The Three Gili islands are located of the the northwest coast of Lombok, a little over 60 miles (100km) from Benoa harbour in Bali, around 20 miles from the Eastern Tip of Bali. Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air are all surrounded pristine coral reefs, and have recently become highly popular as an escape from Bali. The three islands are each 2-3km in diameter – small enough to walk all the way round in a lazy couple of hours.With no fresh water on the islands, they remained unpopulated for many years until Bugis sailors (from South Sulawesi) started using Gili Air as a stopping off point, and established some coconut plantations there. The local population now is a mixture of local Sasak people from Lombok, and families of the original Bugis settlers.
The beauty of the Gili Islands was first discovered by back-packers back in the 1980’s, when they became a well-kept secret among a more adventurous crowd seeking to escape to an island paradise, far from the madding crowds of Kuta Bali and the like. With crystal clear waters teeming with marine life, beaches of pure white sand, superb snorkeling straight off the beach and a timeless, laid back paradisic lifestyle, the Gilis are indeed a paradise found.
Although the first island to develop homestays was Gili Air (the nearest island to Lombok), it is Gili Trawangan that subsequently became known as the ‘party island’ – a young, adventurous European crowd having way too much fun far away from home. Simple bungalows with sporadic, generator-supplied electricity soon sprang up like mushrooms, to cater to a crowd eager to get off the beaten track.
