Sunset and Sunrise on Lombok and the Gili Islands: Where to Watch, Times by Month and Mount Agung

1 November 2026

Where can you watch the sunset on the Gili Islands? What time does the sun come up? You may have heard that the sun sets behind Mount Agung on Bali, but can you see that on any day? Plenty of people ask these questions before a trip to Lombok or the Gilis. The short answer: watch the sunset from the west coasts of the three Gilis and Lombok’s west coast, and the sunrise from the east coasts of the Gilis or on the Mount Rinjani side of Lombok. Sunset falls between 18:00 and 19:00 all year, sunrise between about 5:45 and 6:30, and the seasonal difference is less than an hour.

Seen from the three Gilis, Mount Agung lies almost due west. But the sun only sets right behind the mountain around March and September; around June it sets to the right (north) of the mountain, and around December to the left (south). The mountain itself disappears when clouds sit over Bali.

The sunrise and sunset times and the direction of the sun in this article were checked by calculation with astronomical data from the US Naval Observatory (USNO). The viewing spots listed are only those we could confirm on the official website of Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism, in local news reports, on the blog of a Gili Meno hotel and similar sources. Where information comes from a traveller’s blog, we say so, and where we could not confirm something, we note it in place.

All times are Central Indonesian Time (WITA, UTC+8), the same time zone as Bali, which most visitors pass through.

As of October 2026

What this article covers

✓Where to see the sunset and sunrise on the three Gilis and on mainland Lombok
✓Sunrise and sunset times for each month (checked against astronomical data)
✓When the sun sets behind Mount Agung, and what it takes to see the mountain
✓What to expect in the rainy season (November to March) and how to plan around it
✓When to arrive for photos, and what to watch out for after dark

In short

Watch the sunset from the west coasts of the three Gilis, from Senggigi and Malimbu Hill on Lombok, or from Bukit Merese in the south; watch the sunrise from the east coasts of the Gilis or from the hills at Sembalun at the foot of Mount Rinjani. Around the Gilis, sunset is between 18:04 and 18:42 and sunrise between 5:46 and 6:32 (values for the 15th of each month, Central Indonesian Time). The sun sets right behind Mount Agung around March and September, and whether you can see the mountain depends on the clouds. Clouds get in the way less in the dry season (April to October); in the rainy season, keeping several evenings free gives you more chances.

Contents

Where to watch the sunset: the Gilis’ west coasts, Lombok’s west coast and the southern hills

The three Gilis are small islands lined up off Lombok’s northwest coast, and on each of them the west coast is the sunset side. The official website of Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism says the place to watch the sunset on Gili Trawangan is the west coast, where you can see the sun go down beyond Mount Agung on Bali. The state news agency ANTARA (2022) reported that many travellers rent bicycles around 5 to 8 pm to look for a sunset spot.

The blog of BASK Gili Meno, a hotel on Gili Meno (April 2026), says Gili Meno is a long north–south island whose whole west coast faces the sunset, and that it is quieter and less developed than Gili Trawangan or Gili Air. For Gili Air, a traveller’s blog (updated 2023) writes that the west coast has wide, quiet beaches but a lot of broken coral, so walking in sandals is a good idea.

On mainland Lombok, the sunset spots are Senggigi on the west coast and Malimbu Hill to its north. A travel article by the telecoms company Telkomsel (2025) describes Senggigi Beach as a place to watch the sun set against the silhouette of Mount Agung on Bali. The environmental news site Mongabay (2018) notes that Mount Agung is sometimes hidden by cloud and that only the summit is visible.

According to a traveller’s blog (updated May 2024), Malimbu Hill is a headland about 15 minutes north of Senggigi Beach by motorbike along the coast road, looking out over the sea towards the Gilis. The Ministry of Tourism also recommends the sunset sea views from Pura Batu Bolong, a temple in Senggigi.

In the south, Bukit Merese near Kuta (Mandalika) is well known. According to a January 2026 article in local media, it is 15–20 minutes from central Kuta and 30–40 minutes by car from the airport, with no separate entrance ticket. For sunset spots around Mandalika, the Ministry of Tourism recommends arriving about an hour before sunset.

