Guide · Getting here
Getting to
Gili Air
There is no airport on Gili Air, and no cars on it either. Here are the routes that work, with rough times and fares, and the bits people get caught out by.
Guide · Getting here
There is no airport on Gili Air, and no cars on it either. Here are the routes that work, with rough times and fares, and the bits people get caught out by.
The short version
Almost everyone arrives one of two ways: a fast boat straight from Bali, or a short flight to Lombok followed by a car and a small boat. The Bali fast boat is simplest if you're already in Bali. The Lombok route is usually the better one if you're flying in from elsewhere, or if the sea is up.
Whichever you pick, the last leg is the same: a boat across to Gili Air's harbour, then a walk, a bicycle or a cidomo — the little horse carts that do the work cars do everywhere else. Every fare and duration below is approximate. Boats change schedule, operators come and go, and the sea gets a vote.
Approximate, and worth re-checking when you book — these move with the season and the operator.
Route one
Fast boats run daily from several points on the Bali coast. The shortest crossing leaves from Padang Bai on the east coast and takes roughly an hour and a half to two hours. Boats from Serangan and Sanur on the south coast are more convenient if you're staying in the south of Bali, but spend longer at sea — roughly two and a quarter to three and a half hours. Amed is the shortest crossing of all on paper, but service from there has been intermittent, so don't build a plan around it without confirming first.
Most operators sell a through-ticket that includes a hotel pickup somewhere in the south of Bali, and it's usually worth taking: the drive to Padang Bai on its own can eat a couple of hours in traffic. Budget somewhere around IDR 600,000 one way for the crossing, and read what the ticket actually covers. The word Gili on a ticket sometimes means Gili Trawangan with an onward transfer, and sometimes means a direct drop at Gili Air.
Travel in the morning if you have the choice. The water between Bali and Lombok is almost always calmer early, and a morning departure leaves you room to rebook if a boat is cancelled — which does happen when the swell gets up. If you're prone to seasickness, take something before you board rather than after.
Route two
The alternative is to fly. Bali to Lombok is a short hop — around 25 to 30 minutes in the air, often from about IDR 450,000 — and if you're already going to be on a plane, it can beat a long crossing.
The catch is the drive at the other end. Lombok's airport is in the south of the island and the Gili boats leave from the north coast, so budget around two to two and a half hours by car and roughly IDR 350,000 to 450,000 for the transfer. Arrange it in advance if you're landing late; it's a long road and not one to negotiate at midnight.
That drive ends either at Bangsal, the public harbour, or a little further along the coast at Teluk Nare, where most of the private speedboats go from. From either, you're twenty minutes or so from standing on Gili Air.
The crossing
Bangsal is the public harbour for all three Gili Islands, and it is the one point on this journey where it pays to know what you're doing. Two things catch people out: touts who intercept you before you reach the harbour and sell an overpriced private boat, and the fact that the public boats leave when they are full rather than on a timetable.
Buy your ticket at the official ticket office, not from anyone who approaches you on the road in. The public outrigger across to Gili Air costs somewhere around IDR 20,000 and takes about twenty minutes. It goes when it has enough passengers, so if you turn up at a quiet hour you may sit for a while. That's normal — it isn't anyone trying it on.
If you're on a schedule, travelling as a group, or you've arrived after the public boats have finished for the day, a private speedboat runs somewhere in the region of IDR 85,000 to 150,000 and leaves when you do. Both options land you on the same beach.
Between the islands
The three islands sit close enough together that you can dive off one and have dinner on another. A public hopping boat runs between Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air a couple of times a day for around IDR 45,000, which is cheap but ties you to its two departures.
A shared speedboat runs roughly hourly for about IDR 85,000 per person, and a private boat costs somewhere around IDR 250,000 to 300,000 for the whole boat rather than per head, which makes it reasonable for four or five people.
If you're staying on Gili Trawangan and want to dive with us, the hop is short enough to fit around a morning trip. Tell us your return boat when you book and we'll put you on a departure that gets you back for it.
Arrival
Gili Air has no cars and no motorbikes at all. It's about 1.7 square kilometres and you can walk right around the outside of it in under an hour, so nothing is really far from the harbour. Bicycles are the standard way to move a bit quicker, and cidomo — small horse-drawn carts — carry luggage, shopping and people.
We're at Turtle Point, next to Raja Bar & Restaurant. From the harbour it's a walk or a short cidomo ride, and asking anyone on the island for Moana Dive Air will get you pointed the right way. If you'd rather have the map in front of you before you land, our find-us page has the pin and the landmarks around us.
There are ATMs on the island and wifi in most places, but arrive with some cash. The Marine Park fee is paid in cash on the spot, and boat crews and small warungs rarely take cards.
Your flight home sets the end of your diving, not the other way round. You need at least 18 hours between your last dive and a flight, and we'd rather you gave it a full 24 — the same goes if you're adding a Mount Rinjani trek on Lombok, because it climbs to altitude.
It's a much easier thing to arrange now, on a laptop, than on your last morning here. Our safety guide sets out the numbers and where they come from.
The fast boat from Padang Bai on Bali's east coast is the shortest crossing, at roughly one and a half to two hours at sea. Add the drive from wherever you're staying in Bali — most tickets include a hotel pickup, and the road to Padang Bai can take a couple of hours on its own.
If you're already in Bali, the fast boat is usually simpler. If you're coming from elsewhere, or the sea is rough, flying into Lombok is the more reliable route: around 25 to 30 minutes in the air, then roughly two to two and a half hours by car to the harbour on the north coast, then a boat of about twenty minutes.
About IDR 600,000 one way for a fast boat from Bali. Via Lombok, expect from around IDR 450,000 for the flight, IDR 350,000 to 450,000 for the transfer to the harbour, and either IDR 20,000 for the public boat or IDR 85,000 to 150,000 for a private speedboat. All approximate, and all subject to change — check current fares when you book.
No. There are no motorised vehicles on the island at all. You walk, you cycle, or you take a cidomo, which is a small horse-drawn cart. Nothing is far: you can walk around the entire island in under an hour.
Yes. A shared speedboat runs roughly hourly for about IDR 85,000 per person, and a slower public boat runs a couple of times a day for around IDR 45,000. Tell us which boat you need to be back on when you book and we'll put you on a trip that fits.
Morning. The crossing between Bali and Lombok is almost always calmer early in the day, and an early departure leaves you options if a boat is cancelled for weather.
Ready when you are
Send us your arrival day and your flight home, and we'll build the diving around both ends.