Gili Trawangan, Tropical Paradise Island in Lombok

Gili Trawangan situated off the north-west coast of Lombok, lie the famous Gili Islands - Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan. Gili Trawangan, as it is more popularly known, is the most visited of the three Gili's but still retains the charm of a tropical island paradise. Tourists first began coming to the Gili Islands in the early 1980's, before which the islands were primarily used for farming, growing coconuts, rice, cassava and corn.

With no motorized vehicles on the islands, the only form of transport is by foot, bicycle or Cidomo (traditional horse and cart). As well as spending lazy days on the white sandy beach there are a variety of cafes, bars, restaurants and dive schools on the island allowing you to while your away your day in whatever fashion you choose.

The make-up of the local population is comprised primarily of Sasak people (from Lombok) and Bugis people (from Sulawesi), with the vast majority of the locals being Muslim. This is noticeable once on the island with the five daily calls to prayer, adding to the feel of a traditional Indonesian experience.

There are two mosques on the island, and four schools, with education past junior high school having to be continued on the Lombok mainland.