Island hopping (Part 3: Gili Air)

I was thinking since I had enough alone time, why do not I try something new to come to Gili Trawangan as it will be more crowded there.

But in the end I decided to go to Gili Air as its smaller, not too crowd, and it seems great for snorkeling. Well, anyway I probably just too introverted to choose Gili Trawangan. However I could say that Gili Air is the perfect Gili for me. And turned out, there was a festival happening in the island just when I arrived.

I arrived perfectly before sunset. So after check in and put my luggage in the bungalow, I went straight to the east side of the island to enjoy the sunset while having gelato.

I wake up early in the next morning to (as always) see the sunrise. Sunrise in Gili Air was the best among the other sunrise in this journey. I then walk tracing the beach line to look for snorkeling area.

I decided to snorkel near Scooperific cafe (that was the cafe where I enjoy sunset the day before). There are some snorkeling spots in the east side of the island. You can probably meet the turtle if you’re lucky.

I found that this article so much helpful when I look for snorkel spot in Gili Air. If you see the snorkel map from that link, my norkeling spot is the Nemo City in the south east side.

For a beginner like me, it was a pretty awesome experience. I’m so thrilled to get to see some colorful, dotted, and striped fish in the water.

Tired of 2 more hours snorkeling, I choose to take a break in Chill out bar. Thanks to Trip Advisor, I never run out of places to go. (:

As I need to go back to Lombok in the same day I decided to go back to my homestay even if my is heart telling me to come back to the water. Huhuu.

After cleaning myself up, the homestay guy help me to rent a bike. I then ride the bike around the island. It just took me pretty much an hour to get around it. And please note that I also take a break several times to take pictures, so it really is a small island.

I found that the south part of the island (especially the area near the harbour) is much more soiled than the other area.

The east side of the island is a perfect place to look for some good bars & snorkeling spots. And it’s pretty much the most crowded area (apart of the west side) in the island.

The north side in the other hand is less-populated. You can not see much things there except the cattle and a resort in the north east side of the island.

The west side was pretty much similar to the east side. The festival was happen in this part of the island.

Not much time left after the bike ride, I just spend the time chit chat with my homestay owner. I was wondering where did the local go to school because I can’t see any school in the island. Turns out they have it somewhere in the west side of the island. But only for the primary school. So they need to leave the island if they want to study in a high school.

Gili Air is definitely a great place. And I definitely recommend you to come here if you’re in doubt as thGili Air is is a perfect blend between the two islands (not too crowd like Gili Trawangan, but also not too deserted like Gili Meno).

And if some of you wondering how much I’ve spent in this journey, the answer is 5 million IDR for 6 days. It covers everything including the flight, accommodation, local transport, and meals during my travel. But it surely can be waaay cheaper if you go in group.

I’m missing this place already as I’m writing this..

Full photos: Flickr