Lombok - Gili Islands

5th-6th Dec 2013

The next morning, we woke up early for breakfast. Today is our final chance to get to the Gili Islands after procrastinating for the past few days. Here's why...

There were numerous agents selling tickets to the Gili Island. I had a hard time picking one that's reliable from the Senggigi tourist strip. There's the cheapest option to take the public boat to the island from Bangsal harbour, which I heard had lots of touts and people being cheated there. Then, there's an option to get away from the hassle by chartering a private boat just like the agent we met on the first day. Prices differ from IDR10,000 to IDR600,000 per pax. That got me really confused. We asked Sunset House the other day and they offered their private boat & hotel pick up service for IDR600,000 per pax. Then I asked why the agent the other day offered the same price but it's for 2 person. She looked at me and said, it would not be that cheap. Probably it's only a one way trip to the islands. What? We got a brochure from the street - Scoot Fast Boat. The return price stated in the brochure was decent and I wanted to verify with the hotel if this is a good choice. The Senggigi Beach Hotel personnel sat down with us and the conversation turned into them promoting their own private tour to the island. The Scoot Fast Boat they believed does not stop over in Senggigi but will go direct to Bali. I just wanted to get a boat to Gili Trawangan. Why is it turning to be so hard? Then, I decided to take the matter in my own hands and call them myself. A lady on the other end told me they can only bring us to the island but they do not have a boat back to Senggigi. Whaaat? Then what does the return price mean in the brochure? I hung up and was pretty @#@$%

Then, I remembered I saw Perama tour the other day. They offered a Gili exploration tour for IDR300,000 per pax. I called them up only to find out IDR300,000 was for a 1 way trip for a person. What's up with them selling ticket this way expecting people to stay in the Gili forever? I noticed that every agent will either give you the price of one when you asks for two. Or they give you a one way ticket price. Whichever that sounds lower to the tourists ears. I decided to just book a return trip inclusive of hotel transfer to Gili Trawangan which costs IDR300,000 per pax. Hung up the phone and hope for the best. 

Back to breakfast...

The resort offers one of the best variety on the breakfast table. 

The Perama bus did arrive at 8am. A dutch couple from our hotel also booked the tour. The bus took us north and we went past the villas we saw the other day. We went further up and saw hidden beaches flanked by high cliffs. If we knew, we would have come further up here the other day. As we reached the top of a hill, before my eyes, I saw the famous islands lining up on the blue waters - Gili Air, Gili Meno & Gili Trawangan. I am bubbling with excitement now.

The bus made its way inside a kampung and stopped in a secluded spot. We took the glass bottom boat and headed to the Gilis.

On our left we can see Bali's Mount Agung. Here's the domineering Mount Rinjani on our right.

The three flat Gilis neatly lined up over the horizon.

Finally, we arrived in Gili Trawangan.

The water is clear but I can't see any live corals at the shore.

We walked around the street filled with restaurants, bars, shops and hotels.

Where's my boat?

A hidden toilet but you might get stuck getting into it.

The turtle conservation site. There were lots of turtles here waiting to grow up and release back to the sea. 

Food for the turtles

Naturally, these turtles have a built in compass and kept swimming towards the direction of the sea.

We rented bicycles to explore the island. We got an offer of IDR60,000 for 2 bikes and we can use it until we leave the island. We rode up north. The beach in this area was empty so we had it all to ourselves but not for long as it's really hot here.

We rode deeper and just behind the bustling main street of Trawangan lies the true facade of the island where villagers lived.

Streets are narrow and we have to be careful not to be trampled by cidomos or run into someone. Which I almost did a few times :p

Moving back to the main street, we headed down south. Hotels and restaurants placed beautiful get up for sun lovers. We wanted to find a snorkel spot. Far away from those boats.

Then, we found the spot. 

The infamous beach jumping act.

We nestled upon this tree while gearing up for snorkels. The coral sanded beach with crystal waters. There was barely any fish in the waters. Corals are dead. We decided to move further up to snorkel. It was even more disappointing as the scene is the same with practically no life .below Well, if you ever go to Gili Trawangan, spare your effort and just go diving if you wanted to see underwater life. 

After basking in the sun, all I needed was to have a cool drink in an air-conditioned place. We stopped by at Kayu cafe.

At 3PM, we boarded our boat back to Senggigi. As evening falls, water became choppy. That is why boats are not allowed to depart after 5PM. People prone to sea-sick, this is not the ride for you unless you take the sea sick pill. Otherwise, it's probably a better idea to take one of the fast boats. We headed over to Gili Air to pick up our dutch friends who opted to explore the three islands. As we approached the island, I saw giant corals, fish and reefs from our glass bottom boat. Amidst the bumpy ride, I got so excited at the spectacular sight. The dutch couple has since turned red from the sun. They said Gili Air was the better snorkelling site. Gili Meno has nothing much and Gili Trawangan was more for the party people. That was true as I only saw sea life on the way to Gili Air. I guess the less popular Gili Air still has underwater life to boast while the overly popular Trawangan has since been trampled by people.


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This morning, we skipped breakfast as our stomach are still not awake. We don't want to miss our 8am bus to the airport and set on foot to the bus stop at 7.10am. We were again approached by drivers but as of now, we got used to them already and just said "We already got a ride". With our slow stroll, we made it to the bus stop in just15 minutes. The bus arrived and departed on time. This time, we got a shiny & new bus with its spotless windows.

Passing by the bustling Mataram market

We arrived in the airport in just 1.5 hours even after stopping for quite some time in the Mataram station. The security guards ensured only ticketed passengers can enter the departure hall. We checked in our bags and have some more Indonesian food before we leave. Upon departure, one has to pay IDR100,000 airport charge. So, remember to keep the cash. [Update: The departure charge of IDR100,000 is now included in most of the flight fare. Check with your airline for updates]

Ayam Taliwang (IDR50,000)...a skinny whole chick with kangkung, taugeh, sprouts and sambal. The sambal sauce was simply yummy.

Nasi Ayam (IDR40,000) which I think has more meat than my whole chick. 

Overall, I think Lombok is a pretty decent vacation spot. We didn't explore the villages famous for their handicrafts because hey, I see them all the time in my country too. In some countries, when you wander off somewhere, you might stumble upon some interesting sites along the way. In Lombok, attractions are pretty far away from each other so it's recommended that you do your research and hit your desired spots in this island. I still prefer Bali though as you can see from my Bali trip #1 & Bali trip #2.