Gili Air is a tiny, idyllic island off the coast of Lombok, known for its laid-back vibe and the absence of cars and other motorised vehicles. It is part of a group of three islands referred to as the Gili Islands, which all have their own distinctive personality. Gili Trawangan (also known as Gili T) is the party island, Gili Meno is the quietest of the three and Gili Air sits somewhere in between.
Despite its relaxed feel, there are still plenty of things to do on Gili Air to keep the whole family entertained – and in this guide we are going to give you the lowdown after we recently spent 5 days on the island.
What Can You Do On Gili Air
Let’s be honest, you could sit back and do nothing other than eat, drink and relax while watching sunrise and sunsets with your time on Gili Air – but if you want to fill those hours between then here’s my top recommendations…
Cycle Around The Island
As there are no cars, cycling around the island is really easy and safe. We hired bikes for 50,000 IDR a day each (just over £2).
You can hire them from various places around the island or ask your hotel or host to organise it for you. Initially, we only hired them for the first couple of days, but we ended up keeping them for our whole stay.
The island is really flat so riding around was easy and you can go from one side to the other in about 10 minutes. The only tricky bits to cycle are the beach roads which sometimes have sand on so you have to get off and push for a little bit.
My daughters loved the freedom of being able to hop on their bike to go to the beaches on the west which are made up of beautiful soft, white sand or to pop to a nearby cafe for breakfast. By hiring bikes we got to see all of the island with little effort and there’s nothing better than riding along with the wind in your hair on the way back from the beach.
Snorkelling
Gili Air offers great snorkelling spots all along the coast, but the best place to see plenty of fish, as well as turtles, is to the north east of the island. There are lots of places along the coast where you can hire snorkelling gear and you don’t have to swim out very far to see turtles and an array of colourful fish. The turtles have become very used to humans and are not worried by your presence but still be careful to give them space and don’t try to touch them.
If you want to explore the a bit further you can book a snorkelling trip. Most trips have about 4 or 5 stops where you can jump into the crystal clear waters and snorkel, including the underwater statues just off the coast of Gili Meno.
You can opt for a private boat or join a group trip, on both of which your guide will help you spot turtles and show you the best places to swim to avoid dangerous currents.
Watch Sunset From A Beanbag On The Beach
Watching sunset is probably one of the most inexpensive things you can do and definitely one of my favourite. All the beach bars along the north and west coast have amazing views of the sunset and many have sunset happy hours where drinks are reduced or they have ‘buy one get one free’ offers. Whether you want to sip on a cocktail or enjoy a fresh coconut its the perfect way to enjoy golden hour.
Obviously you can just take along your own beach towel and its completely free!
Food Glorious Food
We discovered some amazing places to eat on Gili Air, ranging from beachfront restaurants with stunning views to charming little cafés set in gardens where some of the ingredients are grown.
For such a small island, the variety of food options was surprisingly impressive. Whether you’re craving super-healthy poke bowls or indulgent French cuisine, Gili Air has the perfect restaurant for you. The pizza we had at a small Italian spot near the harbour was the best we’ve ever had outside of Italy, and the brunch at Barefoot Blondie was simply perfect. Want some tips? Check out our guide to the best restaurants on Gili Air.
Yoga With A Seaview
Gili Air has plenty of yoga studios to choose from, but Flowers and Fire is my favourite. Each morning at 7 a.m., they host a sunrise yoga session in their first-floor shala, with breathtaking views straight out to sea—pure bliss! It’s the perfect way to begin the day in such a beautiful, peaceful setting. They also run sessions at different times throughout the day, but I especially loved cycling across the island in the early morning, while it was still waking up.
Horse Riding On The Beach
Riding along the beach on horseback is my youngest daughters idea of heaven. She had seen people trotting along the beach as we sat there watching the sun set and decided that this would be the perfect thing to do on our last night in Gili Air. Unfortunately, there are only a couple of companies that offer horse riding in Gili Air so if you want to do it at sunrise or sunset you definitely need to book in advance, as we found out to my daughter’s disappointment. However, we have promised her we will return so she can do it in the future (no hardship to us). I have to admit that I am tempted to join her as it looked like so much fun and such a great experience. The cost is about 450, 000 IDR for 1 hour so its one of the more expensive activities you can do but its definitely on my list of things to do when we return.
Play Padel
Padel has become very popular recently but we were still surprised to find a padel court on Gili Air. My husband is a massive fan so was excited to find out that there is a WhatsApp group that you can join to organise a game of padel (as none of the rest of the family wanted to play). After an hour or so of arriving he had arranged a game of padel for the next day with 3 Italian men.
He said the court was great and found out it was only built this year. To top it all off, its next to a lovely little Italian cafe serving great coffee and cakes.
Get A Relaxing Massage
There are lots of places to get a massage or beauty treatment in Gili Air but if you want to visit one with good ratings you do need to book in advance (unlike other places we have visited in Bali). You can choose from a massage on a bed right next to the sea or opt for one of the cute little spas tucked away down the side streets that zigzag across the island. Spa Bonita offers an array of relaxing treatments including manicures and facials. I had an amazing massage and facial and came away feeling relaxed and refreshed.
Visit The Other Gilis
Exploring the neighboring Gili Islands from Gili Air is a breeze. The most budget-friendly option is the Island Hopping boat, which operates twice daily—one run in the morning and another in the afternoon (weather permitting). While affordable, this option is fairly restrictive if you’re aiming for flexibility.
For greater frequency, public boats run hourly between Gili Air and Gili Trawangan, with fares typically ranging from around IDR 13,000 to IDR 40,000 (approximately €0.80 to €2.50). The journey takes around 25 minutes. Some services may stop at Gili Meno on the way, which can extend travel time slightly.
If speed is what you’re after, fast boats are your best friend—departing hourly, with ride times sometimes as low as 15 minutes, depending on the operator. However, it’s wise to book these in advance. Popular departure times—like early morning or late afternoon—tend to fill up quickly
Shop In The Bohemian Boutiques
We enjoyed a good few hours wandering in and out of the cute little boutiques that line the main streets of Gili Air. It was a favourite after dinner activity for me and my daughters. We loved browsing the handcrafted jewellery, artisan chocolates and cool sustainable clothes shops. They also have the little stalls selling bracelets, sarongs and all sorts of things from home made coconut oil to carved turtles. You’ll need to bargain hard here to get a good price—but that quickly became a fun game for us, competing to see who could score the biggest discount (we ended up bringing home a pile of bracelets!).
How To Get To Gili Air
After reading some horror stories about boats around Bali and the rough crossings to nearby islands, we did a lot of research before booking our trip. We decided to spend a few nights in Lombok before heading to Gili Air, so we booked a fast ferry with Ekajaya. From reading hundreds of reviews, we found they were the safest and most reliable company around.
The ferry departs from Padang Bai in Bali and makes stops in Lombok, then Gili Air, Gili Meno, and finally Gili T, before returning to Padang Bai.
If, like us, you’re already in Lombok, you can hire a speedboat from Bangsal Port near Senggigi for around 350,000 IDR (just like on Race Across the World).
Gili Air completely won our hearts, and the five days we thought might feel too long on such a small island flew by in no time. We were sad to leave the relaxed, chilled out island that seemed a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of Bali but I have no doubt that we will be returning soon.