Are you planning to spend a holiday in Gili Trawangan with a kid? It’s possible! Gili Trawangan is not only a holiday destination for the party goers, it also can be a destination for a great family vacation!
Gili Trawangan is one of the three Gili Islands in Lombok. It’s the most crowded and the most happening island as compare to Gili Air and Gili Meno. Before I had a baby, I used to go here with my friends. This time, I visit Gili Trawangan with Sienna Little Explorer, my almost two year old girl! Yipppeee!
For parents who want to bring the kids holidaying in Gili Trawangan shouldn’t worry about anything. To go here from Lombok, it’s better to use the fast boat, which takes only around 10 minutes. However, the fast boat stops in the other two islands, too — to drop off and pick up some customers. So, in the end, it takes around 25 minutes to reach the Gili Trawangan Island :D. Another option is to take the wooden boat. It takes around 45 minutes if you choose this mode of transportation from Bangsal Harbour :).
In terms of food, there are plenty of restaurants with great food – offering Western, Asian, and Indonesian cuisines, mini markets for groceries, and snorkeling gear rentals if your kids want to do some snorkeling on the beach. There’s no cars nor motorbikes on the island. Everybody explores the island on foot, bicycle, or on the horse cart that calls “CiDoMo”. It’s surely fun for kids to take this horse cart. Sienna loves it a lot! Even when she wakes up in the morning, the first thing she says is, “Naik horses? Naik horses!”, telling me that she wants to take the horse cart! đ
What to do with your kids while you’re in Gili Trawangan? Here are some ideas:
- Swimming and snorkeling on the beach. There are plenty of turtles here, so if you’re a good swimmer and spend a good few hours snorkeling, most likely you guys will see some turtles swimming around đ
- Play games on the beach (beach volley or other beach games)
- Visit the turtle hatchery. It’s not the best conservation place in the world, but at least your kids can see some turtles and learn about how they live here. Please remember, do not touch the turtles!
- Take the horse cart to go around the island
- Enjoy the sunset on the beach
- Take photos on “The Swing” in front of the Ombak Sunset Hotel.
It’s nice to spend two nights on Gili Trawangan with your kid or family. If you want a more relaxing ambience, don’t come during peak season. Come in the off season, so there will be less people on the road :).
My tips for moms who want to spend a holiday in Gili Trawangan with a kid are:
- If your toddler still uses diapers, bring your own diapers. The mini markets here only sell certain brands of diapers – not too many options to buy. I couldn’t find Sienna’s diapers’ brand and had to buy another type of diaper that was available in the mini market and she got a diaper rash afterwards đ
- Put on sunscreen lotion on your kids, so their skin is protected from the sun!
- Be careful when you walk on the “road”. The road can get busy with all the bicycles, horse carts and people walking on both sides!
- When swimming on the beach, choose the quietest area. The one nearby all the restaurants are sometimes crowded with boats, especially during the peak season. When snorkeling, it’s best to sometime look up to the surface, just in case there’s a boat coming your way!
- Let your kids walk on the beach barefoot đ It’s time for them to enjoy the nature!
Have a great holiday in Gili Trawangan with your kids, guys! ^^
Check out our adventure in Gili Trawangan on NET TV – that’s available on youtube here:
#SiennaLittleExplorer #LittleExplorer #SiennaInGiliTrawangan #tvshow