← Scroll the table sideways

Place	What you see	Notes	Source and date
Gili Trawangan, west coast	Sunset	The sun sets beyond Mount Agung. Many people cycle there in the evening	Ministry of Tourism; ANTARA (2022)
Gili Meno, west coast	Sunset	The whole west coast faces the sunset. Less developed and quiet	Hotel blog (April 2026)
Gili Air, west coast	Sunset	Wide, quiet beach with a lot of broken coral	Traveller’s blog (2023)
East coasts of the three Gilis	Sunrise	Facing mainland Lombok and Mount Rinjani	Ministry of Tourism; hotel blog; traveller’s blog
Senggigi Beach	Sunset	Mount Agung visible on some days; sometimes hidden by cloud	Telkomsel (2025); Mongabay (2018)
Malimbu Hill	Sunset	About 15 minutes north of Senggigi by motorbike. Looks towards the Gilis	Traveller’s blog (2024)
Bukit Merese (south)	Sunset	15–20 minutes from central Kuta. No separate entrance ticket	Local media (January 2026)
Bukit Pergasingan, Sembalun	Sunrise	1,630–1,670 m above sea level (varies by article). Faces Mount Rinjani	detikBali (2023); CNN Indonesia (2021)

Note: Based on sources we could check as of October 2026. Entrance and parking fees may change.

Where to watch the sunrise: the Gilis’ east coasts and the Rinjani side

Sunrise is on the east side, opposite the sunset. The Ministry of Tourism recommends the east side of Gili Trawangan for sunrise, for example along the east coast road (Jalan Pantai Timur). East of the three Gilis lie mainland Lombok and Mount Rinjani (3,726 m). The Gili Meno hotel blog says you can see Mount Rinjani in the direction of the sunrise to the east, and a traveller who stayed on Gili Air’s east coast also wrote that Rinjani was clearly visible at sunrise.

On mainland Lombok, the sunrise spot is Bukit Pergasingan at Sembalun, on the eastern foot of Mount Rinjani. detikBali (2023) gives the hill’s height as 1,670 m and CNN Indonesia (2021) as 1,630 m. Both articles give the entrance fee as Rp10,000 per person (about US$0.56) at the time, and detikBali suggests starting the climb at dawn, before sunrise. Both articles put the journey from Mataram to Sembalun at 4 to 5 hours (detikBali describes changing between shared minibuses). To start climbing before dawn, the realistic plan is to move to Sembalun the day before and stay overnight.

From the campsite on the crater rim of Mount Rinjani you can see the sunrise, and the sunset beyond Mount Agung on Bali, according to a trekking operator’s website (July 2025), which says summit attempts usually start at around 2 am. The trail closes at certain times of year and during wildfires, so before planning, read our article on Mount Rinjani accidents and eruptions for what to check, and in what order.

What time are sunrise and sunset? Times by month

Lombok lies a little more than 8 degrees south of the equator, so sunrise and sunset times change little through the year. Checking the times for the 15th of each month around the Gilis (8.35°S, 116.04°E) with US Naval Observatory data gives sunrise between 5:46 (November) and 6:32 (July), and sunset between 18:04 (May) and 18:42 (January). Unlike at higher latitudes, sunset does not shift much with the seasons.

Sunset is latest from December to March, at 18:29 to 18:42. From May to November it is earlier, at 18:04 to 18:15, with April in between at 18:14. Sunrise is earliest from October to December, before 6:00, and latest from May to August, at 6:20 to 6:32. Checking the same way for Kuta in southern Lombok (8.89°S, 116.28°E) gives sunrise at 6:27 and sunset at 18:04 on 15 June, and sunrise at 5:51 and sunset at 18:29 on 15 December, within 2 minutes of the Gilis. Wherever you are on the island, the chart below works as a guide.

Figure: Sunrise and sunset by month around the Gili Islands (15th of each month)

Figure: Values for the 15th of each month checked with US Naval Observatory (USNO) astronomical data, for 8.35°S, 116.04°E, Central Indonesian Time. November and December are for 2026, January to October for 2027.

