Everything you need to know about visiting
The Island of Gili T
This beautiful little island is a real gem in Indonesia. With affordable beach front restaurants, amazing sunsets and hundreds of resident turtles, it’s a place you can’t miss!
The Gili islands are 3 beautiful islands a 2 hour boat ride from Bali. For this boat trip you shouldn’t be paying more than £20 for a one way trip. The port can be a little confusing as to what boats are leaving and when, so don’t get caught standing in a line for a boat that leaves after yours, and don’t be afraid to ask people around you for advice on boats and timings as it’s likely they’ll understand and share information with you! Big bags and cases go on the back of the boats, and I’d wait to make sure yours is definitely on board.
Gili T is a beautiful and quiet beach island. A mini Maldives you might say! With white Sandy beaches, beautiful sunsets, and a huge selection of beach front restaurants, it’s a real escape from the craziness of the mainland. There are no cars or motorbikes on this island, your only form of transport is horse and cart or a pedal bike. I’m unsure of how the horses are treated on the island, so I’d advise only taking a ride with one if absolutely necessary. There are lots of great hotels and hostels within a 10 minute walk of the port, so it’s easy enough not to go too far.
Where to Stay
The most popular hostel on the island is ‘Mad Monkey’. With great reviews for a party atmosphere, it’s good to remember that it’s the other side of the island, so if you want to eat out or visit the best beaches, you’ll be pedalling backwards and forwards across the island on your bike (which isn’t easy in the dark and after a few drinks). Hostels like ‘your mates place’ and ‘atlas’ are great alternatives.
Turtle beach is towards the north of the island (easily found on maps) and is the most stunning place for snorkelling. You can rent snorkels and flippers on the beach for less than £2 a day, and can usually grab a sunbed by just paying for a bottle of water. The best time of day for this is the afternoon when the tide is high (as there are a few rocks you want to avoid). The turtles in this reef will take your breath away. With any luck you’ll see up to 10 turtles, all swimming and grazing on the sea bed. They’re completely used to humans and will happily swim by your side for the most amazing photo opportunities (just don’t get too close or swim above them, and do not touch the turtles as this will make them anxious and scare them away).
At night Gili T is a party Island, with at least one bar staying open until 3am (this rotates daily). Without the stress of cars on the island, you can drink your heart out and dance the night away on the beach and feel relatively confident that you can find your way home. Don’t be stressed if you’ve got no one to go out with as a solo traveller, chances are you would have already found a great group of people in your hostel to head out with, or will bump into a Brit who lives 10 minutes from you at home at the first bar!
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Gili Air is another beautiful island that you can travel over to in just 15 minutes. This island is quieter than Gili T, so it’s perfect if you want a really relaxing few days. However there aren’t as many nice restaurants or bars either, so make sure you stay in a hotel that has good evening facilities.
The Gili islands are INCREDIBLY hot and humid. A heat like I’d never felt before. It’s manageable, but just drink more water, and keep topped up on suncream. Also stay somewhere that has air conditioning.