The Ultimate Gili Trawangan Itinerary: Reggae, sea turtles, and epic sunsets
There’s just something about Gili Trawangan, man.
With crystal clear water, no vehicles, epic sunsets, and plenty of sea turtles, it’s easy to see just why Gili T is so magical. I spent three days here on my 3 week Bali itinerary, and I genuinely had the time of my life. The Gili islands are the epitome of island life, and I enjoyed every second of this ultimate Gili Trawangan itinerary.
While not ~technically~ part of Bali, lots of people add it onto their itinerary because of it’s close proximity to the island of Bali. And let’s be for real - when somebody thinks of Bali beaches, their brain doesn’t pull up a picture of Canggu, that’s for sure. Maybe they’ll picture a beach in Uluwatu, but chances are, if you’re looking for tropical, turquoise water, you’ll think of Gili T.
How to get to Gili Trawangan
Because the Gili islands are, well, islands, they do take a little bit of planning to get to. Luckily, if you’re staying at either a hotel or a hostel, reception can always help you out. I bought a ticket to Gili Trawangan at the front desk of my hostel, and it included a minivan transfer to Padang Bai, the port where the ferries leave from, as well as the ferry ticket itself.
The port can be pretty chaotic, but everyone always ends up where they need to go. I don’t know how they do it in Southeast Asia, but despite the chaos, everything always turns out. So don’t worry if the journey seems a little crazy!
ft. my only two pictures from the port - but trust me - the destination is SO worth the little bit of extra hassle it takes to get there. Persevere for paradise.
Typically Gili Trawangan is the first stop, and then the ferry will head over to Gili Meno and Gili Air, the other two Gili islands. They get progressively smaller, and while I did visit all three, I loved the slightly more social vibe of Gili T the most.
How to get around in Gili T
In what I saw as one of the most refreshing aspects of island life on Gili T, there are no motorized vehicles! Most everyone gets around via bicycle. Some of the roads are really sandy, which makes this slightly difficult, but it was such a fun experience overall.
Immediately upon arrival, I rented a bike for the whole time I was going to be on the island. I figured that I would want to be able to bike back to the port on my departure date, and so I chose a bike rental as close to the port as possible, where I could return my bike and walk 1 minute to the boat! It ended up working out really well.
But that might just be because I travel with only a backpack, and I was able to bike to my accommodation because of that. If you have suitcases, there are horses and carriages that also serve as a form of transportation. Unfortunately, because of the sheer heat and the way some of the horses appeared, I couldn’t, in good conscience, get into one of those carriages; lots of people felt the same because loads of people were simply walking to their hotels, dragging their suitcases through the sand. Gili T isn’t that big, after all.
If you can walk or bike for the majority of your time there, I’m sure the horses would appreciate you :’)
The Ultimate Gili Trawangan Itinerary:
Day 1
The first day in Gili T is going to be a very chill beach day. Ya know how most beaches have names? Shark bay,
Canggu Beach, St. Thomas beach, etc… well, if you pull up Gili Trawangan on google maps, there’s literally a beach called … you’re not ready for this … “Beach with turtles you can swim with”.
I mean… sign me up?
It’s on the east side of the island, so after I had settled into my hostel and made some fast friends (George and Tom ily!) we set off in search of this legendary beach.
It was genuinely a beautiful beach, and we rented some cheap beach chairs and camped out for the day. I put the drone up, ate some nasi goreng, and rented a snorkel mask from a local vendor on the side of the road for maybe 2 dollars. The beach was so calm and not crowded - something that I had been craving after spending nearly a week in Canggu.
After getting some sun, I decided to see if the beach was true to it’s name. I waded into the water - which - ouch?? this beach is mostly made up of sharp pieces of coral, so maybe bring water shoes or just be prepare for a rough journey into the water. After getting deep enough that the sharp coral wasn’t an issue, I swam a little loop up and down the beach, keeping my eyes peeled.
I didn’t have to look for long! I quickly came across a cute little sea turtle that appeared to be sleeping under a rock. It was my first sea turtle sighting, and I let out a little shriek into my snorkel - desperately wishing I had some sort of underwater camera. After staring at this cute little guy for probably 5 minutes, I set out again, hoping to see a turtle that was a little more active.
And boy did I find him - him and his friend! After about ten more minutes of looking around, I found two turtle bumping into each other, swimming to the surface for air, and generally just showing off. It literally looked like they were playing with each other, and I watched them until they swam out too far and disappeared.
(Mildly horrific photo airdropped from some random girl who had a waterproof phone case :’) The things I do for you guys smh
It was just me and two other swimmers (shoutout underwater camera girl) who got to share that moment with the turtles, something that I would come to appreciate so much more once I went on a snorkel tour later on in the Gili Trawangan itinerary.
After that magical moment, I decided to dry off and ride my bike around the perimeter of the island, just getting my bearings and seeing what Gili T had to offer.
On this little bike ride, I noted a brunch spot (highly recommended - keep reading!), a beach-front movie theater on the northwest side of the island that I grabbed the schedule for, lots of the iconic Gili swings that sit in the shallows of the ocean (unfortunately very dilapidated and torn up, probably from Covid and the lack of tourism), and a row of bars that I decided to come back to after dinner.
I ate dinner at my hostel - and let me brag about the hostel I stayed in for a second.
As I traveled through southeast Asia, I stayed quite frequently in a chain of hostels called Mad Monkey. I always had the time of my life and made the best friends, and the location on Gili T was no exception. They led snorkel tours, had game nights, foam parties, and some really good food. A lot of people who didn’t even stay there came for the food! The poke bowl was to die for.
