listen to their generally fanciful tales that involve you paying them money to solve an imaginary transportation problem. They often provide a chorus of gloomy predictions regarding the alleged unavailability of services, then if successful they put unknowing passengers upon the normal scheduled service or a private charter at an often seriously inflated prices.

Buy your tickets directly from the official Koperasi Angkutan Laut Karya Bahari office. In Bangsal this is inside the main building on the waterfront, find the ticket desk in the northeastern corner of that building. The Koperasi operate the public boat, the shuttle boat, the island-hopping boat and also offer (official) charter boats.

The public boat office on Trawangan is right on the beach north of the unused concrete jetty, near where you are dropped off. It is somewhat hard to see from the street. If you have trouble finding it, ask some locals, who will kindly give you directions. The office counter faces to the beach. You may need to wait until 15-20 others show up, so it's best to be there early in the morning (07:00-08:00) if you want to get moving quickly. The last boat leaves Trawangan around 15:00.

Public boat (ferry)
 * This is the standard method to reach Gili Trawangan and is used by local residents and tourists. The maximum number of passengers is fixed at 20 persons but it is often overloaded with goods and or passengers. If it seems clearly unsafe due to either overloading or prevailing weather conditions then it is most likely best not to board it.


 * Bangsal to Gili Trawangan 1 way is Rp 22,500
 * Gili Trawangan to Bangsal 1 way is Rp 22,500

Shuttle boat
 * This service supplements the public boat (ferry) service and departs Gili Trawangan to Bangsal (on the main island of Lombok).


 * Bangsal to Gili Trawangan departs at 17:00; the official price is Rp 28,000.
 * Gili Trawangan to Bangsal departs at 08:15; the official price is Rp 28,000. (This is more expensive than the standard public boat cost which is fixed at Rp 10,000).

Charter boat
 * The official charter boat service provided by Koperasi Angkutan laut Karya Bahari is permitted to carry a maximum of 12 persons.


 * Bangsal to Gili Trawangan one way is Rp 185,000, return Rp 350,000
 * Gili Trawangan to Bangsal one way is Rp 185,000, return Rp 350,000


 * Informal and unofficial charters are also available from private operators to travel from Bangsal to Gili Trawangan. If you decide to hire one, try to deal only with the boat operator, ignore the touts and 'facilitators' and use your time over a negotiation, any hint of haste or urgency is sure to raise the price.

The situation arising from the activities of pestering touts combined with confusing and inadequate formal services at Bangsal is the source of many disappointments and complaints.

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. To return the reverse is required. This can be confusing and co-ordinating the timing with the connecting boat departing from Bangsal may be either difficult or elusive. There is also a limited official inter-island "island-hopping" service provided that departs once in the morning and once in the evening.

Ferry operators may sometimes enter into informal arrangements with passengers to journey inter-island. In this situation a passenger boards a boat that is meant to go directly to Bangsal from one of the three Gili islands but instead it detours and sets down on the beach at another island whilst en route. The prices are variable but people will normally pay a price of around Rp 25,000. Inter-island access on the public boats in this manner is dependent upon timing, weather, loading, payment and the inclination of the crew to facilitate an inter-island journey and such arrangements are not sanctioned. The standard procedure is to travel to Bangsal and make a separate trip to the different island or to use the very limited official service. The price for a single journey public boat ferry journey from Gili Air to Bangsal is Rp 8,000. The price for a public boat from Gili Meno is Rp 9,000. The price for the subsequent public boat to Gili Trawangan from Bangsal is Rp 10,000, this assuming the required connection was made at Bangsal.

Island-hopping boat
 * A limited formal island-hopping boat service is provided by Koperasi Angkutan Laut Karya Bahari. This is the same local koperasi (maritime transport co-operative) that provides the public boat ferry service.


