Gili Trawangan after dark: nightlife and the full-moon party

Gili Trawangan is the only one of the three Gili Islands with a genuine nightlife, and for a tiny car-free island it punches well above its weight. If you have come to the Gilis to dance, this is where you stay.

The scene is concentrated along the east coast, where most of the bars, beach clubs and restaurants line the strip facing Lombok. Evenings tend to start slowly, with sunset drinks on the beach and dinner at one of the seafood barbecues where you pick your fish from the ice, before the bars build through the night. Venues take turns hosting the bigger nights, so the crowd tends to move together from one place to the next rather than splitting up.

The island's signature event is the full-moon party. Held around each full moon, it is the busiest night of the month, with bigger crowds, visiting DJs and a party that runs late on the beach. If your trip lines up with a full moon and you want to be there, book accommodation well ahead, as rooms fill fast around those dates, and expect higher prices.

Beyond the headline nights, Trawangan's nightlife is more relaxed than its reputation suggests. There is live music, low-key reggae bars, and plenty of places to have a couple of drinks without committing to a big night. The west side of the island stays quiet, so if you want to party one night and sleep the next, you can simply choose where to base yourself.

A few sensible notes. Drinks can be strong and the island has no hospital, so pace yourself, and be cautious about anything offered on the street. There are no cars, but bicycles and cidomo carts move around at night, so watch where you walk on the unlit paths. And whatever time you get in, the snorkelling is still there in the morning.