The largest of the three islands, Gili Trawangan attracts the majority of visitors, it is around thirty minutes boat ride from the northwest mainland of Lombok and regular daily fast boats depart Bali directly to Trawangan. Most boats make a pick-up at Teluk Nare on mainland Lombok as part of the return journey.

Hawkers are not so much of an issue on Gili Trawangan as in Bali; you’re likely to attract a friendly conversation from the locals rather than a sales pitch.

With over twenty-five dive sites surrounding all three islands there are opportunities to dive or snorkel on any of the Gilis regardless of where you stay.

Most visitors head straight to Gili Trawangan for the facilities and make the short hop out to the dive sites. Each dive school has its own fleet of traditional outrigger boats that ferry divers offshore to the walls and reefs where the best diving is to be found.

Aside from the obvious lure of snorkelling and diving, sunbathing and bar-hopping, Gili Trawangan has a fair amount of distractions to keep visitors both amused and entertained throughout the course of their vacation.

Fishing trips and charters can be made with the local outrigger fishing boats who offer day trips with line fishing and trawling.

The Bio Rocks are an environmental initiative set up by the Gili Eco Trust that over the last ten plus years has hosted an annual Bio Rock workshop on Gili Trawangan. The artificial metal reef cages are fed a constant voltage of electricity to encourage coral regeneration and are a natural attraction for all forms of marine life. There are now thirty three individual projects in the Gilis and it’s possible to snorkel or dive around them. There’s even a PADI specialty course tailored to educate and involve a wider community.