The Gili Islands: Culture, History and Island Life

Off the north-west coast of Lombok, in sight of Bali's Mount Agung and Lombok's Mount Rinjani, lie three small coral islands: Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air. In the Sasak language of Lombok, 'gili' simply means small island. There are many gilis around Lombok, but these three are the ones travellers mean when they talk about the Gili Islands.

The islands enjoy a tropical climate all year, with warm air and sea temperatures typically in the high twenties Celsius. The dry season runs roughly from May to October, with the rains falling mostly between November and April, usually as short, heavy afternoon showers.

The Gilis were settled by seafaring people. Fishermen from Sulawesi, of Bugis, Makassar and Mandar origin, came for the rich fishing grounds and gradually stayed, planting coconut palms, cassava, corn and peanuts and trading with the markets of Lombok. Today the population is mostly Muslim, the call to prayer drifts across the islands five times a day, and locals speak Indonesian alongside Sasak and their own island dialects. Local tradition links the name Trawangan to 'terowongan', meaning tunnels, a reminder of the hard years of the Japanese occupation during the Second World War.

Tourism arrived gently, first with backpackers in search of a quiet escape from Bali. There are still no cars or motorbikes: people get around by bicycle, on foot or by cidomo, the local horse cart, and island life keeps its unhurried rhythm.

On the north beach of Gili Trawangan, The Gili Beach Resort lets you enjoy that rhythm at its most peaceful.