Gili Islands (Indonesian: Tiga Gili) are an archipelago located just off the northwest coast of Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Gili Islands are composed of three small islands: Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air, all islands are popular tourist destinations.
Gili Air is the closest island to Lombok and is the second largest of Gili islands. ‘Air’ means water in Indonesian since Gili Air is the only island which has subterranean fresh water.
Automobiles and motorized traffic are prohibited on Gili Islands by local ordinance, so the preferred method of transportation is by foot and bicycle or the horse-drawn carriage called a cidomo.
Gili Islands have many resorts, usually consisting of a collection of huts for tourists, a small pool and restaurant.
Scuba diving and free diving in and around the Gilis is also common due to the abundance of marine life and coral formations. Most famous diving spots are Shark point, Manta point and Simon's reef.
The name ‘Gili Islands’ is a misnomer, because Gili simply means ‘small island’ in Sasak. As a result, most of the islands around the coast of Lombok have Gili in their names.
The economy of Gili Islands centres on tourism, as these islands are too small to support any broad scale agriculture, and too remote to allow economically viable industry or commerce.
