Bougainvillea hunting
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A slow walk with no destination but the next wall in bloom. Gili Air's back lanes are draped in it — bring your camera.
There is no official trail for this one. Bougainvillea grows over half the walls on the island, in magenta and white and the odd shock of orange, spilling over painted courtyards, harbour-side fences and the backs of family compounds you would otherwise walk straight past. The fun of it is just wandering the lanes behind the main track with nowhere particular to be and your phone or camera in hand.
Ask at reception and we will point you toward the handful of walls and doorways that are consistently the best of it — a couple are a five-minute walk from the hotel, a couple more are worth combining with the island loop if you are cycling anyway. Early morning and the last hour before sunset give the flowers their best colour and keep you out of the midday sun.
Good to know. Free, and on your own time — there is nothing to book. Bougainvillea flowers year-round here but is thickest in the dry season, roughly April to October. Comfortable shoes; some of the best walls are down sandy back lanes.