Although it was a little disconnected from the rest of the island, it sat right on the ocean front, on the west side of the island - giving the most gorgeous view of the sunset every single day. I mean - LOOK at it. Love. Highly recommend.
Anyways, I wrangled my newfound friends and we set off on our bikes, a beer in one hand a handlebar in the other, to go find the legendary reggae bar of the island - it’s name is Sama Sama.
Not gonna lie - I didn’t branch out much when it came to nightlife on Gili Trawangan. I fell in love with the live music there and came back every night. But, if reggae isn’t your vibe, there are loads of other places along the same main street where Sama Sama is for you to choose from.
Biking back to the hostel was an absolute mission in the pitch black several drinks later, (no streetlights = phone flashlights and one handed bike-riding) but it sure made for some funny memories.
Day 2
One of the best things to add to your Gili Trawangan Itinerary is a snorkel tour through all the Gili islands. I booked mine through my hostel, but you can honestly go to the main strip and sign up for a tour - they all typically go the same route!
You’ll stop by the sunken statues of Gili Meno (which are honestly one of the worst instagram vs reality moments I’ve ever had in my life), go swimming with more sea turtles, and the one I went on stopped at Gili Air as well where we swam with a crazy amount of tropical fish.
I bought a super dodgy plastic underwater camera bag - which did NOT keep my phone dry by the way. I got a few pictures, but had a minor panic attack when my phone took forever to start charging. Would not recommend - and I’m already looking into an underwater camera setup for my next backpacking trip so I can actually have some nice photos for posts like these that are so heavily water-activity based.
I’ll be honest, this snorkel tour was good, but nothing beats good old Beach With Turtles You Can Swim With. The Gili Meno statue had people absolutely SWARMING, standing on the statues head to take a break from swimming (yes they’re that shallow), the poor turtles had so many people competing to get close to them (and even TOUCH them), and even though my specific group was small, there were a million other groups that all had the same agenda so it felt so crowded.
If that’s an issue for you, maybe consider going really early in a private chartered boat. While it was a little hectic, we still had fun laughing about the instagram vs. reality of it all, got some cute-ish pictures, and to be fair, any day spent in the presence of sea turtles is a day well spent in my opinion.
After coming back to the hostel, I showered, ate some food to settle my stomach (I get HORRIBLE sea sickness. It’s my least favorite part about me), and was so exhausted that I decided to call it a night. I headed over to catch a movie at the outdoor, beach front movie theater, watched the (EPIC) sunset, and skipped going out.
The snorkel trip is exhausting so just keep that in mind when making plans for the rest of the day.
Sidebar -> the volcano in the distance?? EPIC.
Day 3
Unfortunately, the last day of our Gili Trawangan itinerary has arrived.
Fair warning - you may or may not want to switch the itinerary around, as today we’re headed on a boat party that only happens every Wednesday and Saturday. One of the other popular hostels on the island, called My Mate’s Place (I know - definitely makes for some funny and confusing conversations), runs a boat tour around the island twice a week.
It’ll generally run you about 10 USD, and although my time in the Gili Islands unfortunately did not fall on EITHER of these days - devastating - I’ve heard it’s so much fun and a must-do while visiting Gili Trawangan.
Start the day off with a filling brunch from a cute little cafe on the east side of the island called Coffee and Thyme before embarking on the boat - just LOOK at this smoothie bowl and creme brulee latte? I wish I had come here every day for breakfast.
Picture on the right is not the brunch place - but it is a restaurant! feel free to check it out and let me know how it is:)
Of course, if you’re not necessarily on the backpacker social vibe, you can always get a private boat and have a little more of a romantic moment sailing through the Gili Islands.
In the evening, book a sunset horseback riding adventure through Stud Horse Riding and Rescue. There will be loads of locals offering their horse to you for a photo op while the sun goes down, but while traveling, it’s so important to keep ethics in mind.
The shallows of the ocean off the coast of the island are full of sharp rocks - as I’m sure you’ll discover, and so many guides have their horses walking out into the water to get the perfect sunset photo - which pained me to watch. Maybe the horses don’t mind, but an ethical horse ranch like Stud will still give you that epic horseback riding island adventure AND you can leave with a clean conscience.
Spend your last out night dancing to Reggae music at Sama Sama, and enjoy your last night in Gili T! One thing to note - LOADS of people do mushrooms while on Gili T; it’s apparently the thing to do? As a solo female traveler, that was a hard no from me, but the option is there if that’s your vibe.
Honorable Mention
I mention this because if might not be up everyone’s alley (or in their capability), but Gili Trawangan has some of the best Scuba Diving in the world - and if you’re certified, be sure to check out some of the dive shops across the island!
I wasn’t certified at the time, and I was waiting to learn where it was cheaper over in Thailand, but not scuba diving in Gili Trawangan is one of my biggest regrets.
If you have even more time in Gili T, consider getting certified! The water is crystal clear and conditions are impeccable more often than not! It would be an incredible experience.
That wraps up the perfect 3 day Gili Trawangan Itinerary!
I had the time of my life in Gili Trawangan! I sincerely hope you get the chance to visit this little slice of Indonesian paradise. It had by FAR the best beaches I experienced on my 3 week Bali trip, immaculate island vibes, and although it was a little dilapidated and under repair since I went post-covid, Gili T is slowly getting back to where it used to be.
From Gili, I headed to another island called Nusa Penida instead of heading back to mainland Bali - so stay tuned for a whirlwind roadtrip around what we’ve lovingly deemed “Instagram Island”!
HAve you been to Gili Trawangan? Do you have anything to add? Leave a comment Below!
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