Gili Air with kids: a 1-mile, car-free paradise where kids run free

One of the many bike rides around Gili Air.

On Gili Air, rush hour is 3 horses, 2 kids driving an e-scooter, and a tourist who can't figure out how to ride a bike in sand. 🐎🏍️🚲

One square mile

That’s it. This tiny speck of land off the coast of Lombok, Indonesia, is a fully pedestrian island (right-most island in the pic). Historically, these islands were a quiet secret until the 70s until hardcore backpackers discovered them. Today, the locals have built out the infrastructure but kept the charm: turquoise water, white sand, and zero engines.

That means zero cars. Zero motorcycles. Just bicycles, horse-drawn carriages (cidomos), and the occasional electric scooter. You can walk around the whole thing in an hour, or bike it in 20 minutes.

We visited in March, which is technically the low season because of the cloudiness and humidity. There is rain, but it’s usually tucked away in the late night or afternoon. It was nice. Low crowds and the temp was pretty much 80°F day and night—welcome to the tropics, baby!

Where we stayed

We booked a 2-bedroom villa at Rumah Singa for $92/night. Because it was low season, we had the whole place to ourselves.

While everything on the island is technically walkable, stay closer to the beach. The center of the island gets a little... let's call it "authentic", while the perimeter is where the sea breeze and sunlight come pouring in.

Getting around

You have two choices: walk or bike. 

Rental bikes go for about $4/day. They have kids' bikes and adult bikes with kid seats on the back. It is truly a pedestrian’s paradise. If you’re feeling lazy or have a mountain of luggage, you grab a horse-drawn carriage.

Kindergarten Bumi Kecil

One of the best things on the island is Bumi Kecil. For $125/kid/week, they got to attend a nature school that makes Western classrooms look sad AF. It’s mostly outdoors, plenty of activities, some academics, and the staff is incredible.

• The Littles (Ages 3-5): 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM.

• The Bigs (Ages 6 and up): Runs until 2:00 PM.

I don’t usually blog about food, but…

With the kids in school, you gunna eat. Gili Air punches way above its weight class for food. Here’s the hit list:

• Santorini: Authentic Greek food with a side of great snorkeling right out front.

• GILITIK!: The go-to for street food that won't wreck your stomach.

• Makan La Vie: Fresh, healthy vibes in a beautiful garden setting.

• Ruby’s Cafe: Great local and Western fusion; the kind of place where you feel like a regular.

• POKE: Clean, fresh bowls for when you’ve had too much fried rice.

• ZZZ: Your wallet's best friend—delicious, low-cost Indo food.

• ITALY Pizza & Cucina: For when the kids stage a mutiny and demand carbs.

• Mowie’s: The undisputed king of sunset spots. Grab a beanbag and a drink.

• Bambu Beach: Great pool and even better snorkeling access.

• Papaya: Fresh and easy food for the whole family.

• The Play Cafe: Has a kids' park and toys—drink caffeine while they burn energy.

• Barefoot Blondie: Excellent brews for the coffee snobs among us.

• Pituq: Incredible food and more toys to keep the peace.

• Kaktus Cooking Class ($25): make 4 delicious dishes in 2 hours and eat enough to skip dinner. It's an incredible value.

…and there’s many more. I don’t think we ate at the same place twice. 

Snorkeling

You don't need a boat to see the good stuff here.

• Turtle Point: Total beginner mode. Walk off the beach, swim to the reef drop-off, and ride the current north. We saw turtles for days, cuttlefish, eels, huge schools of fish, and even barracudas.

• Han’s Reef: The "hard mode" version. It’s offshore with choppy waves and a split current that wants to pull you in two directions. Watch the tides, and the boats.

• 3W Dive: We paid $40pp for their kids' course. They teach the kids about turtle conservation, then take them on a 1-hour guided snorkel. 100% worth it. 

Indo-pendence

Get it? 

The real win of this trip wasn't the turtles—it was the independence we allowed for our kids.

In the US, we’ve built a world where kids are essentially under house arrest for their own safety. Cars zoom by at 45 mph, shops are 5 miles away, and "stranger danger" rings through the streets.

On Gili Air, our kids grew exponentially. Because the island is car-free, we let our novice bikers pedal to school alone. Because it’s small, we let them get "lost" so they could practice finding their way home. And after seeing local children running errands, we let our kids handle the grocery shopping.

Sure, there were moments of friction: they fell off their bikes, they ran short on cash, or a chain would slip off. But without a parent hovering nearby to fix it, they had to assess the situation, work together, and problem-solve. 

That kind of freedom has been lost for most kids back home. While this trip taught us that we can still find ways to foster independence in the States, some places just make it easier. We’ll definitely be coming back—not just for the views, but so our kids can be free!

This post is part of our 'finding our why' series, sharing real-world stories of why families choose financial independence and early retirement with kids.