Experience the best of Gili Trawangan

Gili Trawangan lies a short boat ride off the north-west coast of Lombok, in Indonesia, and is the largest and liveliest of the three Gili Islands. There are no cars or motorbikes; people walk, cycle or ride horse-drawn carts called cidomo along a road that circles the coast. Beaches of pale sand run around much of it, and across the water Bali's Mount Agung and Lombok's Mount Rinjani rise on clear days.

Reefs lie close to shore, and snorkellers swim with green turtles at Turtle Point while divers explore walls and sandy slopes with reef sharks. The harbour and most of the cafés and bars are on the busy east side, while the west and north shores are quieter, and the island is small enough to walk around in about two hours. Gili Meno and Gili Air lie close by, and the Lombok mainland has waterfalls, beaches and the trekking routes of Mount Rinjani.

The night market near the harbour grills fresh fish, satay and corn over charcoal, and Lombok dishes such as chicken in fiery sauce and water spinach with chilli and tomato sambal are served in the cafés. Sunset is the hour to be on the west shore. The dry season from May to October brings the clearest skies and the calmest seas.