Prized as unspoilt paradise islands by travellers in the 1980s, the Gili Islands Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air - just off the northwest coast of Lombok, have developed rapidly in recent years to cope with the crowds of visitors. Until recently catering almost exclusively for the inexpensive end of the market, with bamboo huts just a few metres away from the beach, the range of accommodation has now expanded considerably and there's something for every pocket and every level of comfort

Strikingly beautiful, with glorious white-sand beaches lapped by warm, brilliant blue waters and circled by coral reefs playing host to myriad species of fish, each of the islands has developed its own character. Of the three islands, Gili Trawangan best fits the image of "party island". With its large number of places to stay, many offering hot water and ainconditioning, wide range of excellent restaurants and regular nightlife, it attracts the liveliest visitors, although it's still fairly low-key. If you want to get away from it all, head for the smallest of the islands, Gifi Meno, which has absolutely no nightlife and not much accommodation, although a couple of the more expensive hotels in the Gilis are sited here. Closest to the mainland, Gili Air offers a choice, with plenty of facilities in the south, and more peace and quiet the further round the coast you go.

Prices vary dramatically depending on the season and are probably more fluid than anywhere else on Bali or Lombok, being totally dependent on what the market will bear. A traditional bungalow costing Rp.30.000 in February will rise to Rp50,000 or even more in the frantic months of July and August, hovering somewhere in-between if the crowds arrive early or leave late in the year. In the peak season (Dec, New Year & July-Aug), prices can double throughout the islands. None of the islands has a particular crime problem, but do take reasonable precautions many of the sturdier bungalows feature locking drawers or cupboards to take your valuables while you are on the beach. If you have problems, there are no police on the Gilis, but it is the role of the kepala desa, the head man who looks after Gili Air (where he fives) and Gili Meno, and the kepald kampung on Gili Trawangan, to deal with the situation. They should also take you to police at Tanjung or Ampenan to make a report It seems that when problems do arise they are sometimes dealt with rather poorly.

All of the beaches on the Gili Islands, and indeed throughout Lombok, are public. The local people here are probably more used to seeing scantily clad Western women than in any other part of Lombok, but you should definitely cover up when you move away from the beach. All the islands have recently established seaweed farming in the shallows.

How to get to the island
The access port for the Gili Islands is BANGSAI, 25km from Senggigi, which has a few restaurants, some moneychangers and a Perama office (7.30Am-4 pm) and Lombok Mandiri booking counter. If you get stuck, try the losmen Taman Sari (no phone) just by the gate where vehicles stop on the way to the harbour. They have clean accommodation opening onto a small garden, and all rooms have fan and an attached cold-water bathroom. Bangsal is a short cidomo ride or a shadeless 1.5km walk from PEMENANG, 26km beyond the Ampenan-Mataram-Cakranegara-Sweta area and served by bemos or buses from Mandalika terminal. There are also some bemos from Ampenan. All transport between Mandalika and points around the north coast passes through Pemenang. Close as it is, there's no public bemo service along the coastal road north from Senggigi to Pemenang (see below for boat service from Senggigi to the islands). A gate at Bangsal stops all vehicles and most cidomo 200m from the harbour itself, so prepare to walk the final bit or bargain very hard with the drivers of the few cidomo that do ply up and down.

Boats leave Bangsal throughout the morning, when full, and take between twenty and forty-five minutes; buy your ticket at the office on the quayside right by the beach - it's all pretty organized and there's a printed price fist covering public boats, shuttles and charters. Blue, red and white boats serve Gili Air (Rp1500), yellow and red go to Gih Meno (Rp1900), and red and white to Gili Trawangan (Rp2000). Public boats operate from 7.30am until 4.30pm; shuttle boats are more expensive (Rp4500 to Gili Air, Rp5000 to Gili Meno and Rp5500 to Gili Trawangan) and leave at 10am and 4.30pm. If you want to charter a boat (ten people maximum), prices are Rp28,000 to Gili Air, Rp35,000 to Gili Meno and Rp38,000 to Gili Trawangan. Return trips are also possible if you want to spend some time on the island but come back to Bangsal, and so are trips taking in more, than one island; enquire at the ticket office. From Senggigi, you can take the daily Sunshine boat to Gili Trawangan, from Sunshine Tours in central Senggigi or the daily Perama shuttle (1hr 30min; Rp20,000). If you've a taste for adventure, an option is also to charter a boat from Kotasi in Senggigi to the Gill islands - it's a great trip up the coast but the boats are small and whatever you have planned you won't be able to travel if the winds and tides make the sea too rough. At both ends of all trips you'll get your feet wet as the boats anchor in the shallows and you have to wade to and fro.

Perama sells tourist shuttle tickets to Bangsal from the main tourist destinations on Lombok and Bali. Sample prices and frequencies are daily from Candi Dasa (Rp35,000), Padang Bai (Rp3O,OOO), Kuta (Rp45,000), Ubud (Rp40,0W00),1 Lovina (a stopover is needed; Rp55,000), Tetebatu (daffy Rp25,000) and Senggigi (twice daily Rp 10,000).

Once on the islands, the "hopping island" boat service is extremely handy. It does one circuit, Air-Meno-Trawangan-Meno-Air, in the morning, and one in the afternoon. Ifs conveniently timetabled and fast, and makes a day-trip to another island a feasible option. Times from Gili Air are 8.30am and 3pm, from Gili Meno to Gili Trawanian 8.45am and 3.15pm, from Gili Trawangan 9.30am and, 3.30pm, and from Gili Meno to Gili Air 9.45am and 4.15pm. Between Trawangan and Gili Air the fare is Rp5000, between Gili Trawangan or Gili Air Gili Meno, it's Rp4OOO. Prices are also fixed if you wish to charter a boat once are on the islands: Rp35,000 one-way between Gili Air or Gili Trawangan and Meno and Rp40,OOO between Gili Air and Gili Trawangan. Prices for a return are almost double the single price.

Returning to the mainland, the times, frequencies and fares on the pu boats are the same as for getting to the islands. Shuttle boats leave Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan at 8.15am and Gili Air at 8.30am; note there is only one return shuttle boat to the mainland each day. Several operators on the islands offer shuttle tickets direct to Lombok or Bali destinations. Lombok Mandixi quote Rp16,000 to Senggigi or Mataram, Rp1.8,000 to Lembar, Rp29,000 to Padang Bai, Rp38,000 to Ubud and Rp40,000 to Kuta, Bali, all from Gill Trawangan; expect prices to be Rp1000-M less from the other islands. Perama. have counters on Gili Trawangan and Gili Air and sell tickets from Bangsal - there's just one daily departure at 9am (fares are Kuta Rp45,000, Ubud Rp40,000, Candi Dasa Rp35,000, Padang Bai Rp30,000, Senggigi Rpl.0,000, Kuta Lombok or Tetebatu Rp25,000).

Alternatively, from Bangsal you can get shuttle-bus tickets from Perama or Lombok Mandiri to all main Bali and Lombok destinations, and there's a fixedprice taxi service available (Mataram, Senggigi or the airport Rp40,000; Lembar Rp80,000; Kuta, Lombok Rp120,OOO; and Tetebatu Rp100,000). You'll almost certainly get a better deal if you head for Pemenang and negotiate directly with the drivers to charter a berno from there.