Bali, in addition to the fact that the island itself, where an incredible number of interesting places are concentrated in a relatively small area, is also attractive because in its immediate vicinity there are 7 other wonderful islands that you can reach in a few hours.
The group of three Gili Islands is perhaps the most popular destination for tourists looking to get somewhere close to Bali. The fact is that in Bali itself there are practically no those “paradise beaches from a postcard” that many people come for. Therefore, after having had your fill of volcanoes, rice terraces and Balinese ceremonies for several days, you can go for a beach holiday on Gili.
It’s easy to imagine the atmosphere of the islands just from the fact that there is no motorized transport there at all – only horses and bicycles.
Gili Meno
This is the smallest, quietest and most peaceful island that can be walked around its perimeter in about an hour. People come here for relaxation. It is most popular among retirees and newlyweds – there are excellent beaches with coral sand, clear water and good snorkeling. You can dive directly from the shore or order a boat and sail on it to deeper waters. There is diving and freediving here, sometimes you can even surf, and of course there are a sufficient number of cafes and restaurants. Unless there are no noisy bars, it’s better to go to Trawangan for them.
Gili Trawangan
Travangan is the largest and most party island in the Gili family. In addition, it is the most expensive, noisy and dirty, and the beaches here are worse – at low tide it becomes quite shallow. This island is popular with young people and those who love noisy parties. In general, if you want to lie on the beach and have a blast in a bar or disco, then this is the place for you.
Gili Air
Gili Air is a medium-sized island, many consider it optimal for relaxation, it is not as noisy as Trawangan, and more lively than Meno. The coastal area here in many places is strewn with colorful corals, which local residents actively use as decorations for restaurants and bungalows.
Lombok
This is a fairly large island that is said to be reminiscent of Bali a couple of decades ago. Lombok is much less touristy, wilder and very pretty in places. The island has a few beaches in the south and east. An increased concentration of tourists is observed at the Rinjani volcano, which is climbed. You can get to Lombok from Bali by plane or ferry – this, by the way, is another way to get to the Gili Islands: with your own transport, take a ferry to Lombok, then take a beautiful road along the coast to the mini-port and from there by boat to Gili.
Nusa Lembongan
Nusa Lembongan is a tourist place where people come for almost the same purposes as on Gili. Here you can lie on the beach, sit in coastal cafes, snorkel or dive. There is a very beautiful place on Lembongan called “Devil’s Tear” – a bay where waves crash against the rocky shore with roar and splashes. Looks very impressive.
Near Lembongan there is another very tiny island, Cheningan, with beautiful rocky bays. It is famous for the fact that there you can jump into the water from a cliff – from a height of 8 or 13 meters.
Nusa Penida
This is an incredibly beautiful and very wild island. It’s worth going here if you want something exotic and something very authentic. The roads here are bad, to get to beautiful places you need to be good with a motorbike and be prepared for the fact that you can easily get a flat tire somewhere far from civilization. The island is 10 times larger than its neighbor, but there are still very few tourists there – not everyone is ready for extreme sports.
Java
Java is the largest of the closest islands to Bali (but not the largest in Indonesia). The capital of Indonesia, Jakarta, is located in Java, but this is not what makes it attractive (there is nothing special to do in Jakarta itself). The most interesting thing is that Java is a volcanic island with 120 volcanoes, of which 30 are active. The most active of them is Merapi (it erupts twice a year). For tourists, the most accessible and interesting volcanoes will be Bromo and Ijen – getting to them is easy, and the impressions from the visit will be very vivid.
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