Gili Trawangan, a 15-square kilometer island off Lombok, has pristine beaches, stunning underwater beauty, as well as being the perfect distance from crowded cities, thus making any visitor feel liberated instead of marooned.

One other thing, it also offers the perfect sunset. This is important since a growing number of visitors now have placed “getting an impeccable sunset selfie” near the top of their must-do list.

Visitors can travel to Gili Trawangan from Bali or Lombok. A fast boat from Padangbay harbor in Bali takes around 1.5 hours. A more expensive option is taking a fast boat from Benoa harbor.

In Lombok, a trip to the island can be booked in Bangsal or Teluk Nara harbors, with the latter being an increasingly popular option due to the close proximity of the pier to the car park. At Bangsal harbor, passengers have to walk for quite some time, or board a cidomo, a horse-drawn cart. A 10-minute speedboat trip to Gili Trawangan costs around Rp 75,000 (US$5.70).

Cycling is the best way to explore this island and bicycle rental usually costs around
Rp 80,000 per day.

As the day draws to its end, groups of cyclists and visitors in cidomo can be seen rushing to the western edge of the island. This is the quieter part of Gili Trawangan, with only a few cottages dotting the shoreline.

Precisely at 5 p.m., the sun makes its final descent to the horizon and suddenly the blue sky erupts into a juxtaposition of bright colors, from yellow to orange to red. It is a fantastic sunset.

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