Discover the beauty and life of Gili T. On Gili T, as many call the island, it’s hard to walk 10 metres without passing by a dive shop or a bar. But is the island all party or is there more to it?
Gili Trawangan is the largest and most famous of the Gili Islands. And it does offer a lot making it deserving of its great reputation among backpackers.
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If you want to go scuba diving by day and party by night, Gili Trawangan has what you are looking for. Gili Trawangan is known as the party island of the three Gili islands. And the island offers different parties scattered over the island different days of the week as well as pubcrawls, live music and karaoke nights.
Discover more about Gili T and read more about all three Gili islands here.
Great scuba diving with diverse marine life
If you are looking to explore the magnificent and diverse coral reefs surrounding the Gili Islands, you can book a snorkel tour – or even better; go scuba diving.
If you are a certified diver there are many dive sites you can enjoy. And if you’re a beginner you can either do a Discover Scuba Diving program or – even better – sign up for your PADI Open Water Diver Course.
Visit PADI’s site here (affiliate) to get your eLearning done beforehand so you can enjoy more time in the ocean on Gili T.
Walking on the main strip you pass dive shop after dive shop offering several dives each day to the dive sites surrounding all three islands.
In the Gili Islands, you will mostly do boat diving. So, in case you are not already, you will get familiar with the backroll entry. And since all the dive sites are relatively close to the islands, you will get to enjoy your surface intervals back on land making scuba diving in the Gilis a very comfortable experience.
Some of the biggest dive shops on the island are Blue Marlin Dive (PADI), Trawangan Dive (PADI), Manta Dive (SSI) and Gili Dives (SSI), but there are many places to choose from for beginning and experienced recreational divers to tech divers alike (not sponsored).
Hotels and restaurants of Gili T
If you want the largest selection of restaurants, bars, spas, hotels, dive shops and a variation of beaches to lounge on and snorkel from, Gili Trawangan is also for you.
My favorite spa on the island is Azure Spa (not sponsored). It is located within the Pesona Beach Resort on the main road and it is in the pricier end, but worth it. Go there for a massage, a facial, pedicure, manicure or hear treatment to repair your hair after damage from the sun, ocean and harsh water.
And with some yoga resorts, and larger luxury resorts placed a bit further from the tourist harbour and main nightlife hubs, you can get the best of both worlds on Gili Trawangan.