GILI GEDE

"At Gili Gede we especially enjoyed the peace, the lovely people and the beautiful surroundings. In 5 hours you could walk around the island and we did. Very nice, because the environment always changed a bit. One moment you walked through a village, then a very beautiful deserted beach and then you had to go through the marsh. The piece through the swamp was the least fun part. I said we could go back better, but Jeroen said: "Come Mel, that's how we can". Okoooooo .... The further we came, the deeper we sank with our feet in the drape. Jeroen was wearing his slippers and I had my sneakers."

          Gili Gede is perhaps the best known of the "Secret Gilis" - a number of scattered islands off the southwest coast of Lombok. They are much less known as the Gilis of the Northwest. Gili Gede belongs to a group, which also consists of Gili Layan, Gili Ringgit and Gili Asahan. A second group includes Gili Nanggu and Gili Sudak. Gili Gede has all these islands( pronounce: G'day - in English ) the largest selection of accommodations. It has a length of 4 km and a width of 1.6 km. It takes approx. 5 hours if you want to walk around the island.
Here in the southwest of Lombok are 12 Gili islands for you!

In contrast to the more famous Gili islands in the north, Gili Gede is not a "party" island. You should not expect much from the accommodations. The economic pillars of the island are the pearl farm (oysters), boats building and fishing. This is where the population lives. Some people earn their money from the gold mining on the Sekotong peninsula, but because of irresponsible mining there have been casualties. Minuscule pieces of gold are extracted from the bricks with lead. That is a poisonous job.
There are few detached restaurants and there are few bars. You will probably eat and drink wherever you stay. Gili Gede is home to five villages - and about as many places to stay. The pace is slow. Very slow.
Als je op zoek bent naar een gezellige plek om te feesten en hordes andere reizigers te ontmoeten, is Gili Gede niets voor jou.

Gili Gede is an island without roads. There are only paths. There is a lot of use of local fishing boats. Coconut palms, white sandy beaches, where you can find amazing shells, turquoise blue sea with a wonderful underwater world. An island with traditional villages. Take the time to get to know the local population. Dress decently, because the population is mainly Islam, with animistic Sasak influences. The people of Gili Gede are very open, spontaneous, curious and kind to visitors. There are four mosques on the island with a population of 1500 people. The population is the Sasaks and they live mainly in the five kampungs, which is the largest island in the southwest. It is difficult to find someone who speaks English.

There is one school on the island with 200 pupils in the age of 6 to 14. There is also a health post that focuses on pregnant women and small children.
Gili Gede is fascinating with its coconut palms, agaves, cashew trees, mangroves, hills, beautiful beaches. There are cows and goats, no dogs. The cultivation of vegetables is limited to a nangka, manga, corn, cassava and peanuts. Besides the important kampung Gili Gede there are Pengametan, Tanjungan Kampung, Cenik Labuan Kampung, and Buccal Orong.

Hula Hoop bar and restaurant

The locals are still very friendly and the kids just like to play with you. There are currently no ATMs on Gili Gede, so bring in enough rupiahs. The population, mainly populated by fishermen and farmers, is modest and friendly people and welcomes you with a smile. The small village is not far from the lodge; there you will find the typical daily Indonesian life that unfolds before you. There have been hardly any tourist developments on the island. This makes Gili Gede the freshest destination in the region, with beautiful secluded beaches and a relaxed atmosphere to enjoy at ease. The island itself is located in an extremely sheltered bay and is ideal for pleasure boating or sailing. the average annual temperature is 28 degrees. On a clear day both the mountain Rinjani and Mount Agung from Gede can be seen.
There are some smaller hotels on the island. Koko Gede is a brand new resort on the island. They have fantastic rooms and villas right on the sea. The resort is fully equipped with a fantastic restaurant, swimming pool, tennis court, spa and many water sports, including snorkeling, diving and paddle boarding
From the port of Lembar Bemos go to Pelangan. The Bemo's start off the harbor on the main road. Just get off in Tembowong where the taxi boats start to Gede.