Top 17 things to do on Gili Air | Ultimate Guide!
Best Places to Eat on Gili AirOf the three Gili Islands, Gili Air is the firm favourite for many Gili connoisseurs. Despite Trawangan remaining the most visited island of the three, Air holds a soft spot for being bohemian and tranquil (unlike Trawangan) but at the same time still having loads of interesting things going on (unlike Meno).
Because Gili Trawangan is usually given the most limelight out of the three-island archipelago, there’s less attention given to all the amazing things you can do on Air (without fighting for space to move like on Trawangan). If you’ve already reviewed our guide of incredible things to do on the Gili Islands, now we’ve put together this specific list of 17 incredible things to do in Gili Air.
#1 Snorkelling
Gili air snorkelling is among the best in Southeast Asia. While all three Gili Islands have great snorkelling, accidentally bumping into another snorkeller, swimmer, stand-up paddleboarder etc., is much less likely to happen here than on Gili Trawangan. Fewer boats are constantly heading in and out too, and the water surrounding Gili Air is crystal clear with a lovely vibrant blue hue.
There’s incredible snorkelling all around the island, but probably the best spot is the area between the Bel Air Resort & Spa and the Sunrise Resort. Here you’ll find highly concentrated soft and hard coral in just about every colour of the rainbow. You’ll see plentiful fish including butterflyfish, damselfish, sea goldies, clownfish, surgeonfish, and loads more. Turtles are consistently seen here too!
If you don’t spot any turtles around the shore, at high tide they’re usually found around the reef drop-off point, approximately 100 metres from shore—do be wary of currents. But many report seeing them regularly just a few metres offshore in this area anyway. The turtles come to the shallows to feed and rest—so don’t disturb them by chasing after them or trying to touch them.
You can find snorkel gear for rent pretty easily (*guests at Villa Burung are provided with a free snorkel, flippers and goggles). Just head to one of the dive shops—there’s a handful on the shore in the area just mentioned. Sometimes people on the beach will be renting gear too, but you’ll need to practise your haggling skills. Anything around IDR 100,000 (USD 6) is a reasonable deal.
If you’re interested in surfing whilst on Gili Air, check out our post: Can You Surf in the Gili Islands?
#2 Horseriding
Gili Air horseriding on white sand beaches is magical, especially at sunset time. At the time of writing, there’s only one company on the island offering rides—Gili Air Horse Riding. The staff here are typically excellent and will tailor your experience to your skill level.
If you’re a beginner, they can lead the horses by hand for you but if you’re a skilled rider you can take the horse out by yourself. You can ride on the beach and even in the water. The staff can take photos of you on the horses for the ‘gram too.
#3 Checking out the volcano views
Gili Air is blessed with fantastic volcanic views. You can see Mt Rinjani (on Lombok Island) and Mt Agung (on Bali). Rinjani can be seen east of the island and Agung to the west.
Can you brave waking up for sunrise? Gili Air is a worthwhile location to drag yourself out of bed so early as this is when visibility is best and you can see the volcanoes the most clearly. It’s worth catching the sun rising over Mt Rinjani at least once—just spectacular.
#4 Yoga and meditation
There aren’t many better places on earth for yoga and meditation than Gili Air. Studios offer sunrise and sunset classes which can be magical, as well as classes throughout the day. The two main spots for yoga and meditation are H20 Yoga and Meditation Center and Flowers & Fire.
The yoga shala at Flowers & Fire Yoga in Gili Air is surely one of the most magical places to enjoy a yoga class in Indonesia. An elevated bamboo platform nestled high in the trees, enjoying ocean breezes, the calming sounds of children laughing, horse and carts trotting past and majestic tropical bird song. A truly magical experience not to be missed, and with fantastic international yoga instructors regularly visiting to instruct from Bali and all over the world.
#5 Diving
Gili Air diving is another way to explore the magical underwater realm surrounding the island. The Gilis are blessed with incredible diving, and Gili Air is no exception. With fewer tourists on Air, you’re likely to be the only divers in the water if you’re doing a private dive.
There are a handful of diving schools on the island, and they’re all generally excellent so simply take your pick! Diving is relatively cheap here when compared to the costs in other destinations—single dives for beginners start from around IDR 550,000 (USD \$35).