 * Gili Meno to Gili Trawangan departs at 08:50 and the official price is Rp 35,000


 * Gili Air to Gili Trawangan in the morning is an indirect service. Take the Island Hopping boat leaving Gili Air for Gili Meno at 08:30. The same boat then departs Gili Meno for Gili Trawangan at 08:50. The official Gili A to Gili T island-hopping boat price is Rp 40,000. Hopefully you will only pay once.
 * Gili Air to Gili Trawangan departs at 15:00 and the official price is Rp 40,000


 * Gili Trawangan to Gilli Meno departs at 09:30 and the official price is Rp 20,000
 * Gili Trawangan to Gilli Air departs at 16:00 and the official price is Rp 23,000

Charter boat
 * The official charter boat service provided by Koperasi Angkutan laut Karya Bahari is permitted to carry a maximum of 12 persons.


 * Gili Trawangan to Gilli Meno one way is Rp 190,000, return Rp 350,000
 * Gilli Meno to Gili Trawangan one way is Rp 195,000, return Rp 350,000


 * Gilli Trawangan to Gili Air one way is Rp 195,000, return Rp 350,000
 * Gilli Air to Gili Trawangan one way is Rp 195,000, return Rp 350,000


 * Gili Trawangan to Senggigi one way is Rp 490,000, return Rp 690,000

Informal private charters are also available. Prices are subject to negotiation, take your time over the process.

From Bali
For more detailed information on fast boat companies, routes and travel advice see Gili islands main page.

All fast boat services are subject to weather conditions and the trip across the Lombok Strait can get quite bumpy especially in July–August. Turbulent seas may sometimes arise for a while during the monsoonal influenced months of January–February. Most operators offer pickups and drop offs but all cover slightly different regions. Prices usually include land transport from/to your destination in Bali. Double-check with operators for seasonal discounts, schedules and current operational status.

You may get a better price by booking from a travel agent in Bali rather than booking directly with the boat company as the agents get discounts and some may pass them on to their customers. There are also many online services where it is possible to pre book boat tickets, the longest established being Gilibookings for the most reputable fast boat services, or its sister site Gilitickets for some of the better budget operators. You can view all routes, timetables and pricing for many of the most popular regional fast boat operators. Prices on Gilibookings range from US$50-70 one way, US$98-136 return. Higher prices are offset by discount vouchers. Fast boats are around 30% cheaper on Gilitickets. Many similar sites have popped up in the late 2010s, though a number seem to be less reliable and it's advisable to double check the trustworthiness of the service you use.

Prevailing weather conditions in the Lombok Strait can lead to rough crossings and occasional cancellation of services especially during the peak of the monsoon season around January–February. The vessels serving the fast boat routes are generally of a light-duty hull construction and are powered by petrol fuelled outboard engines. Crew training, operational standards and safety equipment are of a mixed standard and may be below the normal expectations of many foreign visitors.

If you have legitimate concerns about either the vessel, the operator or the prevailing weather conditions do not board the boat, immediately seek a refund of your fare and make alternative arrangements for your trip. Consider your options and choice of provider very carefully. During rough weather flights across the Lombok Strait may provide a more comfortable and safer journey.

Get around
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. A ride around the island is less than an hour, but you need to walk your bike at a few points due to the sandy nature of the track. A bike is also great for exploring the inland areas, where you can see a lot of cows, goats and chickens as well as local homes.

Unsurprisingly though on a tiny island, walking is the preferred and most appropriate way of getting around.

If you have heavy bags and are staying well away from the departure area, you will need a cidomo (horse cart) to get to and from the boat. A short trip should cost about Rp 40,000.

See and do
Gili Trawangan is the centre of a thriving dive industry for the Gili Islands. All of the operators have their main dive shops located here. There are about a dozen active dive sites, and all of the shops run a regularly rotating program of daily fun dives to one of more of these.

Fun dives, muckdiving, technical diving and wreck dives are a staple and Gili Trawangan is well known as a world-class teaching centre. The operators are very professional, the warm waters offering a wide range of easy to challenging dive sites (including some with fairly strong currents), and the visibility usually good. Gili T makes for an ideal teaching environment, whether you are a first timer, or a diver looking to extend your qualifications.

Freedive Gili is close to the harbour on Gili Trawangan, and offers freedive and apnea (breath holding) courses for beginners to advanced. It is the only freedive centre in the region and is owned and operated by British freedive record holder Mike Board.

