Bali to Gili Air
How to travel from Bali to Gili Air?
Depending on where you are staying you have several options to get from Bali to Gili Air.
-
The most commonly traveled route from Bali is from Padang Bai to Gili Air. This route is perfect for people staying in South Bali location such as Seminyak, Jimbaran, Kuta, Sanur and Denpasar (also suitable for Airport arrivals) as well as people staying in central Bali areas such as Ubud and Padang Bai. The fastboat from Padang Bai to Gili Air will take approx. 2hrs and Gili Air is often serviced after Gili Trawangan.
-
The best option for anyone looking to spend a night on Nusa Lembongan or Nusa Penida before heading over to Gili Air is with an island hopper from Serangan. The fastboat from South Bali goes from Serangan to Gili Air via Lembongan and/or Penida (minimum 1 night stay).
-
Another option from Padang Bai Harbour is the public slow ferry. The slow ferry travels from Padang Bai to Lembar (South of Lombok) and takes approx. 6 hours. This is a very cheap and uncomfortable trip and from Lembar it is another 2hrs to get to Gili Air by car and local boat.
-
You can take the shortest trip (only 1,5 hrs) from Bali to Gili Air if you are staying in North Bali around Amed/Tulamben. Simply book a fastboat with Freebird Express from Amed to Gili Air and you'll be on Gili Air in no time (stops briefly at Gili T before Gili Air).
- As Gili Air is the closest Gili Island to Lombok you can also fly into Lombok from Bali and take a private land + sea transfer from Lombok Airport to Gili Air. This trip takes aprox. 35 minutes by plane, 1,5 hrs by car and 20 min by boat and can be booked through our sister site Gili-islandtransfers.com.
How to travel from Ubud to Gili Air?
The quickest way from Ubud to Gili Air is by fastboat from Padang Bai Harbour. A free pick-up service is often included from Ubud Central and it is only 1-1,5 hrs by car (depending on traffic) from Ubud Central to Padang Bai. From Padang Bai to Gili Air also takes around 2hrs as Gili Air is usually serviced after Gili T.
How long does it take from Bali to Gili Air?
Travel times from Bali to Gili Air all depend on where you're staying and if you're in need of hotel pick-up. With hotel pick-up being around 1-2 hrs before departure your trip can take anywhere between 2 to 5 hrs with Amed being the shortest route and Serangan being the longest route (via other islands). Serangan to Gili Air is around 4hrs (via the Nusa islands & Padang Bai), Padang Bai to Gili Air around 2 hrs and Amed to Gili Air around 1,5 hrs. Flying into Lombok takes around 35 minutes from Bali and traveling to Gili Air from Lombok Airport is approx. 1,5hrs by car and 20 min by boat.
What is the best budget service from Bali to Gili Air?
The best budget service from Bali to Gili Air is with Eka Jaya from Padang Bai. This is the most direct route from Bali to Gili Air. This route sails directly from Padang Bai Harbour to Gili Trawangan (some services also stop briefly at Meno) before heading over to Gili Air.
Eka Jaya also offer a Serangan (south Bali) departure, perfect for island hoppers who want to go from Bali to Gili Air with a stop over in Nusa Lembongan and/or Nusa Penida. You should only take this option if you wish to stay at least 1 night on either Nusa Lembongan, Ceningan or Nusa Penida. There is also an island hopper available from Padang Bai with Eka Jaya which allows you to go from Padang Bai to Nusa Lembongan or Nusa Penida before continuing your journey to/from the Gilis.
Nusa Lembongan to Gili Air
How to travel from Nusa Lembongan to Gili Air?
A daily fast boat from Nusa Lembongan to Gili Air is provided by Eka Jaya. Their large vessel is too big to reach the shore at Nusa Lembongan which is why you will first be transferred to a floating pontoon between Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Penida to board. From Nusa Lembongan you will sail via Padang Bai and Gili Trawangan (sometimes also Meno) to Gili Air.
If you're starting your trip on Bali we recommend booking an island hopping trip from Bali to Gili Air which includes a minimum 1-night stay on Nusa Lembongan (or Ceningan/Penida) before hopping back on to get to Gili Air. Buying island hopping tickets from Bali to Nusa Lembongan to Gili Air is cheaper than buying separate tickets for each leg of the trip.
How to travel from Nusa Penida to Gili Air?
There are now multiple fast boats operating daily from Nusa Penida to Gili Air. Some go via Padang Bai and Semaya Express also have a direct trip from Penida to Gili Air. Daily fast boats from Nusa Penida to Gili Air (via Padang Bai) are also provided by Eka Jaya. From Nusa Penida you will be transfered with a smaller boat to the floating pontoon between Nusa Lembongan and Ceningan from where you will sail with a larger vessel from Nusa Penida via Padang Bai to Gili Air.
The cheapest option is buying an island hopping ticket from Bali to Gili Air which allows you to hop-off (minimum 1 night stay) on Nusa Penida and continue your way to Gili Air (via PAdang Bai) on a later date.
Lombok to Gili Air
How to travel from Lombok to Gili Air?
Gili Air is the closest Gili Island to Lombok, which makes getting from the harbour in North-West Lombok to Gili Air a very short boat trip. If you're staying somewhere else on Lombok you can simply book a boat and car transfer from almost anywhere in Lombok to Gili Air through our sister website gili-islandtransfers.com.
