The white sand beaches and vibrant blue sea will be the first things to strike you when your boat docks at the Gili Islands. This archipelago of three tiny islands is a true vision of paradise. But the Gili Islands have more to offer than just their postcard-worthy aesthetic, you’ll quickly wonder what are the best things to do on the Gili Islands?
The islands are best known for their world-class diving, snorkeling, and partying. There are also many things to do that are lesser known by the majority of travelers. That’s why we’ve created this guide on What to do: Gili Islands edition. Here you can learn about 15 incredible things to do in Gili Islands, with the perfect mix of off-the-beaten-track and must-do tourist activities.
Some annual events are held on the Gili Islands including the Gili Trawangan Jazz Festival, Gili Islands Triathlon, This is Life Festival on Gili Air and the Gili Strong Triathlon. Other regular events include full moon beach parties, music festivals, yoga retreats, and diving competitions, but they may not necessarily be held annually.
#1 Diving and snorkeling
The Gilis are blessed with an incredible underground world that resembles the scenery from Finding Nemo. With a little bit of luck, you can see turtles, and you’re guaranteed to see plentiful brightly colored coral and fish including clownfish (Nemo), butterflyfish, surgeonfish (Dory), rainbow runners, damselfish, and others. Off Gili Meno, you can find ‘the Nest’—a circle of 48 life-size embracing stone figures.
All three islands have a range of PADI accredited scuba diving schools and diving courses. Diving here is relatively cheap compared to diving elsewhere in the world—you can do a single dive as a complete beginner starting from around IDR 550,000 (USD $35). You can also find diving courses and excursions/boat trips.
If diving isn’t your cup of tea, snorkeling or freediving are other fantastic ways of getting a look at the underwater wonderland. You’ll find snorkel gear for rent pretty much everywhere you look. For approximately IDR 100,000, (USD $6) you can rent the whole shebang (snorkel, mask, fins) for the entire day. Be prepared to haggle if you rent from someone on the beach.
You can also do a snorkeling day trip (either privately or with a group) where you’ll be taken by boat around the three islands to explore the best snorkel sites. Some of these Gili Island day trips companies use glass-bottom boats. The prices vary depending on the duration and group size, but they’re all generally pretty good value.
If you’re interested in surfing whilst on Gili Air, check out our post: Can You Surf in the Gili Islands?
#2 Catch a fish and BBQ it
Lots of fishing tours are offered where you go out on a boat to fish then later you can BBQ it on the beach. Really doesn’t get any fresher or more delicious!
#3 Watersports
There are a few kinds of watersports on offer on the Gilis. Stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) is very popular. It involves standing on a board that resembles a surfboard (but isn’t) and using a paddle to steer and power yourself along. It’s quite relaxing and an interesting way to explore the island—sunscreen is a must and a hat and t-shirt highly recommended.
You can also try kayaking, wakeboarding, and kitesurfing. The Gilis aren’t really known for great surfing (especially compared to Bali), but there are a few surf spots on all three islands, with the better ones mostly concentrated on the southeast part of the Gili Trawangan (Gili T) island. Do be aware that currents around these islands can be strong at times, so take due precautions in the water.
#4 Yoga
With how popular yoga is in nearby Bali, it shouldn’t be a surprise that it’s made its way to the Gilis. There’s a handful of very high-quality yoga studios on each of the Gili islands, including yoga resorts, all of which attract excellent yoga teachers from Bali and teachers visiting from around the globe. You can take part in a single class, do a course, or embark on a yoga retreat.
#5 Simply explore the islands (bicycles for rent)
Honestly, this is one of the most fun and interesting things to do here (yes, even compared to diving or kitesurfing!). There are times when you’re exploring on the Gilis and you feel like you’ve been sent back 50 or so years in a time machine.
There’s just something magic about this place that makes you want to investigate every corner. And of course, stroke all the hundreds of cats you’ll see as you explore. Interestingly, there are zero dogs on the Gilis since they are banned. Check out the Cats of Gili shop on Gili T. Here you can play with rescued cats and kittens and buy some merch to support the charity in sterilizing and caring for the islands’ felines.
You could easily circumnavigate each of the islands in around one to two hours on foot. But don’t forget to see what’s going on inland too. If walking seems a chore, there are plenty of bicycles for rent on the Gili Islands and each island is ideally suitable for cycling, although there are times you’ll have to get off and push as the footpath turns to sand. There’s plenty of bike rental places on the islands, but typically your accommodation may have them for rent too.
The price starts from IDR 50,000 (USD 3) a day. Do be warned: a lot of the bikes seem like they’ve been around for about 50 years too, and for reasons unbeknownst, most are road bikes (thin tyre bikes) that are not particularly suitable for much of the islands’ terrain.
No matter which island you’re staying on, it makes sense to explore the others considering they’re all so close to one another—they each have very different vibes too. Check out our article on how to get to the Gili Islands where we also share how to get between Gili Islands.
#6 Release sea turtles on Gili Meno
Gili Meno Sea Turtle Sanctuary collects turtle eggs from the beach and incubates them. This stops other animals from eating the eggs and supports the sea turtle population (estimated to be 10% of the population 70 years ago). The turtles are raised in small pools until they are old enough to be released. For a donation of IDR 100,000 (USD 6), you can release a turtle on the beach and watch it crawl to the ocean.