Gili Air freediving also shouldn’t be overlooked. In case you don’t know what freediving is, it’s diving but without the air tank and accompanying equipment. Instead, you train yourself to be able to hold your breath for longer and longer periods until you can stay underwater for several minutes at a time. Blue Marine Dive and Gili Island Divers both offer freediving courses and lessons.
If you’re interested in surfing whilst on Gili Air, check out our post: Can You Surf in the Gili Islands?
#6 Shopping
Shopping as an activity on this tiny island might not be something on your mind, but there are several amazing little shops here scattered throughout. You can find wonderful handmade items of clothing, jewellery, trinkets, and more.
If you’re interested in having jewellery custom made for you out of coconut, head to Abay Cocoart Shop. A newer shop called Frankie’s Coconut Shop also makes items out of coconut, including handpainted decorative masks and geckos, bowls, jewellery, and lanterns.
Head to the book shop (literally called ‘Book Shop’) when you’re in need of a good read—you can buy very reasonably priced books here but also trade in your old books for new ones which is a lovely scheme. If you need a new bikini, shorts, or flip-flops, try Balianas Surf Shop which sells big brands like Rip Curl and Havaianas. For dive and snorkel gear, head to Tedi Dive Shop.
#7 Sunsets and swings
Did you really go to Gili Air if you didn’t get a picture on the famous ocean swings? In combination with the sunset, these swings mounted over the water set the scene for some incredible Instagram-worthy photography.
You can find these swings on the beaches pretty much all over the island. But if you’d rather know specifically where to head, sunset Gili Air venues with swings include: My Happy Place, PinkCoco Gili Air, Cafe Queen Sunset, and Legend Bar Gili Air.
The Pelangi Beach ocean swing (pictured) is on the sunny northern side of the island and is a very popular place to capture the perfect shot whilst enjoying gently hovering over crystal clear water and a vibrant reef below.
#8 Exploring the island
As far as Gili Air things to do go, this is one you shouldn’t neglect. Simply walking around the island is a solid morning or late afternoon activity (when it’s not too hot). You can circumnavigate the island in under two hours on foot. You could also try jogging around the entire island if you want to get some exercise in. Don’t forget to explore a bit inland too, as this is where you’ll get a genuine glimpse into how the locals live.
The vibe on Gili Air is incredibly laid back and relaxed. The first thing you’ll notice (apart from the white sand beaches) is the lack of cars and motorbikes—in fact, all motorised vehicles are banned on the Gili Islands. This is why the locals rely on horses for heavy-moving jobs. As a result, the island is very quiet and just feels…slow, but in a charming way.
Renting a bicycle is another way of exploring Gili Air. However, much of the circular coastal ‘road’ isn’t actually a road at all, it’s simply an unobstructed sand track. So either try to rent a mountain bike (instead of the more plentiful thin-tyred road bikes) or be prepared to push. Your best bet for finding a bike for rent on Gili Air is to ask your accommodation if they offer this service or know somewhere that does.
#9 Spa day
You can never go wrong with a spa day. Get a massage, a facial, a pedicure, or whatever other treatment takes your fancy. The treatments on the Gilis are generally a little more expensive than in Bali, likely because there are fewer options, but not crazily so and can be well worth it after a long journey to the island or after a full moon party.
Try the spa Villa Nangka – Boutique Hotel & Spa or Slow Spa at Slow Villas if you’re looking for more of an upmarket and luxurious spa. Zone Spa Gili Air is another good option for a modern and clean spa. Blue Lotus Spa and also Fhane’s Spa are cheap and cheerful spas right on the beach with skilled masseuses.
#10 Cooking class
Cooking classes are such good fun and the best way to learn the ins and outs of cooking Indonesian delicacies. Gili Cooking Classes – Gili Air runs some fantastic classes. All of the ingredients are locally sourced, and they can tailor to any dietary requirements.
Warung Sunny probably offers the most highly recommended Gili Air cooking class. For a reasonable price, you’ll practise making several dishes from all over Indonesia under the caring instruction of Chef Hero.
#11 Eating incredible food
If you love dining out, you’re in luck on Gili Air. There are numerous restaurants serving up fresh and delicious dishes. As to be expected, there’s tonnes of fresh fish and seafood on the menu.
