There are many reasons to why Gili Islands must be on your wishlist to spend a holiday. They have white sandy beaches, fresh air, and clear blue water with its beautiful underwater scenery and is famous as the cheapest diving spot in the world for beginners. Spend your days on an island with a complete facility in Gili Trawangan, find serenity in Gili Meno, or get to Gili Air to find the blend of the two Gilis.
So, how to get to Gili Islands?
From Lombok Island
If you were in Lombok Island, just go straight to Bangsal Harbor by car or bus and continue the journey by taking a boat. There are shuttle buses and public airport buses provided by DAMRI if you happen to arrive in Lombok Airport. Currently, there are many airlines offering direct flights to Lombok Airport from several cities like Jakarta, Denpasar, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and many more.
One-way ticket fare for a public boat from Bangsal Harbour to get to Gili Air is only Rp10.000, to Gili Meno is around Rp12.000, and to Gili Trawangan is around Rp13.000. If you prefer a more private ride, you can charter a boat for around Rp280.000–Rp375.0000. There are also public fast boats to Gili Islands that run several times a day which cost Rp75.000.
You can also take a speedboat from Teluk Nare and Teluk Kodek to get to Gili Islands.
From Bali Island
First, and probably the most convenient one is by taking a flight from Denpasar Airport. The flight only takes 25-30 minutes to reach Lombok Airport with one-way fare around Rp300.000–Rp500.000. Then, you can continue your journey to Bangsal Harbor.
Second, take public ferries from Padang Bai on the southeast part of Bali to Lembar in Lombok. The ticket is only Rp30.000–Rp40.000, but the journey is quite long, as it usually takes 4-5 hours.
Third, take speed boats from Serangan (southern part of Bali), Padang Bai, or Amed (northern part of Bali) directly to Gili Islands. High-speed boat companies like Marina Srikandi and Gili Gili offer a direct route from Serangan to Gili Trawangan and Gili Air. It takes around 2 hours to get to Gili Trawangan from Serangan, and one hour from Padang Bai.
You can use taxi, Uber, or shuttle to get to Serangan, Padang Bai or Amed. But most of the time the boat companies provide a free pick-up service from your location.
How to Get to Gili Islands from Ubud
If you happen to be in Ubud, Bali, you can either take a plane to Lombok or cross Lombok Strait using ferries or speed boats.
Get to Gilis By plane from Denpasar to Lombok
If you prefer to take a plane, you must depart from Denpasar International Airport. You can take a taxi from Ubud to the airport. However, it will be much more expensive than using Uber or a shuttle which is usually provided by the hotel you’re staying in. There are also public shuttle buses that can transport you from Ubud to Kuta. For example, Perama orKura-Kura Bus that depart every 2 hours from 10 AM to 21.35. The ticket for Kura-Kura Buses Rp80.000.
From Kuta, you can have a direct flight to Lombok International Airport for only 25-30 minutes. You can continue the trip by car, shuttle bus, or DAMRI bus to reach beach departure point at Bangsal Ferry Terminal.
From Bangsal Harbour you can either use public boats to get to Gili Islands, take public fast boats, or charter a boat. Besides departing from Bangsal Harbour, you can also leave from Teluk Nare and Teluk Kodek around Senggigi Beach using speedboat charter.
Get By direct fast boats from Padang Bai
From Padang Bai, catch a direct fast boat to Gili Islands.A shuttle bus like Perama costs only Rp75.000 from Ubud to Padang Bai. But many fast boat services include pickup service from Ubud so you can just wait for the driver to pick you up at your hotel, for example, Eka Jaya boat company, Blue Water Express, Gili Gili, Giligetaway, or Marina Srikandi.
The trip takes around 3.5 hours from Ubud to Gili Trawangan, the nearest island to Bali, with 1.5 hours crossing the sea. It needs approximately 10 minutes to get to Gili Air from Gili Trawangan.The price for one way journey with fast boats is around Rp600.000–Rp 800.000.
And get to Gili island by public ferry from Padang Bai to Lembar Harbour
There is a cheaper way to get to Gili Islands from Ubud which is by using a public ferry from Padang Bai. The ticket fare is around Rp30.000–Rp 40.000. The ferry departs around 10 am and arrives in Lembar at around 3 pm. A minibus is available to transfer passengers to Bangsal Harbor for 90 minutes. You can continue the journey by taking public boats or charter a boat to get to Gili Islands.
So, have you picked out which Gili Islands to visit? Prepare your suitcase along with your sunglasses and sunscreen, and be ready to get to Gili Islands!