Gili Cooking Classes, in the Art Market on Gili T, offers a unique opportunity to learn the secret of six tasty Indonesian dishes as well as Lombok specialities during a 3-hour course. Experienced teachers guide a hands-on, enjoyable session in English. All the necessary equipment is provided.

Dive shops
The dive shops have some variation in the level of facilities, services, experience in the local dive sites, and varying levels of staff accreditation and experience, so do ensure that you are choosing the right provider for your own individual needs and expectations. Most dive shops are located on the main road, close to the main harbour. Try walking up and down the street to browse around. The price is fixed at Rp 490,000 with an extra Rp 50,000 for the first dive. This is an eco conservation fee and is only paid once. Below is an incomplete listing of dive shops in alphabetical order.



Snorkelling
The easiest spot to find some productive snorkelling is off the main beach, north of the boat landing. Enter the water approximately in front of the Almarik hotel. If you start north of the beach (about where you can see seaweeds growing at low tide roughly level with Gili Meno's northern extent), and go with the current back towards to the most crowded sunbathing area, you will likely need to kick only when you want to stop to look at something. The healthy corals are around the area where the wall drops off and the deeper water begins. Nearer the shore you will find only dead coral. Turtles can be seen often, and also the occasional trigger fish amongst the more common reef inhabitants. At low tide it is difficult to get in without reef shoes. Always watch out for potential waves that can push you into the coral that are just below water level.

A better coral reef is off the northwest coast, but you have to be very keen to go through the hardship of getting out there. The only access to the reef involves walking over a substantial area of dead, sharp coral, and back again when you have finished. If you are a keen snorkeller the effort is worth it, and you are very likely to have the waters to yourself.

Small, purple jellyfish are sometimes plentiful around the island, and they seem to love stinging snorkellers. The reaction is one of considerable irritation, but the stings cause no serious harm.



Surfing
Gili Trawangan has a fast right hander which can really pump with the right conditions. The best waves are at high tide, and the underlying reef can be sharp so booties can come in handy. The surf break is off the south coast - just follow the locals who will be out and jogging with their boards whenever the surf is decent. You will find no shortage of locals ready, willing and able to rent you board. There are a few breaks off Gili Air and Gili Meno, but they are more difficult to reach and smaller. The best season is the January–June wet season, with swells from 1-2 m. Daily conditions can be checked out at Magic Seaweed.

Walking
There are some lovely walks to be had on the island, although the perimeter coastal track (about 7 km) is perhaps not as scenic as those on Gili Meno and Gili Air. A leisurely stroll all the way around will take 90-120 minutes, depending on just how leisurely you are.

The hill in the south can be easily reached by taking one of the tracks that lead west or southwest from the back of the village. Dawn and dusk are the best times to climb up here. The sunset views back towards Bali are quite lovely, and in the mornings the sun rises over majestic Mount Rinjani on Lombok. On the top of the hill lie the remains of a World War II Japanese gun bunker.

Yoga
Gili Yoga center shares an office with Freedive Gili and boasts its own yoga pavilion. Daily yoga classes are given in the open air, surrounded by a tropical garden and the sounds of nature. Offers services including daily meditation and pranayama, twice-daily yoga practice, accommodation, group activities (snorkeling, sunset boat ride) and vegetarian food.

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Soraya Yoga Wellness Center Drop-in yoga classes, retreats, meditation, dance, reiki, CranioSacral energy healing, fresh salads, healthy food, and a variety of accommodations. Enjoy the hillside view from a beautiful two story yoga shala.

Buy
There are over 12 ATMs on the island, with most located on the eastern side on the island close to the jetty. Most ATMs have a maximum withdrawal of Rp 1,500,000 and will either provide Rp 50,000 or Rp 100,000 notes. The exchange rates offered on the islands are not as good as from the better ones on Lombok or Bali. Do not believe the touts at Bangsal that there are no ATMs or money changers. They will try to convince you to change money with them and charge you up to 10% commission for it.

The Art Market (Pasar Seni) next to the pier has a few scruffy stalls hawking souvenirs, but it's all brought in from elsewhere, and the selection is far more limited than what you'd find on Bali or even Lombok.

Eat
Trawangan has a huge range of eating options from simple local warungs up to fairly grand places serving inventive modern cuisine. Many of these are attached to hotels or dive shops, and are not independent restaurants as such.

