How to get from Bali to the Gili Islands? Complete guide

The fast boat is the standard way to get from Bali to the Gili Islands: 1.5 to 2.5 hours depending on the port, with daily morning and afternoon departures. The cheap alternative is the public ferry to Lombok plus a local boat, 7 to 9 hours door to door. Flying to Lombok is possible, but it rarely beats a direct boat.

Below you have every option laid out, which port suits where you are staying in Bali, what each crossing costs, which Gili island to get off at and what to watch for in the rainy season. If you are travelling to dive, the crossing is the only complicated part of the trip: after that you are fifteen minutes from turtles.

Fast boat, ferry or flight: the three ways across

There is no bridge and no airport on the Gilis, so you always arrive by sea. What changes is how many transfers you accept and how much you pay for saving time.

• Fast boat (direct): 1.5 to 2.5 hours. Roughly 300,000-500,000 IDR (20-35 USD) one way, and around 50 euros return if you book online in advance. The most used option by a wide margin.
• Public ferry via Lombok: from 200,000 IDR for the direct budget crossing, or under 10 euros if you chain the public ferry to Lembar with a bus and a local boat. Total 7 to 9 hours.
• Flight to Lombok: 25 minutes in the air, but Lombok airport is far from Bangsal harbour and you still need a car plus a boat. Only worth it if you plan to see Lombok anyway.

The fast boat, step by step

Most companies sell a package rather than a ticket: they pick you up at your hotel in a shared minibus around two hours before departure, check you in at the port office and drop you at your accommodation on the way back. Check-in usually closes 60 minutes before departure, and port taxes are often charged separately at the pier.

Fifteen or more operators run the route, among them Eka Jaya, Wahana, Blue Water Express, Gili Getaway, Semaya One and Marina. Boats vary enormously in size and comfort, so it is worth knowing which company you are actually booked with and not just which agency sold you the ticket. Departures concentrate between 08:00 and 09:30, with a second wave in the early afternoon.

Some boats land straight on the beach rather than at a jetty, so expect to step into ankle-deep water with your bag. Crossings are not recommended for children under two, pregnant travellers or anyone with back or heart problems: in choppy water a fast boat slams rather than rolls.

Which port to leave from in Bali

Your departure port is the single decision that changes the length of your day the most, because the drive across Bali can take longer than the crossing itself.

• Padang Bai (east coast): the shortest crossing, around 1.5 hours, and the only port with both ferries and fast boats. It sits 1.5-2 hours by car from Ubud.
• Sanur (south): the easy choice if you are staying in the south of Bali. The crossing is longer, roughly 2.5 hours, and tickets tend to cost a little more.
• Serangan (south, near the airport): a quieter harbour, with crossings of around 3 hours.
• Nusa Dua: convenient for the resort area, around 2.5 hours at sea and the priciest tickets.
• Amed (northeast): lesser known, a single morning departure and 4 to 5 hours at sea. Handy only if you are already on the east coast.

The budget route through Lombok

If the ticket price matters more than the clock, you can do the trip in four steps and pay a fraction of the fast boat. Take ground transport to Padang Bai, then the public ferry to Lembar in Lombok (4 to 5 hours), a bus or shuttle north to Bangsal harbour (1.5 to 2 hours), and finally a public boat to the Gilis, which takes 15 to 20 minutes and starts at around 20,000 IDR.

Add it all up and you are looking at 7 to 9 hours with two changes and no fixed timetable on the last leg: public boats to the Gilis leave when they fill up. It is cheap and genuinely local, but it eats a travel day. Most divers heading straight to a course pick the fast boat and keep the day.

Which Gili island should you get off at?

The three islands share the same reef system but not the same atmosphere, and fast boats only serve two of them directly.

• Gili Trawangan: the largest and liveliest, with the widest choice of restaurants, dive centres and accommodation. This is where our dive school on Gili Trawangan is based.
• Gili Air: the middle ground, quieter than Trawangan but with plenty of places to eat and a strong diving community. We also run a school on Gili Air.
• Gili Meno: the quietest of the three, with no nightlife and superb snorkelling. There is no direct fast boat: land on Trawangan or Gili Air and take a local boat across, around 15 minutes.

When to book and how much to pay

In high season, June to September, plus Christmas and New Year, book ahead: the popular morning slots sell out and prices climb. Outside those months you can usually buy at the port on the day without any problem.

Prices vary a lot by port and company. Expect roughly 300,000-500,000 IDR (20-35 USD) for a one-way fast boat, from 200,000 IDR for the direct budget crossing, and from 20,000 IDR for a public boat out of Bangsal. Online platforms show the full timetable and let you compare operators before you commit; buying at the pier on the day usually costs more and leaves you with whatever seat is left.

Sea conditions, seasickness and what to pack

The Lombok Strait is deep and open, and the sea is generally calmer in the morning, which is another reason to take an early departure. Between November and March, during the rainy season, crossings can be cancelled outright when the swell picks up, so check the forecast the day before and keep a spare day in Bali before any international flight home.

Space on board is limited and luggage is usually stacked on deck under a tarpaulin, so travel light and keep phone, passport and camera in a dry bag. If you are prone to seasickness, take something before you board rather than after: on a 90-minute fast boat there is no time for it to work once you feel it.

• Arrive at the port at least an hour early, especially in high season, because timetables change without notice.
• Carry cash in rupiah: card payments are patchy at the ports and on the islands.
• There are no cars or motorbikes on the Gilis, so anything with wheels stays in Bali.

Arriving on the Gilis: what happens next

Boats land at the main jetty or straight onto the sand, and from there you walk or take a cidomo, the small horse cart that replaces taxis. Nothing on Gili Trawangan is more than a short walk or a bicycle ride away, and the three islands are connected all day by public hopping boats.

The reef starts a few metres offshore. Turtle Heaven and Halik Reef are a ten- to fifteen-minute boat ride from the beach, so it is perfectly realistic to arrive on the morning fast boat and dive the same afternoon. If you have never dived before, the Open Water course takes three days and fits neatly into a Gili stop; if you already have a certification, our guide to where to dive in Gili Trawangan covers the six main sites.

Many travellers chain the Gilis with the other side of Bali. If that is your plan, read our guide on how to get from Bali to Nusa Penida, and the overview of diving in Indonesia to see how the seasons line up between destinations.