The best way to eat is at the local warungs, the food is absolutely delicious, cheap and fresh, with much of it grown locally. Eating at local warungs means your money stays on the island and goes directly into the hands of the local families running the warung. You’ll meet some beautiful people and enjoy amazing food in the local warungs.
If you’re after more westernized cuisine, and are happy to pay more westernized prices, Mowies on the Beach is an absolute classic, and very popular with ex-pat residents of the island. JuJu or Pachamama are the best pick for vegans, and JuJu has a lovely zero waste & homewares store at the rear worth checking out too. Barefoot Blondie does very, very good coffee and has a fabulous second story roof top deck to enjoy your brew and a view! Kiosko offers tapas & churros and Pink Coco does Spanish & Indonesian dishes with a Spanish twist, does great cocktails, and is in the perfect spot for watching the sunset. The Orange’s serves typical (and delicious) local food in huge portions! Try Dolcemare Italian Restaurant or Mamas Pizza if you’re wanting a change from local cuisine. The owner is Italian, and the food here is authentic. There’s simply too many wonderful places for eating to list all of them. Go and explore!!
#12 Partying
Gili Trawangan is known as the big party island out of the three Gilis, but that doesn’t mean Gili Air doesn’t have a partying and drinking scene. Pockets & Pints is an inland pub that serves local food as well as gyros and has several imported beers on offer. My Happy Place and Gili Lumbung are both great for sunset and often have live music starting in the early evening. Space Bar is a psychedelically decorated bar that plays trance tunes. Good place to go if you’d like to experience some ‘magic’.
The super friendly team at Cheeky Monkey love a good party and often throw a big party on a full moon or the odd Sunday evening with kick ass DJs playing until 3 am. Stop by for a drink and a meal and have a chat to owner, Reuben, and his team to ask about what events are coming up next!
#13 Full moon party
Gili Air is also home to big full moon parties. A full moon party Gili Air style is not to be missed, and involves trance, techno and house DJs, fire dancers, and flowing booze. Normally these epic full moon parties are held each full moon at Lucky’s Bar or Cheeky Monkey, but look out for posters, check the Gili Air Events Community Facebook groups or ask a local to be sure. The best part is that most of the profits of the party will go to locals on the island.
#14 Relaxing on the beach
One of the Gilis’ most appealing aspects is the soft white sandy beaches. Gili Air beach is a vision of paradise. It’s nice to spend some time doing not much of anything at all on the beach. You can either chill on some beanbags at a beach bar or find a bit of beach to have all to yourself and pretend you’re on a desert island.
#15 Keeping fit at the gym
If you’re anything like the writer of this guide, you can skip ahead to the next one! But for the gym rats, you’ll be delighted to know there is a gym on the island. Holiday Fit Gili Air Gym Center is a well-equipped gym, even in the eyes of most fitness fanatics, that is open from 7 am to 8 pm every day. For just IDR 100,000 (USD 6), you can use the gym for one week.
#16 Boat trips
There are several boat trips you can embark on from Gili Air. You can do day trips for snorkelling and fishing—usually you’ll then later BBQ the fish you’ve caught on the beach! The snorkelling tours will take you around the three Gili Islands to explore all the top snorkelling sites, and you’re pretty much guaranteed to spot some turtles.
You can also do yacht trips further afield, including to Lombok, Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, Flores, Komodo (the place with dragons!), and other islands. There are loads of companies offering these services that you’ll see advertising their tours as you walk around the island.
Don’t go with the first company you talk to, but compare prices and packages first. It’s generally possible to haggle on the price, especially if there are several of you going or you can show them that a similar tour is offered cheaper elsewhere.
#17 Responsible tourism
While partying and going on boat trips are great ways to spend your well-deserved holiday, it can be nice to give back to the environment and community that you’re visiting.
Gili Shark Conservation (GSC) is based on Gili Air and offers a paid (by you) volunteering experience as a shark conservation assistant research diver. GSC’s mission is to protect and restore the coral reef environment and to help build the first recognised shark nursery in Indonesia by 2025. Get more info here.
Beach clean-ups are another fantastic way to volunteer your time to this beautiful island. Indonesia’s trash problem is at breaking point—beach clean-ups prevent plastic from reentering the ocean and keep the island looking its best. Oceans 5 Dive Resort runs a weekly clean-up every Friday at 4 pm. You can also check the Gili Air community Facebook page to find out the details of any other beach clean-ups. Epic!