We’ve seen the marvelous beauties of Gili Islands in the north of Lombok that consists of three Gilis and Gili Trawangan is the most popular among them. There are actually a lot more Gilis (meaning small island in Lombok native language) that’s worth noticing and visiting. One of them is Gili Nanggu, a small island located south of Gili Trawangan.

This island is also known as Paradise Island is actually a privately own island. The island is now run by PT. Istana Cempaka Raya, a company based in Jakarta. The island is now focusing on giving the best tourism experience for travelers alike.

The island which has a size of 17.5 HA is surrounded by natural white sand beach length 1 KM, with a few sides having some coral reefs. The island is beautiful and peaceful, a perfect place for retreat and get away from the hustle and bustle of the cities. The local beach traders which we commonly find in Lombok stays away from this beach, because it’s a privately own island. It would be the best place for our honeymoon.

There are about 17 cottages and some of them resemble the Sasak traditional house. The price to rent a house is about Rp 110,000 (US$ 11) if you’re seeking for bungalows the price starts from Rp 250,000 or about US$ 25 per night. These bungalows are fully booked on high season, so make sure to make a reservation. The food available here are mostly seafood and with a starting price from Rp 16,000 – Rp 17,000 (US$ 1.6 – US$ 1.7).

Aside from its beautiful beach, this island is a good place for snorkeling and diving. Only by going a few meters down to the shallow seabed, crystal clear waters will reveal multi-colored tame marine fishes. And a wide variety of other sea animals can also be seen.

The island also has a sea turtle conservation facility that started back in 1995. The conservation is intended to protect the sea turtles of becoming food commodities from the local poachers and then release them back when they’re ready and old enough to face the big blue sea. If we’re lucky then we could witness the release of the baby turtles. Seeing those wiggly small baby turtles are so exciting. Over the past 13 years, Gili Nanggu has hatched about 4.500 sea turtle eggs.

The island is so peaceful that In the center of the island we could find a Buddhist temple called Vajrabhumi stood undisturbed by the hustle and bustle of the outside world.

To get to Gili Nanggu there are two ways:

• From Selaparang Airport, Mataram. Through Lembar port 30 minutes by car, and 30-45 minutes by boat.
• Through Tawun, West Sekotong. 60 Minutes by car and 15 minutes by boat

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