Gili Trawangan

Gili Trawangan is the largest and most popular of the three Gili Islands, a coral archipelago off the north-west coast of Lombok, 35 km east of Bali. The island is roughly 3 km long and 2 km wide — a full bike loop takes about 45 minutes — and has built a global reputation for the clarity of its water and the ease with which travellers can snorkel with sea turtles straight from shore. No motorised vehicles are allowed on the island: visitors get around by bicycle or cidomo (traditional horse-drawn cart), giving Gili Trawangan a distinctive end-of-the-world atmosphere that is hard to replicate anywhere else in Southeast Asia.

The island has two contrasting sides depending on which coast you look at. The eastern shoreline, facing Lombok, concentrates the hotels, restaurants and nightlife — Gili Trawangan's beach parties have a reputation that reaches as far as Sydney and Berlin. The western and northern coasts are quieter, with immaculate white-sand beaches, coconut palms and a clean view of Mount Rinjani (3,726 m), the volcano of Lombok, cut sharply against the blue sky as a backdrop. Whichever side you base on, the rhythm settles in fast: snorkel session in the morning, slow lunch by the water, dive or beach loop in the afternoon, sunset on the western shore. It is one of the most photogenic and most easygoing addresses in Indonesia.