Best time to visit Gili Islands
Indonesia · Southeast Asia
All twelve months scored on daily temperature, rainfall, humidity and holiday crowding.
The year in Gili Islands
Tap a month for its page
- JanJGili Islands in January: avoid
- FebFGili Islands in February: avoid
- MarMGili Islands in March: avoid
- AprAGili Islands in April: ok
- MayMGili Islands in May: good
- JunJGili Islands in June: ok, busy
- JulJGili Islands in July: good, busy
- AugAGili Islands in August: good, busy
- SepSGili Islands in September: sweet spot
- OctOGili Islands in October: sweet spot
- NovNGili Islands in November: ok
- DecDGili Islands in December: avoid
- Sweet spot
- Good
- OK
- Avoid
- Busy
Dry season: May–Oct, 6 or fewer rainy days a month.
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Flights from
Flights
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Where to stay
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Luxury
Things to do
Car hire
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Travel insurance
Check whether your bank card or home insurance already covers this trip.
If the trip needs a visa, the travel agent or visa centre usually sells the cover it asks for.
Mobile data (eSIM)
Your own plan's EU roaming may already cover this.
Renting a pocket Wi-Fi is the other common way to stay connected.
These are sites people in book with. Each opens in a new tab, on the site's own pages.
Month by month
| Month | Max °C | Rain days | Humidity | Sun h/day | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29° | 22d | 89% | 8.4h | avoid | monsoon: 22 rainy days, 475mm |
| Feb | 29° | 21d | 90% | 9.2h | avoid | monsoon: 21 rainy days, 447mm |
| Mar | 29° | 19d | 88% | 9.7h | avoid | monsoon: 19 rainy days, 350mm |
| Apr | 30° | 12d | 85% | 10.6h | ok | 30C max, 12 rainy days |
| May | 30° | 5d | 81% | 11.1h | good | 30C max, 5 rainy days |
| Jun | 30° | 3d | 80% | 10.9h | okbusy | busier than usual |
| Jul | 30° | 1d | 75% | 10.9h | goodbusy | busier than usual |
| Aug | 30° | 1d | 75% | 11.2h | goodbusy | busier than usual |
| Sep | 31° | 2d | 75% | 11.6h | sweet spot | 31C max, 2 rainy days |
| Oct | 31° | 4d | 77% | 11.7h | sweet spot | 31C max, 4 rainy days |
| Nov | 31° | 12d | 83% | 10.6h | ok | 31C max, 12 rainy days |
| Dec | 30° | 18d | 87% | 9.3h | avoid | monsoon: 18 rainy days, 386mm |
Rain days are the days with at least 1 mm of rain, as a weather station counts them.
Weather read at Gili Trawangan: ten years of ERA5 and ERA5-Land reanalysis, through Open-Meteo's open data.
A busy month is a crowded one, not a bad one — usually it is crowded because the weather is good. It is flagged rather than scored down, and crowds alone never make a month “avoid”: that is reserved for weather worth skipping.
How busy it gets
Then and now
Gili Islands's December days now average 29.8°C, 1.7°C warmer than in 1981–1990. 12 of 12 months are clearly warmer.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981–90 | 27.7° | 27.7° | 28.2° | 28.9° | 29.1° | 28.7° | 28.4° | 28.9° | 29.5° | 29.9° | 29.1° | 28.1° |
| 2017–26 | 29.0° | 29.0° | 29.4° | 30.0° | 30.3° | 30.0° | 29.9° | 30.2° | 30.9° | 31.4° | 30.6° | 29.8° |
| Change | +1.3° | +1.2° | +1.3° | +1.1° | +1.2° | +1.3° | +1.5° | +1.3° | +1.4° | +1.4° | +1.5° | +1.7° |
The average daily high, month by month, for the nearest ERA5 grid cell. Bold is a clear change; grey is within the ordinary spread between years. Every destination, ranked.
Getting there
Fly into Mataram (Pujut, Lombok Tengah) (LOP), then drive. The flights under Where to book are to Mataram (Pujut, Lombok Tengah).
| Mataram (Pujut, Lombok Tengah) (LOP) | the drive is not measured yet |
|---|---|
| Kuta, Badung (DPS) | the drive is not measured yet |
The drive from each airport is the road's, from openrouteservice.org by HeiGIT: typical, not a schedule.
How far Gili Islands is depends on where you set off from — the months above do not.
- from Jakarta
- from Singapore
- from Kuala Lumpur
- from Ho Chi Minh City
- from Manila
- from Perth
- from Bangkok
- from Hong Kong
Open in Rome2rio for every way from to Gili Islands, flying or not.
Before you go
Type C and F plugs at 127 / 230 V. Drives on the left. The currency is the Rupiah. No UK Foreign Office advice against travel. Global Affairs Canada: Exercise a high degree of caution (with regional advisories). US State Department: Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. Everything for Indonesia: cost of living, languages, emergency numbers and health.