Before sunrise and after sunset there is a period when the sky glows with colour (civil twilight). In the same data, the time from sunset to the end of civil twilight (when there is still enough light to walk outside without a torch) was 21 to 23 minutes. On 15 January 2027, for example, sunset is at 18:42 and civil twilight ends at 19:04. The colours keep changing for about 20 minutes after the sun goes down, so rather than leaving as soon as it sets, stay a little longer to watch the sky change.

The Gili Meno hotel blog puts sunset at around 17:50 to 18:30 all year, but the astronomical data gives sunsets of 18:04 to 18:42 on the 15th of each month, later than that range from December to March in particular. The time of around 18:00 that ANTARA gave as a good time to watch the sunset also fits as a guide for May to November.

When does the sun set behind Mount Agung, and when can you see the mountain?

Mount Agung is a volcano in eastern Bali. The Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program gives its height as 2,997 m and its position as 8.343°S. That is almost the same latitude as the Gili Islands (8°21’S), so from the west coasts of the three Gilis, Mount Agung is almost due west.

The direction in which the sun sets, however, moves with the seasons. Checking the direction of sunset around the Gilis with US Naval Observatory data shows that on 20 March and 22 September the sun sets almost due west, in line with Mount Agung. On 15 June it sets about 23 degrees north of west, and on 15 December about 24 degrees south of west. Standing on a Gili west coast facing the sea, the sun sets to the right of the mountain around June and to the left around December. If you want to see the sunset and Mount Agung together, March and September are the months to aim for, though March is the end of the rainy season and some days are cloudy.

Figure: Where the sun sets as seen from the Gilis, and Mount Agung

Figure: Based on the direction of sunset in US Naval Observatory (USNO) data (15 June, 15 December, 20 March and 22 September) and the position of Mount Agung from the Global Volcanism Program. The angles of the lines are drawn to match the actual directions.

Whether you can see the mountain depends on clouds more than direction. The hotel blog says Mount Agung is hidden when clouds sit over Bali, and an article in Tempo’s English edition describes travellers waiting for thick cloud to clear from Mount Agung. For sunsets in the south, the Ministry of Tourism says the dry season from April to October gives more chances to see the sunset without thick cloud in the way.

Can you see the sunset and sunrise in the rainy season (November to March)?

The rainy season on Lombok and the Gilis runs from November to March and the dry season from April to October. Even in the rainy season it does not rain every day, and there are evenings with a sunset. It is more realistic, though, to expect more days than in the dry season when cloud hides the sun or Mount Agung.

Rather than staking everything on one evening, keep several evenings as candidates and your chances go up. Lonely Planet (updated July 2026) says December on the Gilis is the middle of the wet season, with rain and cloud usually arriving in the afternoon. If one evening is heavily clouded, the next morning’s sunrise is another option.

If you want to be sure of seeing both sunset and sunrise on the Gilis, plan to stay at least one night on an island rather than visiting as a day trip. How many nights to plan, worked back from the boat timetables, is covered in how many nights to spend on the Gili Islands.

Taking photos: how early to arrive and how long to stay

The Gili Meno hotel blog recommends arriving at least 45 minutes before sunset and staying 20 minutes after. It says the light for photos is best about 30 minutes before sunset, and bands of pink and purple appear in the sky about 10 minutes after the sun goes down. At Bukit Merese, the Ministry of Tourism recommends arriving about an hour before. Working back from the monthly times above, that means arriving at around 17:55 in January or around 17:20 in June.

For sunrise, civil twilight starts about 21 to 23 minutes before the sun comes up. Arrive 30 minutes before sunrise and you will see the sky begin to colour. The Gilis are small enough to walk to the east coast, but at places you have to climb, such as Bukit Pergasingan, add the climbing time.

✓Have you checked the monthly times and decided when to arrive, 45 minutes before sunset?
✓Do you have a torch or your phone light for the way back after dark?
✓Are you wearing sandals on beaches with broken coral, such as Gili Air’s west coast?
✓When taking photos, are you looking through the screen rather than staring at the sun?
✓If you are using a car or motorbike on Lombok, have you arranged how to get back after dark?

