Some people may dream of having a private island, one of those quiet, peaceful places dominated by lush green vegetation. Or maybe they will be imagining the blue sea with its small waves lapping up on the shores. And when the night comes, these dreamers will no doubt be picturing the friendly glow of the moon - close enough to touch. This is the paradise from the films of the 60s, the sort of place for a refreshing vacation.

These stereotyped dreams of paradise automatically transform into dreams that come true when you discover three small islands off Lombok - Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan Islands. These three islands are incredibly inviting. If you become weary with your daily chores or the fast paced city life, it would be wise to stay for at least two or three nights, because this is the sort of place where you can easily forget all your problems - at least for a while.

The journey to paradise
In order to reach the three Gilis - which are now being highly promoted by the tourist industry in Lombok - you can travel from Mataram for one-and-a-half hours on a tourist bus. The trip itself is a bonus, because you will have a chance to view the coastal areas and some of Lombok's traditional villages. The most interesting part of the journey is the climb through the Pusuk Forest territory, with its beautiful green valley.

The views in Pusuk are similar to those in Bedugul, Bali. As in Bedugul, you will also find monkeys the whole day, both morning and afternoon. This is a great place to stop and take a picture with the monkeys in the foreground and the thriving valley in the background.

Next, you will arrive at Pemenang village, not far from Pusuk. This village is the end of the road, the last village of the West Lombok area. From the edge of the beach here you have a good view of the three green islands. From this position, it seems that all you need to do is take a few jumps to reach from one Gili island to others. The Gilis can be reached by small boats from Pemenang village. Generally, the trip will begin with the closest one to Lombok, Gili Air, before moving on to Gili Meno, and then to the last one, Gili Trawangan. One of the boat drivers explained that most visitors stop by on all three Gilis, and the visitors who only go to one or two of the islands are very rare. According to him, it is useless if you don't visit all three islands, because for him each island has its own unique personality.

Gili Trawangan
As the biggest island, and located above the other two, Gili Trawangan looks as though it has taken on the task of protecting the other two Gilis. Gili Trawangan is the only island that has a small valley within, and from a distance you can see the distinct shape of the valley that characterises it and sets it apart from the others. That part of the island is dry, but it is a great place to go for a hike, and from the top, the outline of Gili Trawangan and the two other two Gilis can be seen clearly.

With its small valley, losmen, bungalows, resorts, food stalls, restaurants and cidomos - Gili Trawangan can provide the complete holiday experience.