After a pretty crazy experience climbing Mount Rinjani in Lombok, a reward for my hardship was at hand. Right after Mt Rinjani, I split up with my friends and headed for a paradise to rest my body and soul for a few days. That paradise is one of the Gili islands, Gili Trawangan. Gili Trawangan is the most popular out of the 3 islands (Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno, and Gili Air), and I was bombarded with backpackers and loud noises from parties as I arrived on the island late in the evening. All was not lost though, as you will find out below, you can always find solitude in this small island.
Day 4 - 5: A Walk around the Gili Trawangan island
As you arrive, you will be welcomed by a beautiful white beach with stunningly clear water.
I started my walk from the east side of the island and walked towards the north. It's so much nicer out here without all the backpackers.
The beaches here are great for snorkeling, but not so much for swimming because of the shallow water with sharp rocks in them.
- Panda Cottage (Budget)
- Belukar (Mid-Range) 👍 Top Pick
- Pearl of Trawangan (High-End)
- 5H All Inclusive Breakfast &Snorkeling Cruise on Utopia Catamaran (5 hours)
- Half-Day Private Guided Snorkeling With Turtle And Statute (4 hours)
- Snorkeling with turtle and statue in Gilis (1 to 5 hours)
The Gili islands' facilities cater to those who are looking for a nice laid-back day. Imagine sitting here, sipping beer, overlooking Lombok island and the beautiful Mt Rinjani from afar.
As I walked toward the east coast, I started to see more high-end accommodations with considerably fewer people. I believe this was a wedding aisle built for couples who want to get married in this paradise.
As I walked further east, I stumbled upon this lone wooden swing in the middle of the shallow sea. I took the opportunity to jump on it and captured this photo. Stunning, isn't it? :)
Do you want to know how shallow it was? I took this from the beach with maximum zoom on my camera, and the water level is still knee-high.
The east part is definitely the calmest, most beautiful part of the island. If you have time, do go for a walk.
As I approached the south side of the island, the beach started to become rocky again. Still, a stunning view nonetheless.
I found a very nice abandoned wooden platform at the south of the island. It was perfect for me to rest a bit from the walk and enjoy the breeze of Indonesian air.
As the sun was about to set, I decided to set up camp at the Paradise Sunset Bar at the southern tip of the island to thoroughly enjoy the sunset.
The bar set itself at the perfect spot to watch the sunset behind Mount Agung, the tallest mountain in Bali.
You don't actually have to be at the bar to get access to the beach. You can just sit nearby and enjoy the same view I did.
This was where I met Friso and Michelle, a couple from Holland. We talked about all sorts of stuff, from the cultural differences (did you know that in parts of Europe, you have to pay taxes for dogs and cats?) to career futures. Michelle has a great website sharing recipes for models who want to be healthy in the modeling world. Even though it's in Dutch, do check out her website.
Nighttime approached, so it was time to find something local and cheap to eat. As I approached civilization, I stumbled upon a night market in the southern part of the east coast. This was a great place to eat local cuisine at a reasonable price and mingle with the locals.
Or you can choose a higher-end western restaurant for some seafood. I much rather prefer the night market.
Day 6: Sunrise and then Goodbye
I ended up walking the whole day on my fifth day in Indonesia, so I decided to wake up early on my sixth day and stroll down the beach to watch the sunrise. This is what I saw.
A stunning view of Mt Rinjani and Lombok is cast by the sunrise.
There is always a sense of wonder when I stare at the sunrise during my travels. The gradient of the sky is just too captivating to sleep in.
I could even hold the sun!
The sun, casting shadows on rocks, made it even more beautiful!
And the end of paradise has arrived. In the afternoon, I took a speedboat to Bali and spent 3 days just resting and mingling with other travelers. I was so drained by the trek that I barely took the time to plan what I wanted to do on my second visit to Bali, so I ended up doing nothing worthy for another entry in the journal. Heck, I didn't even take more than 10 photos during my stay there.
I hope you enjoyed the final entry of the Solo Traveler's Journal #11. Next up, you will be following me on an adventure across the land of nature in the southern hemisphere: New Zealand, for a whole month. So, stay tuned!
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11 Comments
Great article and <3 ly pictures :)
Hi, what camera are you using to take your photos? For both your NZ and indo trip :D
Btw, i really love your blog man. Keep it up! :D
Dear Pete, I'd love to include the picture of the swing in our article about the best swings in the world, with your credits of course. Can you let me know if this is oke for you? anouk@theblankmap.com
Amazing pic ! Where is this lovely swing, is it close to a "famous" place in Gili ?
If you walk around the Gili T island (takes 2 hours~) you will not miss it :) It's the opposite side from the main backpacking area.
Hey! cool article and video, love it! btw which speed boat you took to get to Bali?
I just walked along the main Gili road and asked travel agency near there. They arranged everything else. :)
Awesome mann! 3D2N trek seems tough! I think i might do 2D1N instead:)
Haha. If you are quite experienced that I don't see why not! :)