Once the sun goes down, the coast roads get dark quickly. On the Gilis you will walk or cycle back to your accommodation, and some paths have few street lights. If you are heading to a hill or headland on mainland Lombok, settle the time of your car back first so you are not rushed. A traveller’s blog (2024) says parking a motorbike at Malimbu Hill in the evening cost Rp2,000 (about US$0.11).

A note from Sekotong

On a day you head out to a hill or beach on Lombok for the sunset, we suggest agreeing the departure time for the drive back with your driver before you even fix the outbound time. If you stay for the colours after sunset, you will leave 20 to 30 minutes after the sun goes down. From December to March, sunset is after 18:30, so you will also get back to your accommodation later. Check the shape of the day the evening before so it does not clash with a dinner booking or an early boat or flight the next morning.

The downsides of planning around sunsets and sunrises, and who it suits

The downsides first. On Lombok and the Gilis, cloud can hide the sunset on some days, and you will not know whether Mount Agung is visible until the day itself. The sun sets right behind the mountain only around March and September, and the rainy season brings more cloudy days. To be sure of both sunset and sunrise on the Gilis, you need to stay on an island; to see the sunrise from the hill at Sembalun, you need to travel the day before and climb before dawn. If you are on a short one-night trip and want to be certain of a particular view, this is not for you.

On the other hand, if you can keep several evenings free and enjoy walking a beach or climbing a hill, every evening becomes part of the plan. Sunset is between 18:00 and 19:00 all year, which also makes it easy to fit into an itinerary.

Apart from the three main Gilis, there are the South Gili islands off Sekotong in southwest Lombok, which see few visitors. We compare the busier three Gilis with the quieter South Gilis in Gili Islands vs the Secret Gilis. On the beach of a fishing village in Sekotong (Semelar Beach), we at Semelar Beach Village run the beach cafe SAKURA CAFE (10:00 to 22:00, closed Mondays), a market and a beach club together with local Sasak people, and the sun sets over the sea in front of the beach. The Bamboo Restaurant is due to open on 7 November 2026. We introduce the islands offshore in our guide to the South Gili islands off Sekotong.

Frequently asked questions

Q. What time is sunset on the Gili Islands?

Checked against astronomical data, sunset on the 15th of each month is between 18:04 (May) and 18:42 (January). It is 18:29 to 18:42 from December to March, 18:04 to 18:15 from May to November, and 18:14 in April. The sky keeps changing colour for about 20 minutes after the sun goes down.

Q. What time is sunrise on the Gili Islands?

Sunrise on the 15th of each month is between 5:46 (November) and 6:32 (July). It is before 6:00 from October to December and 6:20 to 6:32 from May to August. Watch it from the east coast of the islands.

Q. Can you see Mount Agung every day?

No. When clouds sit over Bali the mountain is hidden, and even when it is visible you may only see the summit. Clouds are said to get in the way less in the dry season (April to October). The sun sets right behind the mountain around March and September.

Q. Can you see both sunrise and sunset on the Gilis?

Yes. The islands are small; a traveller’s blog puts the walk around Gili Air at about 5 km, a little over an hour. Go to the east coast in the morning and the west coast in the evening. To see both, stay at least one night on the island.

Q. Can you see the sunset in the rainy season?

On some days, yes, but there are more days than in the dry season when cloud hides it. Keep several evenings as candidates rather than relying on one, and if an evening is heavily clouded, try the next morning’s sunrise instead.

Summary

On Lombok and the Gilis, watch the sunset from the west coasts of the three Gilis, from Senggigi and Malimbu Hill, or from Bukit Merese in the south, and the sunrise from the east coasts of the Gilis or the hill at Sembalun. Sunset is between 18:00 and 19:00 all year (18:04 to 18:42 on the 15th of each month) and sunrise between 5:46 and 6:32. The seasonal difference is small, and the times are easy to fit into an itinerary.

Mount Agung is almost due west of the three Gilis, and the sun sets right behind it around March and September. Whether you can see the mountain depends on the clouds, and the dry season offers more chances. For sunsets, arrive at least 45 minutes before and stay about 20 minutes after, and sort out a light and your ride back in advance.