Gili Islands, Indonesia Weather and Climate

Geographical location: Gili Islands

The Gili Islands are a small group of islands in the northwest of the Indonesian island of Lombok. The archipelago consists of the three sister islands Gili Meno, Gili Air and Gili Trawangan.

The Gili Islands have been very popular for years, especially among backpackers, but small boutique hotels with high standards have long since made their way into the island paradises. The best way to get to the Gili Islands from Bali is by speedboat in around 1.5 hours from the Padang Bai ferry port.

Gili Trawangan is the largest and best known of the three Gilis, it is also often described as a party island. In fact, Trawangan has a collection of hip bars and restaurants with live music. But there is no real hustle and bustle – for example in comparison to Kuta in Bali: To this day, people on the Gili Islands prefer to travel on foot or by horse-drawn carriage.

Since there are no real roads, motorized vehicles are also uncommon. This is even more true of the smaller islands of Gili Meno and Gili Air. While Gili Meno is perfect for relaxing, travelers on Gili Air will find just the right mix of great beaches, fantastic restaurants and pleasant relaxation.

Climate in the Gili Islands

The climate of the Gili Islands does not differ from that of the immediately neighboring main island Lombok. Due to the location just south of the equator, the region has an alternately humid climate that is known as monsoonal-tropical. This means above all high humidity and tropical warm temperatures all year round.

Compared to Bali, Lombok and the Gili Islands have less rainfall. Nevertheless, the rainy season can also be felt on Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan. From mid- October the weather changes, November is the wettest and most uncomfortable month on average according to the weather records.

The rainy season generally runs from around the end of October to the end of March. In recent years, however, there has been repeated heavy rainfall in the dry season and several weeks without serious rainfall in the actual rainy season. The residents therefore like to speak of the “weather diva” who has become a bit moody.

When to go to the Gili Islands off Lombok?

Despite these irregularities, the classic dry season offers the best conditions for a pleasant trip to the Gili Islands in Indonesia. We are aware that backpackers in particular can have fun in the pouring rain, but the view when snorkeling and diving is also limited in the rainy season.

The lower humidity is another big plus point for the dry season. We therefore recommend the period from May to September as the absolutely best time to travel to the Gili Islands, with minimal restrictions also the (usually much cheaper) transition months of April and October.

Nevertheless, the same applies as everywhere: In the main season – from mid- June until the beginning of September – prices rise sharply on all Gili Islands. So if you are traveling individually and have to keep your budget together, you will find the best price-performance ratio, especially at the end and at the beginning of the rainy season.

Temperatures, precipitation, sunshine in Gili Trawangan (Gili Islands)

	Jan	Feb	March	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Daytime temperature	31 ° C	31 ° C	31 ° C	32 ° C	32 ° C	31 ° C	30 ° C	31 ° C	31 ° C	32 ° C	32 ° C	31 ° C
Night temperature	24 ° C	24 ° C	24 ° C	24 ° C	23 ° C	22 ° C	21 ° C	21 ° C	22 ° C	23 ° C	24 ° C	24 ° C
Water temperature	29 ° C	29 ° C	29 ° C	29 ° C	29 ° C	28 ° C	28 ° C	27 ° C	27 ° C	28 ° C	29 ° C	29 ° C
Precipitation in mm	97	122	135	92	60	27	18	4	28	109	216	140
Rainy days	12	13	14	11	7	5	3	2	3	9	16	14
Hours of sunshine	8	8	8	8	9	9	9	10	10	10	9	9
Sunrise	6:10	6:20	6:20	6:20	6:20	6:25	6:30	6:25	6:10	5:55	5:45	5:55
Sunset	18:40	18:40	18:30	18:15	18:05	18:05	18:10	18:15	18:15	18:10	18:15	18:30

Temperatures

The annual average temperature in Gili Islands is 27.1 ° C. For comparison: Munich reaches an average of 8.6 ° C, in Berlin it is 9.6 ° C. The warmest month is April (28 ° C), coldest month of July with averages of 25.5 ° C. The maximum water temperature in Gili Islands is 29 ° C. Comfortable bathing is possible at these temperatures. All months have a water temperature of at least 21 ° C and are therefore suitable for a beach holiday.

Precipitation

The annual precipitation is 1048 mm on 109 days with precipitation. For comparison: In Munich, 967 mm, in Berlin 570 mm, precipitation is measured annually. The November is considered the rainy season, since in this month are expected to more than 175 mm of rainfall. You cannot expect snow in any month in Gili Trawangan.

Sunshine

As our climate table shows, September is the sunniest month with an average of 10 hours of sunshine per day. On average over the year the sun shines 8.7 hours per day. For comparison: In Munich and Berlin, the sun shines an average of 4.7 hours per day throughout the year.

Cities nearby

The following larger towns are nearby and have a similar climate: Mataram and Mataram.

What do you actually do on the Gili Islands?

The Gili Islands, of course, do not have the abundance of leisure activities and sights like the large islands of Bali and Lombok. On the Gilis it is very dignified, especially during the day, the most popular places to stay are the hip “beach clubs” with beautiful sun loungers and cushions right by the sea.

Although tourism has already noticeably affected the corals, the underwater world of the Gili Islands is still an absolute highlight for snorkelers and divers. Turtles are also not uncommon here! There are diving schools on Gili Air and Gili Trawangan, the prices for open water diving courses are extremely cheap.

Gili Islands weather in March, April and May

Daily temperatures averaging 31 to 32 ° C are to be expected over the next three months. The temperatures hardly fluctuate during this time.

Do you want to go on a beach holiday? The water temperatures are in March, April and May at about 29 ° C. This is great weather for a great time on the beach and in the water.

The expected rainfall is around 14 days in March, around 11 days in April and around 7 days in May.

In the period from March to May, the sun shines on average between 8 and 9 hours a day. The sunniest weather is in May in Gili Trawangan, with a little less sun you will have to get by in March.