There are over 17,000 islands that make up the country of Indonesia, but probably the most well-known island is Bali. Situated between the islands of Java (to the west) and Lombok (to the east), it has become a popular holiday destination for tourists since the 1980s. Whether you want great waves for surfing, coral reefs for snorkeling and scuba diving, mountains for hiking or mindfulness through yoga and meditation, Bali seriously has it all.
Being a lover of the water, getting scuba certified was something I always dreamed of doing. In 2011, I was fortunate enough to do my Open Water course in Utila, Honduras and swam with a whale shark. Yup, it was as amazing as it sounds and I thought my life was complete right then and there.
Now as a certified diver, I’m on the search to dive the best sites in the world. When I came to Thailand, I took my scuba certification further and became and Advanced Diver. I knew I wanted to do some diving in Indonesia and Great Barrier Reef, and being an advanced diver really gives you an advantage to see more underwater.
When planning for Indonesia, I knew I wanted to do some diving in Komodo, as I had heard it was some of the best diving in the world. Komodo Island is best known for being home to the komodo dragon, the largest lizard on Earth. The island became a National Park in 1980 and later was expanded to include the protection of the surrounding marine life and coral reefs. The park covers parts of western Flores, the islands of Komodo, Padar and Rinca, and 26 smaller islands. It’s pretty much every diver’s dream to dive in Komodo!
I arrived to Indonesia in mid-October to the island of Bali and didn’t really have a plan of what I was going to do. Diving, surfing, trekking and just overall exploring were all on my to-do list, so I had to figure out my days accordingly. I ended up only spending about three days on Bali before heading east to an island called Gili Trawangan with a girl I met at my hostel, Tracey. I’m doing more exploring in Bali toward the end of my time in Indonesia, so I’ll wait to do a post about the island when I do some more exploring!
Gili Trawangan (or Gili T) is the largest of three islands off the coast of Lombok, the next big island east of Bali. “Gili” means “small island”, so actually many of the islands in Indonesia have “Gili” in their name. Gili T has a reputation for being a big party island, so Tracey and I decided that we’d still check it out and could always move to the quieter island of Gili Air next door if we didn’t like it. Thankfully we were pleasantly surprised when we arrived and ended up really loving the island. I’m sure coming during low season helped with the crazy crowds.