So after leaving Bali, I head to the Gili Islands, of which there are three. Roughly speaking there is the ‘party island’ (Gili Trawangan) the ‘couples island’ (Gili Meno) and the ‘social/backpackers island’ (Gili Air). My first impression is this is quite a small island, but very crowded and active. Bars, restaurants, small supermarkets are all around the island. I only have a day here, so I spent most of my time walking around to explore the island. But if you have more time you can go for snorkeling trips from here in a day, lots of tour operators on the island. In fact, you can easily just go yourself, right off the beach, but be careful of boats. At night Gili T comes alive, with all the bars playing loud music and plenty of street food too. I ended up checking out three or four bars that night, it is really fun to see where the locals mingle with tourists. Both dance crazily in the bars and have the best time. Many people I spoke to recommend the other two islands, but unfortunately, I didn’t have the time. They would be worth checking out if you have more than a day.
My next destination was the island of Flores, but how to get there? I could have flown, or taken an overnight fast boat, but I decided to join a 4 days 3 nights boat trip from Lombok to Flores. Though I hesitated because I get seasick, the thought of island hopping for four days was just too tempting.
I chose Wanua Adventure as recommended by a friend, and I could not be more grateful. Though the first day I felt a little disappointed because I spent most of the time on the bus or in a café waiting for them to get organized. Didn’t actually get onto the boat until around 5pm. The cabin crew were extremely helpful and friendly, they always smile and make sure I have everything I need! They gave me a sickness pill and tiger balm when I felt terribly seasick, made me tea and snacks and would often come just to check up on me. I can’t say enough about their amazing hospitality, they are the best locals I have met on my trip. Guys if you are reading this, other people in the hospitality need to learn from you, you are the BEST!
The boat is average size, around 25-30 people from all over the world. It is the perfect choice for you if you love socializing and making friends. I paid 2.300.000 IDR for desk class (where you have a single mattress on the floor to sleep, among other guests) but if your budget is higher you could choose to sleep in a private cabin, which costs you 3.000.000 IDR. I found the desk class is very comfortable, with a mattress, a blanket, and chargers for phones. As a tip, it may be a good idea to bring an extra pillow or blanket if you get cold at night, and especially, your own snorkeling set. Theirs get the job done, but some are quite worn out.
On my 4 days floating on the ocean, I had chances to visit a lot of beautiful islands, see amazing landscapes. My first stop was Kenawa Island, where our boat landed so that we could climb up the hill and see the sunset. The walking is nice and pleasant, I even did it barefoot (which I think it’s crazy now !) because my shoe broke. The next day we visited Moyo island where our captain led us to walk through the forest to reach the hidden and stunning waterfall. It’s perfectly clean for swimming and had a swing or a tall tree for you to jump into the water! Be careful with the rocks though!
One of the highlights on the boat trip is seeing Komodo dragons. I have admired these unique animals for a long time, and I can’t wait to see them in real life. Living dinosaurs! I visited Komodo national park around noon in the summer when the dragons are not really active, they just laid under the trees, relaxing. Every tour group that comes into Komodo national park will have around 2 or 3 guides escort the whole time to protect some adventurous guests, as well as the island’s environment. The Komodo dragon is an extremely dangerous animal, they can look very slow but when they decide to chase you, you may not escape! So the tips always follow your group, keep a distance from them and don’t wander around by yourself. You won’t know if a dragon ambushes you. Although they are dangerous, they look super cute to me, and I love watching them just chilling on their very own island kingdom.
Komodo national park has two main islands, Komodo island, and also Rinca island. Rinca Island also has a decent amount of dragons living there. Same as Komodo national park, the Rinca island is well protected by local guides.
My next stop is Pink Beach where I saw many Instagram photos. But the reality may be a little different from Instagram. The beach is only slightly pink, not really as pink as I expect. The sand is mixed with millions of tiny pieces of red coral. It is still a beautiful beach to see (there are even stingrays living among the rocks), but maybe Instagrammer should use fewer filters in the future.
The best view of the boat trip belongs to the morning hike up to Pulau Padar Island. You will need to be up from 5.30am, but don’t worry, it is quite an easy hike. The view from the stop is absolutely breathtaking, you can see 4 beaches divided by endless mountains.
My last stop before returning to dry land is Pulau Kelor Island, a small island with white sand and crystal water, and again, an amazing view here. I took my best panorama picture from the top of the hill, which I can’t wait to show you all!
