Bali to the Gili Islands
You can travel from Bali to the Gili Islands by fast boat, slow ferry or fly to Lombok and transfer from there.
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The simplest and quickest way by far is by fast boat and you can depart from South Bali (Sanur, Serangan), Central Bali (Padang Bai) and from North Bali (Amed). You can check prices, availability and book through our search box.
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A local flight can be taken between Bali Denpasar and Lombok. The flights are relatively inexpensive and take only around 30mins. From Lombok airport it takes a further 1,5 hours drive to the harbour in north Lombok and 15 minutes per speed boat to reach any of the Gili Islands. You can book a transfer from Lombok airport to Gili through our sister site Gili-islandtransfers.com.
- Finally, the least popular option is to go by public slow ferry which departs from Padang Bai in east Bali to the south of Lombok (Lembar), taking approx. 6hrs. This is cheap but rather uncomfortable and when you arrive in Lembar you will still need a transfer onward to the Gili Islands, adding a further 2hrs to your journey and extra costs.
How long is the fast boat trip from Bali to the Gili Islands?
Traveling from Bali to the Gili Islands by fast boat can take between 1 to 5 hours depending on the route and area in Bali you are staying.
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North Bali: The quickest route is from Amed to the Gili Islands, however this is only suitable if you're staying in the North Bali region (Amed, Tulamben).
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East Bali: Another quick trip, and by far the most popular route, is between Padang Bai and the Gili Islands. This route takes only around 1,5 hours and most fast boat services will provide complimentary pickup from popular Bali areas like Kuta, Seminyak, Sanur, Ubud & Candidasa.
- South Bali: The route from Serangan or Sanur to the Gili Islands usually includes stops along the way, adding to the time on the water. So while Serangan and Sanur are closer to the main Bali tourist areas such as Kuta, Seminyak, Canggu, Jimbaran and Denpasar, it doesn't necesarrily make the journey to Gili quicker to depart from here. However it is perfect if you want to stop a few nights at Nusa Lembongan or Penida on the way to Gili. Otherwise, the route can take up to 5 hours in total if you do not get off in Lembongan or Penida.
Can you fly from Bali to the Gili Islands?
There are no flights from Bali to The Gili Islands. The Gili Islands are very small and not even motorized vehicles are available on the islands. You can check local flights between Bali and Lombok, and then transfer from Lombok airport to the Gili Islands. The transfer from Lombok airport to the gili Islands takes 90 minutes by car plus 10 - 15 minutes to the island by speed boat
Lombok to the Gili islands
How do I get from Lombok to Gili?
Depending on where on Lombok you are staying you can quite easily get from Lombok to the Gili Islands as they are actually closer to Lombok than Bali. Only a 15-25 minute boat ride is needed to get from Lombok to the Gili islands. You can book a transfer locally or you can pre-book this service (with a pick-up from your hotel) via www.gili-islandtransfers.com.
Gili Island general info
How do you travel between the Gili Islands?
Traveling between the Gili Islands is very easy as they are located very close to each other. The best way to travel between the island is by taking a local boat. You can also pre-book a private speedboat on our sister website Gili-Islandtransfers.com, here you will have more freedom since you can select your own transfer time, even very early in the morning or late in the evening.
You can also take a local public boat between the Gili islands, which usually departs around 2 times per day. Simply head over to the local harbour to get more information on departure times (sometimes it will not depart until the boat has enough passengers). Note these boats are quite slow and uncomfortable. If you would like to depart on a set time during the day you can inquire for a local transfer at the hotels or pre-book it through www.gili-islandtransfers.com.
Which Gili Island is the best?
The three Northern Gili Islands are very different which means there is no best island to suit every travelers need. Gili Trawangan is the best island for people who are looking for enough to do, a fun nightlife and plenty of activities. Gili Air is a chilled island where you can find stuff to do but also very easily find peace and quiet. Gili Meno is the best island for people who want to escape other tourists and would like no nightlife or busy main strip around. There are also other Gili Islands located in the South of Lombok which are even more remote!
