BALI-LOMBOK-GILI TRAWANGAN

BALI TO GILI TRAWANGAN VIA LOMBOK TO PADANG BAI PORT WITH MOTORBIKE 

Let's talk about how I got to Gili Trawangan using a motorbike. Actually, in 2016 I visited Lombok Island, which was quite interesting because it turned out that this island had very beautiful beaches and views. Not inferior to Bali, Kuta Beach in Lombok is very beautiful and has sand grains like white pepper. I don't want to write about the beauty of Lombok Island here. Maybe one day I will write about Lombok in chapters with the latest or most recent versions. 

I have visited Gili Trawangan Island 3 times but using a fastboat and I had a bad day after that I had to recover for 2 days because of seasickness and very strong sea currents ,  The first one was in 2016 at that time, Gili was still really pristine and had the characteristics of Gili, which was like a private island, the second was during the pandemic and after the earthquake in Lombok around 2021/2022 I had to look at that memory again I forgot the exact year , At that time many of the buildings were destroyed, Gili looked like a slightly abandoned island, but that didn't make the island sad, it was just that the first impression was different from the second. and still this small island always attracts me to come here in 2023 I visited Gili Trawangan by motorbike from Padang Bai harbor Bali because I wanted to go to this island in a relaxed way and didn't want to get seasick I tried to go through it by ferry .

let's talk about the journey , 

In the morning I left home to Padangbai harbor, the distance from home to Padangbai is about 1 hour 30 minutes, getting there is quite easy to take the ferry, you can buy a ticket from the counter for 160,000 rupiah, maybe it has gone up now, you can check online rates, make sure your vehicle has an active tax .

I took the morning boat around 11am , Once you get on the ship you don't have to wait long for the ship to depart, on our journey from Bali to Lombok we headed to Lembar harbor 5 hours long, but there is a VIP room available, a separate room with 2 bunk beds. I think it is a ship's crew room that can be rented. You can sleep in that room and have your own privacy. The room is clean and cool. There is air conditioning in the room. The price is 150,000 rupiah. I bought snacks from outside but there you can buy coffee or instant noodles from the available ship stalls . after a few hours of traveling i loved this trip we could see the sunset on the ocean from our boat it was really beautiful , Compared to fast boats, I prefer traveling by ferry. I can relax on the boat and enjoy the truly amazing ocean views. 

After a long journey, we arrived at Lembar Harbor, I didn't go around Lombok Island even though I really wanted to, my focus this time was only on Gili Trawangan. I went to the center of Mataram city and we stayed at one of the hotels in the city, we enjoyed typical Lombok food and a little culinary experience in Lombok and took a short break, the trip from Lembar harbor to Mataram city was about 45 minutes because i will plan to go to gili trawangan in the morning with full energy... i really enjoy my rest time in lombok and also the food here .

The next day after breakfast we checked out and headed to Bangsal Harbor from Mataram City to Bangsal, about 48 minutes by motorbike. There you can leave your motorbike in various storage places available nearby for a fee of 10-15 rupiah per day , I used a public boat to go to Gili Trawangan at a cost of around 20 thousand rupiah per person, and it didn't take long to leave, the travel time from Bangsal Harbor to Gili Trawangan was around 20 minutes. When I arrived at Gili I felt quite well and ready to explore the island, unlike when I used a fastboat from Bali, I needed 2 days to recover from seasickness.

When we got there, we went straight to the hotel we had booked, which was on Jalan Ikan Nautilus, Gili Indah, Pemenang District , We walked to the hotel, which took quite a long time, about 15 minutes, and we put our luggage down first. the road to the hotel is not paved, it is still a bit new and dirt, because this location is quite a bit outside the center but it is close, just so you know that it only takes 2 hours to get around this island by bike, and our hotel is near turtle beach, behind the hotel there is a small local stall selling Indonesian food at a cheap price and very tasty, of course this helps us save more, during my first visit I only ate at the central restaurant and at the hotel so the budget spent was certainly quite a lot , We also rent bicycles, the rental price for bicycles ranges from 60 thousand rupiah for 1 bicycle and is equipped with a security bicycle lock. On Gili there is no transportation with diesel fuel, there are only bicycles and horse-drawn carriages as taxis. 

because we were only on the island for 2 days we were very excited to explore it, the first thing we always do is go around the island because every time I go there are parts of the island that have changed a little from the post-pandemic, there are many unkempt buildings filled with leaves and also ruins after the earthquake and the last time we visited this island there was a lot of development and it became more commercial compared to 8 years ago, this island is still really private, the beach is very quiet and natural. Of course, development progress is very good in improving the economy, especially employment opportunities ,  

While exploring we also visited and looked for beautiful and quiet parts of the beach to relax and swim , Sunset point is a beach point that must be visited on this island to witness the beauty of the sunset.  

You can choose a cool spot there in the evening while enjoying snacks such as grilled corn or you can sit and relax at the beach bar . 

After the sunset, we continued cycling to have dinner. There is a local market there serving many Indonesian dishes and specialties such as grilled seafood, and various local stalls selling cheap and delicious Indonesian dinners. A row of restaurants can also be easily found along the road with various menu choices. 

After finishing dinner, we went back to the hotel to rest, if you still want to enjoy the night on the island, of course it is very beautiful, you can enjoy music at the bar, and party on the beach if there is a special event, there are many mushroom bar sellers there, I have never tried it, it is very difficult to enjoy the nightlife on Gili if you are with children , 

The next day our goal was to relax on the nearest beach, namely Turtle Beach, and it was quite shady and clean. What's unique about this beach is that you can find turtles and swim with them. I was interested in snorkeling here and my kids really liked it. There are many sizes of turtles that you can see on the beach, if you are lucky you can even see the big ones . Snorkeling can be easily done even by children, of course with the help of parents because the waves are quite calm and the beach is sandy , there you can also do diving oh i have never tried it but there are many classes for that We were on the beach from morning until noon until we felt very comfortable, but because the sun was starting to get high we ended it. The price for renting snorkeling equipment is quite cheap for children at 50 thousand rupiah. We returned to the hotel for lunch and rest, we bought lunch at a nearby stall and then enjoyed the hotel atmosphere, swam, relaxed and rested while waiting for the afternoon to do activities around the island and enjoy the sunset then returned for dinner . 

Can you imagine what it would be like to spend your holiday on an island, swimming, cycling, snorkeling, diving, walking, it's a great choice for calming therapy , get away from the city life, imagine there is only you and the beach and friendly people . I really like my vacation time here to really take a break from the busy routine, yes this island is worth it for restoring the mind . 

unfortunately we have to go back soon, we go back the same way, namely by public boat to Bangsal Port and go straight to Lembar Port with a travel time of 1 hour 30 minutes and we will rest in the ship's room while enjoying the sunset at sea, oh yes, don't forget to taste the culinary delights in Lombok .

On the way home, we were treated to beautiful views of the Lombok sea, so it was very enjoyable and refreshing, thank you.