Budget places are thinner on the ground that they used to be, but still not hard to find. If you really want to watch the pennies, do as the locals do and eat at the push carts along the beachfront which set up every evening. These serve the usual range of Indonesian staples: fried rice, fried noodles and bakso (meatball soup).

Barbecued fish is excellent here and every evening many of the better restaurants fire up the charcoal. The deal is that you chose your fish - red and white snapper and trevally are especially good - and it is grilled on the spot.

Drink


There are regular party nights on Gili Trawangan - the various bars take it in turn to host the late night gig (up to 04:00), to ensure that everyone gets together in one place rather than being spread around. The island is small and it is easy to find everything; just ask around for where the party is going to be on any given night.

Be very careful with locally produced spirits, especially arak. It may contain methanol and has caused cases of serious injury and death (including new year 2012/13). If you suspect that what you've been served is not what you ordered, take it back. Sticking to western owned and managed bars may reduce the risk but not entirely exclude it.



Sleep
Power is normally available 24 hours a day and many of the hotels now have A/C. However there may be frequent disruptions to the supply. This problem arises from regional power generation insufficiencies. To address this issue many mid-range and upmarket hotels and restaurants on the Gili islands have their own back up generators. The closer you sleep to a mosque, the more likely you will be disturbed by loud night time prayer calls. There are two mosques on Gili Trawangan. One is right behind the market/main harbour, look for a green tower. This mosque not only broadcasts the call to prayer but also the sermon and sometimes even music until late. The other mosque is north of the main harbor, close to the main road. It is partly under construction but will broadcast the call to prayer.

You will find most budget options behind the east coast frontage in the village, or by walking north from the boat landing.

Travellers who remember Gili Trawangan from the 1980s and 1990s may be surprised to learn that there are now more than 100 official places to stay on the island, and still more are being built.

Splurge
Balinese-style luxury villas have started to pop up on Gili Trawangan. They have not yet quite got standards of service right, so although you will be paying up serious dollars to stay at some of these places, be aware that the service might disappoint a little. High end private accommodation is still a relatively new thing on Trawangan, so it is only to be expected that it will take some time to get things right.



Stay healthy
See Main Gili Islands article for more information.

There is a small clinic adjacent to Vila Ombak. They are quite used to treating travellers with minor ailments, including some stomach problems, but any visitor with a serious medical issue should make their way to Mataram hospital on Lombok.

Connect
There are several internet cafes on Trawangan for feeding your Internet addiction, although connection speeds can often be slow. Printing is possible in a few internet cafés and you can even hook up your laptop in some. Lightning Fast, just north of the jetty, costs Rp 500 per minute but the supposedly fast service rarely is. Of the restaurants providing wifi, Scallywags is the best bet with a fast, dedicated ADSL service from mainland Lombok.

William's Bookshop, right behind the Art Market on Gili Trawangan, acts as a de facto post office, sells stamps and can mail out your postcards.

Cope
See Gili Islands main article for further information.

There is a cheap and cheerful public laundry service at the back of the Art Market. Laundry is normally returned the next day, and when compared to the prices charged by hotels, this can save you a fair bit of money if you are on the island for anything more than a day or two.

Go next
If travelling to somewhere on mainland Lombok, then you could get the early morning local ferry to nearby Bangsal for Rp 20,000. Then walk about 800 m inland to Bunga Bunga Cafe on the right hand side of the road. This is where the shuttle buses and cars pick up from. Here you can buy tickets or bargain for a seat in a taxi car. You can have breakfast here too. Note that anyone with a ticket already will be expected to walk here or pay for a ride on a horse and cart. If you get a car for yourself, the driver might pick up extra passengers on the way. As a contingency plan, negotiate with the driver that if he picks up anyone else then you pay less. Agree what that lower amount is.


 * Lombok — if you are on one of the Gili islands you are already in Lombok, go to the main island to see the rest of it including nearby Tanjung and Senggigi a little further down the coast.
 * Gili Air — put your feet up after all that partying
 * Gili Meno — also a quieter Gili
 * Nusa Lembongan — last stop before Bali