Padang Bai to the Gili Islands
How to travel from Padang Bai to the Gili Islands?
It is very easy to travel from Padang Bai to the Gili Islands as multiple services depart from Padang Bai Harbour throughout the morning and early afternoon. There are no late afternoon or evening services owing in part to the calmer seas earlier in the day. Most fast boats from Padang Bai to Gili include complementary pickup and drop off from popular (south) Bali areas such as Kuta, Seminyak, Sanur and Ubud.
Serangan/Sanur to the Gili Islands
How to travel from Serangan to the Gili Islands?
Most fast boats on Gilitickets.com depart from Padang Bai Harbour to the Gili Islands however they do provide a (free) pick-up from most popular south Bali areas. They provide pick-up from hotels or a set pick-up point in areas such as Seminyak, Kuta, Jimbaran, Denpasar and Nusa Dua. You will then be driven in a shared minivan to Padang Bai Harbour from where you will travel to the Gili Islands by fast boat. The sailing time from Padang Bai to the Gilis is 1,5 hours. Pickup from south Bali usually takes blace about 2hrs before boat departure.
For Serangan to Gili, a daily Island hopping service is available which stops at Nusa Lembongan, Penida and Ceningan, which is really only suitable if you would like to spend a few days on any of these islands on your way to or from the GIli islands.
Amed to the Gili islands
How to travel from Amed to Gili Islands?
Simply book a fast boat from Amed to the Gili islands with Freebird Express on our sister website Gilibookings.com. This route operates daily, usually departing at 9:30AM from Amed to the Gili Islands and takes only an hour depending on the sea conditions. Freebird Express fast boat departs from Amed Beach. NOTE: Only suitable if you are staying in north Bali, close to Amed or Tulamben.
Nusa Lembongan to the Gili islands
How to travel from Nusa Lembongan to the Gili Islands?
Currently you will need to get back to Bali in order to connect with a fast boat to the Gili Islands. This is possible by going back to Sanur and then connecting with a departire from Serangan to the Gilis, or by getting to Pandang Bai and connecting with the 13:30 departure to the Gilis. Alternatively if you can get to Nusa Penida there are multiple departures to Tri Bhuwanan port, Kusamba. From there its only a 10 minute taxi ride to Padang Bai where you can connect with the 13:30 departure to the Gili Islands. Check our sister site www.gilibookings.com for some of the connections.
Once the island hopiing ticket is back online there is a daily fast boat departing from Nusa Lembongan to the Gili Islands with Eka Jaya. The boat departs from a floating pontoon between Nusa Lembongan, Ceningan and Nusa Penida as the tide is often too low to get closer to Lembongan with their large fast boat. Ship to shore transfers to/from Nusa Lembongan are included to/from the floating pontoon and the boat sails via Padang Bai to the Gili Islands.
There is an island hopping route available from Bali via Nusa Lembongan to the Gili Islands which is cheaper than buying tickets separately. If you're starting on Bali we would recommend booking an island hopping ticket from Bali to the Gili Islands which allows you to hop off on Nusa Lembongan.
Nusa Penida to the Gili islands
How to travel from Nusa Penida to the Gili Islands?
Currently the best way to do this is to take a boat from Penida to Kusamba, then take a taxi 10 minutes to Padang Bai in time to coneect with the 13:30 departure to the Gilis. Use the search box on our website to check dearture times and book.
Once the island hopping ticket is back online you will be able to simply book a fast boat from Nusa Penida to the Gili Islands with Eka Jaya. This boat departs from a floating pontoon between Nusa Lembongan, Ceningan and Nusa Penida. Transfers from Nusa Penida are included and the boat sails via Padang Bai.
If you’re starting your trip on Bali before traveling to Nusa Penida, we would recommend booking an island hopping ticket from Bali to Gili Islands which allows you to hop off on Nusa Penida for a minimum of 1 night before continuing your journey to the Gilis.