The donation supports the sanctuary’s conservation program and realistically, it’s the only way this little sanctuary can receive steady funding. Releasing a turtle is incredible but don’t expect to see anything spectacular at the sanctuary itself—you can be done with your visit in less than 5 minutes.
#7 Beach clean-ups
Trash is devastating Indonesia’s rivers, oceans, and marine life. Beach clean-ups are held frequently on all of the Gili Islands. Beach clean-ups can actually be quite a fun and sociable experience and are a good way to meet like-minded travelers while doing something amazing for these islands.
The best way to find info about the next clean-up is to search one of the Gili Islands community Facebook pages to see if details have been posted.
#8 Gili Trawangan viewpoint
A small hill from which you can look out at the other Gili Islands, Lombok, and Bali including Mt. Rinjani (Lombok) and Mt. Agung (Bali). It takes around 10-15 minutes to hike to the top. You can see the sunset from up here, just make sure you bring a torch/charged phone to find your way down. Definitely bring mosquito repellant.
#9 Watch (or take part in) a stick fight
Usually on Sunday afternoons on Gili T, a ‘presean’ (stick fight) will be held on the beach near the market. Fighters don traditional dress and wield sticks and shields. They battle accompanied by traditional music called ‘beleganjur’ which was once played as soldiers went into battle to unnerve the enemy. Tourists can take part, but they are not exempt from the possibility of being struck. The fights can at times be fairly brutal.
#10 Ride horses on the beach
Since gas-powered vehicles (including scooters) are not permitted on any of the Gilis, many locals rely on horsepower. As a result, there are quite a few options for horse-riding on all three islands. It can be beautiful to ride along the beach and in the water at sunset.
#11 Sunset then movie on the beach
Recently, several sunset-side-of-the-island resorts on both Gili Air and Gili T have been playing movies at night on a projector on the beach. They even have a timetable for the week posted out front. The movies are free to watch but you are expected to at least buy a drink to sit down on their beanbags.
As a bonus, these resorts are also in the perfect location for watching the sunset, and you can enjoy the hammocks and swings mounted nearby over the water for some stunning sunset photography before the movie. Check the local Gili Islands community Facebook pages for more information on upcoming movies.
#12 Watch and join dances
Fairly often there will be ‘Joget’ dances on the beach on Gili T near where the boats dock. Traditional music is played while women dance, sometimes rather provocatively. Men will couple up with the women while holding money and dance with them until eventually the women are rewarded with the bill. Anyone is usually welcome to join in, as long as you bring money.
You’re almost guaranteed to see various fire dancers and performers on the beaches nightly. These are not generally traditional dances but are purely for tourists’ entertainment.
#13 Go to the night market
As soon as the sun starts heading down, the night market starts coming to life. Here you can find all types of Indonesian dishes, snacks, and desserts—tons of fresh fish and seafood, rice and noodles dishes, grilled corn and other veggies, and sweet treats like martabak manis (thick pancake with filling).
It’s possible to spend only IDR 20,000 (USD 1.30) here and feel full, although you’ll need to pay more for seafood. You’ll have to barter—make sure you have settled a price before you sit down so you’re not ripped off with an inflated price after you’ve already eaten the food.
#14 Take magic mushrooms
After all, what is Gili Islands famous for? The Gilis are renowned for this psychedelic specialty. Whilst there may be magic mushrooms growing in Bali, it is not common to find them, certainly you don’t see them openly advertised and sold over the bar like you do in the Gili Islands! On the Gili Islands, well, they’re everywhere – especially in the wetter months when magic mushrooms tend to grow even more plentifully. While there has been a crackdown on the open sale of mushrooms on the Gilis in the past few years, they are still sold openly all over the islands.
The most common way to find (and ingest) magic mushrooms on the Gili islands is in a magic mushroom shake (also referred to as a shroom shake). These surprisingly pleasant tasting shakes are sold openly in many bars, cafes and restaurants, and you are likely to be served your shroom shake by a reggae-music-playing Bob-Marley-inspired local with an enormous smile! Take your shroom shake at your own risk! It is advisable to not drink a magic mushroom shake on an empty stomach, and of course, there is no real way of knowing just how many magic mushrooms have been put into your shake, so hold on tight for a potentially wild ride. If you choose to take magic mushrooms, make sure you have good friends with you who can keep an eye on you and make sure you stay safe if your shroom shake turns out to be strong one!
Many venues have signs up offering mushrooms for sale when they are available and asking the staff at any (reggae music or psy-trance playing) touristy bar or restaurant if they sell them is perfectly acceptable. You do of course take them at your own risk, and just because they’re sold everywhere doesn’t make them legal (they’re not).
#15 Party!
A (very) large proportion of tourists head to the Gilis for this reason only. Gili T is the obvious choice for when you’re in a party mood as there’s something kicking off every night of the week. Gili Air, whilst having more of a chilled out, down tempo and alternate/zen reputation, holds incredible full moon beach parties regularly and one of the local venues always hosts an epic party on every full moon. Upcoming parties usually advertised on signs posted up around the islands, or on each island’s community events Facebook page.
It’s nice to bar-hop and check out the atmosphere of different venues. If you’re looking for the biggest party on Gili T, your best bet is following the crowd. Top venues include the Irish Bar for happy hour, Sama-Sama Reggae Bar for live reggae music, then Lava Bar or Evolution Bar for when you’re wanting a club atmosphere. On Gili Air, Cheeky Monkey Bar and Luckys Bar both host fantastic parties and are also the perfect spot for a sunset session every day of the week!
