Things to do on Gili Air: a local guide

In and on the water

Snorkelling with turtles (1–3 hrs). The seagrass beds off the east and north coast are grazing grounds for green and hawksbill turtles, and you can reach them straight from the beach — no boat needed. Go at first light, before the day boats arrive and the turtles drift deeper; you will often have a stretch of reef to yourself for an hour. Bring your own mask if you have one, as rental fit is hit and miss. Our turtle-snorkelling guide marks the exact entry points and where not to swim; the half-day boat trip covers the wider reef, the wall, and a second island stop.

Freediving and scuba (half to full day). Gili Air is one of the calmer and cheaper places in Indonesia to learn either, and the sites are close — most are a five-to-fifteen-minute boat ride. Several dive centres sit a short walk from KOHO. There is an intro course for first-timers, a full open-water certification over three or four days, and for certified divers house-reef and boat dives to the deeper sites with reef sharks, turtles and the occasional eagle ray. Serious divers can arrange the advanced hammerhead trip to Belongas Bay in south Lombok, which is a committed day with strong currents and its own guide.

The underwater statues (half day). A ring of submerged human figures off Gili Meno, slowly being colonised by coral, sitting in about three to seven metres — an easy snorkel or a very shallow dive, and one of the more photographed spots in the Gilis. Details on the trip.

Manta rays and Pink Beach (full day). Boat trips south to snorkel with mantas at their cleaning stations, or to spend an unstructured day on Pink Beach where the sand really does run pale rose. Both are weather-dependent — the crossing can be lumpy — so book a day or two ahead, take motion-sickness tablets if you are prone, and keep the plan flexible enough to swap days if the sea is up.

On the island, on foot or by bike

Cycle the ring road (1–2 hrs). About an hour if you dawdle, longer if you stop to swim. The north-west stretch is the quietest coastline on Gili Air, with almost nothing built on it. Bikes come from the hotel or any rental shack for a few euros a day; the path turns to soft sand in a couple of places on the far side, so expect to get off and push for a hundred metres. Go early or late — midday cycling in this heat is a mistake.

Sunset Point (an evening). The cluster of west-side bars with Mount Rinjani rising behind the water. Arrive about 45 minutes before sundown for a beanbag with a view in high season; on a quiet week you can wander down at the last minute. The light is worth stopping for roughly twenty minutes either side of the sun hitting the horizon. More on the guide.

A cooking class (half day). Sasak and Indonesian technique, starting at the little market and ending at a table with what you cooked — you come away able to build the sambals at home. Here.

Yoga (an hour, drop-in). A couple of studios run daily classes, and there is space at KOHO for a private session. Sunrise classes are the ones to catch before the heat builds.

Soma Vita (2–3 hrs). The sauna, ice bath and magnesium jacuzzi circuit, plus massage — see the spa guide for the order to do it in, and the longevity guide if you want to build several days around it.

Day trips to Lombok

The waterfalls (full day). Sendang Gila and Tiwu Kelep on Rinjani’s northern flank — a boat, a drive and a walk to reach, a long day out, and worth it for the second falls in particular, which you wade a short river to get to. The tour.

Sasak village and Tetebatu (full day). Rice terraces, weaving villages, monkeys in the forest, and noticeably cooler air in Lombok’s green interior — a change of scene from the coast. Village visit, Tetebatu walk.

South Lombok surf and beaches (full day). Selong Belanak for gentle beginner waves and a long empty beach, or the string of bays around Kuta Lombok. Surf trip.

Rinjani (2–3 days). Not a day trip — the crater-rim and summit treks are serious multi-day hikes — but if you want to add one to your trip, arrange it before you arrive and build in recovery days afterwards.

Getting between the Gilis

The public island-hopping boat runs a couple of times a day between Air, Meno and Trawangan and costs very little; schedules are loose, so check locally that morning. A private charter runs any time for more. Gili Meno is 10 minutes, Gili Trawangan about 15. It is an easy half-day to see Meno’s quiet or Trawangan’s bustle and be back for dinner — and the way to sample Trawangan’s nightlife without staying there.

Evenings

Dinner runs late and slow here. On the island there is a Saturday barbecue, an outdoor cinema night under the stars, live music a couple of nights a week at a few bars, and a drinks list built for the heat — see the bar menu and our guide to eating on the island and where to drink. Gili Air is quiet by Gili standards; the actual party is on Trawangan, a 15-minute hop away when you want it and completely avoidable when you don’t.

Tides, currents and staying safe

The water is warm and mostly calm, but a few things are worth knowing. The current runs between the islands and can be strong in the channels — snorkel along the shore, not across the gaps, and if you are drifting away from the island, swim in rather than against it and signal a boat. Coral cuts get infected fast in the tropics; wear a rash vest and reef shoes and do not stand on the reef. Reef-safe sunscreen matters here and is sold in several shops. At low tide the shallows over the reef flats can be too shallow to swim and sharp underfoot — check the tide before an early swim. There is a clinic on the island and a decompression chamber in the region; dive within your certification and keep travel insurance that covers it.

For a rainy hour

It does rain, mostly in short bursts between roughly November and March — our weather guide has the pattern, which is usually a heavy afternoon hour rather than a washed-out day. A downpour is a good excuse for a long massage, the sauna, a board game and a coffee by the pool, or simply reading through it under cover with the sound of it on the roof. Nothing on this island needs you to be anywhere.

Doing nothing, well

A floating breakfast brought out to you in the pool, a book on a daybed under the bougainvillea, a swim before anyone else is up, an afternoon that goes nowhere. Most guests tell us afterwards that the empty afternoons were the part they actually remember — not the manta trip, the nothing. Plan fewer activities than you think you want, and leave the space to cancel the ones you booked.

How many days you need

Three nights is enough for a first taste; five is the sweet spot; a week and you settle into island time properly. Our day-count guide works through it by traveller type, our sample itineraries lay out three-, five- and seven-day shapes, and how to get here covers the boats and the last-departure times that quietly decide your first and last days.

Common questions

Written by the team at The KOHO Air Hotel, a four-star boutique wellness retreat five minutes’ walk from Gili Air harbour. We answer questions like these by message most days — just ask.