Best Time to Visit Gili Islands

Geographical location: Gili Islands

The Gili Islands are a small group of islands in the northwest of the Indonesian island of Lombok. The archipelago consists of the three sister islands Gili Meno, Gili Air and Gili Trawangan.

The Gili Islands have enjoyed great popularity for years, especially among backpackers, but small boutique hotels with high standards have long since found their way to the island paradises. From Bali the Gili Islands are best reached by speedboat in about 1.5 hours from the ferry port Padang Bai.

Gili Trawangan is the largest and best-known of the three Gilis, and is also often described as a party island. In fact, Trawangan has a collection of hip bars and restaurants with live music. But there is no real hustle and bustle – for example in comparison to Kuta in Bali: To this day, the Gili Islands prefer to travel on foot or by horse-drawn carriage.

Since there are no real roads, motorized vehicles are also unusual. This applies all the more to the smaller islands of Gili Meno and Gili Air. While Gili Meno is perfect for relaxing, Gili Air offers travellers just the right mix of great beaches, fantastic restaurants and pleasant relaxation.

Climate on the Gili Islands

The climate of the Gili Islands does not differ from that of the directly neighbouring main island Lombok. Due to its location just south of the equator, the region is characterised by an alternatingly humid climate, which is known as monsoonal-tropical. This means high humidity and warm tropical temperatures all year round.

Compared to Bali, Lombok and the Gili Islands have less rainfall. But the rainy season is also noticeable on Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan. From mid-October there is a change in the weather, November is on average the wettest and most uncomfortable month in terms of weather records.

The rainy season generally runs from about the end of October to the end of March. In recent years, however, there has been heavy precipitation during the dry season as well as several weeks without serious precipitation during the actual rainy season. The inhabitants therefore like to speak of the “weather diva”, who has become somewhat moody.