Things To Do in Gili Air
What’s unique about the Gili Islands is that there are no cars at all. Gili Air is so small that within 30 minutes you can explore the entire island by bicycle. The local transport here goes by bike, electric bikes or horse taxis. However, in general, we don’t recommend taking a horse taxi since it is known that they’re not treated well.
Tip: You can find three ATMs on the southern side of Gili Air, and one on the north side.
1. Local Cooking Class Gili Air
Indonesian cuisine is a vibrant and delicious mix of colors and flavors. Learn about the ingredients and what is served by following a Gili cooking class. Prepare your own meal and sambal at Waroeng Alam Damai; this wonderful man offers his cooking class entirely for free!
This was one of our favorite things to do on the island, giving us a good glimpse into the food culture here. Pay for your food and give the owner a tip for being such a wonderful person :).
Note: Cooking classes are usually done before lunchtime.
2. Snorkel at the sculptures
Explore the underwater world of the Gili Islands. Just of the coast of Gili Meno you’ll find underwater sculptures meant as a diving site and home to countless fish. Once you put your goggles on and dive below, you will discover an entirely new world. Read more about the Gili underwater sculptures.
Gili Meno is a short 15-minute boat trip from Gili Air. We highly recommend this as it was our absolute favorite thing to do on the islands.
3. Live music on the beach
Grab one of the beanbags at Gili Lumbung Beachclub, enjoy live music and watch the sun drop into the ocean with in the background Bali’s iconic volcano.
4. Join a beach cleanup
Unfortunately, we all need to make sure paradise remains paradise. Clean-ups are needed all over the world, and luckily organizations like TrashHero organize these weekly! We always find this a great way to meet people, and the cleaning only takes one or two hours in the morning or afternoon. Read more on how to reduce plastic and travel plastic-free!
For tickets to Gili Air, contact our good friend Yande below or purchase tickets online.
5. Bike around the island
One of the best things to do in Gili Air is to rent a bike and explore the island. Follow the beach and discover all the nice beach clubs, or bike through the center and watch a bit of the local life, coconut farms, and find the best restaurants.
Bike rentals are located near the boat pier or at your hotel.
6. Swing at the beach
Have a swing at one of the many swings around Gili Air. They are owned by the beach clubs but don’t worry; It’s usually totally free to swing. Our favorite one is the pink swing located at PinkCoco.
The swings are there for your perfect travel photo on Instagram. Different from Gili Trawangan, these swings have no lines to stand in to get a photo on. And, during sunset, the swings become even more magical! This is our favorite time to go snap some pictures, just when the sun is setting and the clouds color a beautiful pink.
For tickets to Gili Air, contact our good friend Yande below or purchase tickets online.
7. Best spa on the Gili Islands
The Slow Spa on Gili Air slows you down even more. The stunning bamboo spa offers a wide selection of treatments and is incredibly popular with tourists and expats who are working on the Gili Islands. Slow Spa is part of Slow Villas but accessible for all visitors.
8. Snorkel with turtles on the Gilis
Gili Air is well-known for its super clear turquoise water to snorkel and dive in. The entire northern part of the island is home to sea turtles! So the chance you’ll spot a turtle is quite high. However, don’t swim during low tide, the corals will be too close. You could easily damage the corals or yourself.
Also see: Nusa Lembongan & Nusa Ceningan Guide
9. Sunset on the west side
The very best sunsets are on the west side of Gili Air. During a cloudless day, you can even spot Mount Agung on Bali in the backdrop.
10. Subwing
Maneuver like a manta ray through the underwater world while a boat pulls you through the water. Subwinging is an awesome thing to do on Gili Air for all those thrill-seekers.
Must read: 3-week Indonesia Route
Where to Stay in Gili Air
The island offers a wide range of hotels and guesthouses for every kind of budget. We’ve been a few times and try to stay in a different area every time.
Restaurants in Gili Air
Although it is such a small island, it owns some delicious restaurants of both local and international kitchens. Some of our favorites are:
- Warung Sunny (local food)
- Camilla (best sushi)
- Warung Alam Damai (local)
- Gili Bliss (smoothie bowls)
- The Mexican Kitchen (Mexican)
- Pachamama (vegan)
- Classico Italiano (best coffee)
How to Get to the Gili Islands
From Bali, take the fast boat to the Gili Islands. Depending on the boat company, boats run from the harbors of Serangan, Sanur, Padang Bai, or Amed. Expect to pay anywhere between 650.000 and 900.000 IDR (40 – 65 USD) for a return boat ticket to Bali. The price depends on the company, the type of boat, and the season you’re traveling in. On top of that comes the transport to the port, which is between 100.000-150.000 IDR (6-10 euros). Purchase online tickets here.
Order boat tickets
Our good friend Yande offers boat tickets to Gili Air for 750,000 IDR (~46 USD) per person, including a hotel transfer from Bali.
The boat to Gili Air takes 2.5 hours with the fast boat. The drop-off point is the pier in the south part Gili Air.
We have visited the Gili Islands twice, both with quite a rough sea. We recommend you spend a little more money on this trip for extra comfort.
Additionally, it’s good to know that you don’t have to book a return date if you’re not yet sure about the length of your stay. Confirm your return from Gili Air at their office on the island one day in advance.
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Best time to visit Gili Air
The weather is at its best between July and August and December and January. The rain season is officially between November and April but the showers are nothing compared to those on Bali.
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Awesome stuff as always! We follow you guys on IG too.
Planning Ubud with Gili A in late Feb/early March. Are the boat rides usually choppy around this time? Just thinking since we will be traveling with an infant and a 5 yr old.
Hi Supriya and Bharat, thank you for your comment! It’s tough to say what the sea conditions will be like during that time. Though it is the rainy season then, that doesn’t necessarily mean that there’ll be choppy waves. We’d recommend to keep an eye on the wind and weather conditions online before your departure from the mainland and have a flexible schedule. Hope that helps!
Fair enough! Thanks 😊