Having previously had THE BEST Secret Gili Islands experience, my expectations for the more famous Gili Islands were being managed. Just off the north-west coast of Lombok and around two hours in a private car from Kuta Beach Lombok, we hit the jump-off point to the famous Gilis – a triplet of islands called Trawangan, Meno, and Air.
We picked a day trip on Viator after scoping out the Jonny Tour Guide website. We decided not to be so decadent this time and booked a regular, share-with-others kind of tour. Woot! Woot! Nobody else on that tour for the day but us! Our trio of tour enhancers, driver Kiki, boat captain RD (could be Ardi…dunno), and our snorkelling guide Aiming, were attentive, knowledgeable, and really useful at pivoting when the situation required.
We hit Gili Trawangan first, supposedly a good coral snorkel, but yeah, nah. Coral here was grim. We visited three sites, looking for something living and pretty, but only found beige and dead. I guess factors such as global warming, unsustainable tourism practices and irresponsible fishing methods have contributed to this blight. It was disappointing, but not the only drawcard to these magical islands.
On to Gili Meno! I had seen haunting images of the underwater statues at Gili Meno and wanted to bandwagon. There are 48 life-sized statues of couples embracing and lying down, created by the underwater sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor, and called Nest. Googled just then and saw they were made in 2017…oof….they lost some cred lol. Arranged in a round formation to represent the circle of life, they were created as an environment to promote coral growth.
To be honest, they needed a Deli-style numbering system down there. It was hectic! So many snorkellers, diving for that perfect GoPro mo, videobombing each other, ascending and descending into randoms. I like big butts an’ I cannot lie (I know you just sang that while you read it), but surfacing after the obligatory GoPro duck dive, I could have done without the g-banger close-up!
One duck dive, then on to the turtle hunt. While there were heaps of snorkellers in and around the statues, numbers thinned out further afield, and we were essentially on our own in the search for turtles. Our snorkelling guide, Aiming, was the turtle whisperer. He rustled up no less than fifteen, all within a 10-metre snorkel off Gili Meno, and he was a wild man with the GoPro. Just insane vids of majestic turtles slow-mo-ing gracefully in aquamarine waters, us flapping inelegantly in the background.
From Gili Meno to Gili Air, which is hallmarked as the spot for amazing fish. While there were some glorious, petite, psychedelic fish here, I couldn’t help but feel underwhelmed. We had lunch on Gili Air, and while I was chugging beer and wolfing a burger, the Jonny team took my phone and painstakingly downloaded the GoPro app (Wi-Fi on Gili Air…meh) and then uploaded all the amazing videos they took of us.
We had some time to explore Gili Air, and if I stayed on any of the Gilis, this would be the one. You can cycle around the island in 30 minutes, no cars or motorbikes, surrounded by pristine, soft white sand beaches with crystal clear turquoise waters and endless blue skies. The vibe is just calm. It may be small, but it packs a punch with things to do – cooking classes, a bunch of beach swings for those insta moments, spas, snorkelling, subwings, scuba diving and sunsets to name a few. And the food! I am defs going back.
For this day trip, the turtles were the highlight, and Aiming was the W as a vid producer. My recommendation? Gili Meno for turtles, Gili Air for an island escape, and the Secret Gilis for everything else!
