Like most backpacking
travelers in quest for adventure, peace and serenity, a trip to Gili islands
or the Gilis is a quintessential part of the travel itinerary while traversing
Indonesia more so given the fact if you are a snorkeling or scuba-diving
enthusiast.
As a newbie
to the world of swimming altogether it was quite tempting to add Gili
Trawangan, Gili Meno & Gili Air to my already jam-packed schedule that
consisted of Ubud, Lombok, Amed and Denpasar. The entire promise of seeing
white sand beaches, azure blue waters, rare aquatic species & bio systems
amid crisp June air and some scintillating sunsets at the backdrop of Mount
Agung was too attractive to bypass.
To arrive
at Gili Trawangan we boarded a ferry from Amed and reached in about 2 hours of
a bumpy ride in a full sea with high waves and aberrations. Gili T as it is
locally called is your ‘party island’ with the most epic of nightclubs, reggae
bars, open music bars, free-flowing (literally) alcohol and all tourists under
one roof to groove! I know its bit of a stretch read so you can only imagine
how truly busy yet memorable it would be. We stayed in a small homestay (there
are no fancy hotels, just very simple yet elegant airbnb & rooms for rent)
and rented a cycle to go around the island. The food is lip-smacking at Jali
Kitchen where we ordered Chicken curry & Avocado juice and also at Oh
Warung Gili wherein we had Nasi Lemak & Chicken Satay and unlike most
places in the island, the food was piping hot at both the places and the price
range was pretty affordable.
Just as the
Sun begins to set, the entire island comes to life and you can see the herd of
humans slowly progressing towards the other end of the island to witness the
most breath-taking Sunset of their lives (no kidding). You may choose to walk
for about 20-25 minutes (depending on your location) or may take a Horse-cart
to reach the sunset point. There are literally hundreds of bean bags and you
can occupy one of them and just sit, relax and order food and drinks from the
various open air restaurants ready to serve you, while you soak in the
inexplicable experience of watching the sunset in a million hues of yellow,
orange, crimson, purple and blue. The pictures don’t do justice one bit but
they’re there to give you a feel! Pro Tip – Go to Santorini in Gili T (a Greek
Santorini inspired restaurant) and see the magic unfold. Once you’ve absorbed
the phenomenon of watching the sun go down in deep blue waters, it is time for
another bombastic experience – the Party night!
Though the
party life is not concentrated it is extra good at Jungle bar and probably the
best way to start the night is by having a shot of “Extra Joss” which is
supposedly four times stronger than Red Bull and will help you party up till 5
AM. Jungle bar is where you can dance on the table with some free flowing vodka
drinks tossed in your mouth (quite literally) by the bartenders and people sway
to top chart busters from across the globe. If you love EDM, your love will grow
as you crawl pubs after pubs and if you love Bob Marley then Sama Sama is your
reggae haven with some brilliant Live performances and public singing and
swooning to his songs while sipping on the drinks and that includes the
infamous magic Mushroom shakes too … I know what you’re thinking that it is too
good a place to be true and I couldn’t agree more, so the next time you think
of beauty, party and fun, think Gili Trawangan as your ultimate destination.
How to
reach?
2 hours by
ferry from Bali
Best time
to visit
May-November
Average
cost/night stay
150000 IDR
Average
cost of drinks
30000 IDR
Lunch/Dinner per person
75000 IDR
Bike rent
30000-
50000 IDR