Being there
On arrival
- Paying — Cards work in hotels, malls and larger restaurants; carry cash for warungs, markets and small shops. QRIS codes are common, and bank apps from some Asian countries can scan them.
- UPI, for visitors from India — Not accepted for paying here; bring a card that works abroad.
- Tipping — Not expected, though often hoped for in Bali and other tourist areas; if you tip, hand it over quietly.
Getting around Gili Islands
- Apps — Rides: Bluebird, Gojek, Grab. Maps: Google Maps. Messages: WhatsApp. In parts of Bali, such as Canggu, Jimbaran and Uluwatu, local taxi drivers bar app pick-ups; walk a short way off before booking.
There is no motorised transport on the islands. Your options are horse-drawn carts, known as cidomos, and bicycles, which are available for rent all over the islands. More on Wikivoyage
From the Wikivoyage article on Gili Islands, written by travellers and licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Help
- Emergency — police 110 · ambulance 118 or 119 · fire 113. From a mobile, 112 is the general emergency number.
TravelCharika is not an emergency service: we cannot call for help or send anyone. Numbers can change; if one fails, ask someone local or your hotel.
- Hospitals near Gili Islandsa search on Google Maps
- Pharmacies near Gili Islandsa search on Google Maps
Your embassy — : how to reach your embassy or consulate abroad. A guess from your city, : a city is not a passport.
Put together by hand from the sources listed, checked 3 October 2026. Apps, cards and rules change, so check before you rely on one.
Sources (14)
- gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/indonesia/getting-help
- indonesia.travel/gb/en/general-information/staying-safe-in-indonesia
- en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Indonesia
- en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Jakarta
- en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Bali
- gojek.com/en-id
- grab.com/id/en
- bankmandiri.co.id/en/emv-transit
- periskop.id/kota/20260729/naik-mrt-jakarta-kini-bisa-tap-kartu-kredit-visa-dan-mastercard
- en.antaranews.com/amp/news/433019/bi-expands-cross-border-qris-to-boost-foreign-tourists-spending
- infobip.com/blog/most-popular-messaging-apps-by-country
- developers.google.com/maps/coverage
- pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2286608
- rbidocs.rbi.org.in/rdocs/AnnualReport/PDFs/09PAYMENT290526C6588B796E664822A2BD0DEB6452CAD4.PDF
Gili Islands in pictures
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Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What Gili Islands is like
The Gili Islands, just off the northwest tip of Lombok, Indonesia, are very relaxed and laid-back, with countless little beachside cafes playing reggae and serving up questionable "energy" drinks. At the other end of the scale, elaborate seafood buffets, fresh salads and good quality western and Asian food. More on Wikivoyage
- Worth seeing
- There are no major sights on the islands, snorkelling and diving being the main draw. However, a few attractions are worth noting: Gili Meno Bird Park, Gili Meno, Lombok, Indonesia. More on Wikivoyage
- Worth doing
- There is good diving around the islands, suitable for all levels, the islands being globally known as a proficient teaching center for beginners right up to instructor level. Technical diving courses are also available. More on Wikivoyage
- Getting in
- There are no airports in the Gilis. The nearest airport is on mainland Lombok, with decent connections around Indonesia but only limited international service. More on Wikivoyage
- Staying safe
- As you would at home, lock doors at night and don't leave valuables out in the open. Be very careful with locally produced alcohol, especially Arak. More on Wikivoyage
- Staying healthy
- All three islands have a small, simple clinic. For serious problems, visitors should get back to Lombok (or preferably Bali) as quickly as possible. More on Wikivoyage
From the Wikivoyage article on Gili Islands, written by travellers and licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the full article has far more. The numbers above are measured; this is experience.
Around Gili Islands
Also in Indonesia
- Amed best May, Sep, Oct
- Bali best Aug, Sep, Oct
- Bandung best Jun, Jul, Aug
- Belitung best Jul, Aug, Sep
- Jakarta best Jul, Aug, Sep
- Labuan Bajo best May, Jun, Aug
- Lake Toba best Jun, Jul, Aug
- Lombok best May, Sep, Oct
- Lovina best Aug, Sep, Oct
- Manado best Jul, Sep, Oct
- Mount Bromo best Jul, Aug, Sep
- Mount Rinjani best Aug, Sep, Oct
- Nusa Lembongan best May, Sep, Oct
- Raja Ampat best Feb
- Ubud best Jun, Jul, Aug
- Yogyakarta best Jul, Aug, Sep
Nearby
- Kuching Malaysia · 1,270 km
- Kota Kinabalu Malaysia · 1,593 km
- Darwin Australia · 1,681 km
- Singapore Singapore · 1,724 km
Kind of place
Gili Islands is in Indonesia, Southeast Asia. Distances are great-circle, so a short one can still be a long way round.
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