Bali to Gili Trawangan, Gili Air & Gili Meno Fast Ferry Ticket

Padangbai Port and the crossing

Padangbai is a small harbour town on Bali's east coast in the Karangasem regency, set in a curved bay with colourful fishing boats and white-sand beaches such as the Blue Lagoon nearby. It is the main departure point for fast boats to the Gili Islands and Lombok, about one and a half hours' drive from Kuta or Seminyak and one hour from Ubud. On the options without pickup, check in at the ferry office named on your voucher 40 minutes before departure to collect your boarding ticket.

The crossing runs east across the Lombok Strait, a deep channel between the two islands where the sea can be lively. The boats are modern aluminium fast boats with air-conditioned seating, built for large numbers of passengers and rough water. On a clear day you see Mount Agung behind you and Mount Rinjani on Lombok ahead. Bring motion-sickness tablets if you are sensitive to the sea, and keep sunglasses and sunscreen handy for the open deck.

Gili Trawangan

Gili Trawangan is the largest and liveliest of the three Gili Islands, a flat coral island about three kilometres long that you can circle on foot or by bicycle in a couple of hours. There are no cars or motorbikes: people get around by bicycle, on foot or by cidomo, the small horse-drawn cart. The east coast is lined with cafés, dive centres and small hotels, while the west coast is quieter and famous for its sunset views towards Bali and Mount Agung.

How to get to Gili Trawangan from Bali? The fast boat from Padangbai is the most direct route and the first stop on this ferry, reached in about one and a half hours. Gili Trawangan is also the base for the snorkelling trip included in the default option, with turtles often seen just off the beach. The best time to visit the Gili Islands is the dry season from May to October, when the sea is calmer and the water clearest.

Gili Air

Gili Air is the closest of the three islands to Lombok and offers a balance between the energy of Gili Trawangan and the calm of Gili Meno. It has a real village at its centre, coconut groves, small beaches around its edge and a friendly, relaxed atmosphere; most visitors walk or cycle everywhere along the sandy paths. The snorkelling just off the east and north coasts is good, with turtles and reef fish close to shore.

The ferry reaches Gili Air in about two hours from Padangbai, after the stop at Gili Trawangan. Because large boats cannot always dock directly, you may be transferred to the jetty by a smaller boat. As the Gili Islands belong to Muslim-majority Lombok, halal food is easy to find in the local warungs. You can book a one-way ticket, a shuttle pickup with the ferry, or a return ticket with an open date and departures from Gili Air at 10:20, 13:00 and 15:30.

Gili Meno

Gili Meno is the smallest and quietest of the Gili Islands, a place of white-sand beaches, clear shallow water and very few buildings, popular with couples and anyone looking for peace. In the middle of the island lies a saltwater lake, and the walk around the coast takes about an hour. Off its west coast, a ring of life-size human statues lies on the sea floor and has become one of the most photographed snorkelling sights in Indonesia.

The ferry to Gili Meno takes about two hours from Padangbai with one brief stop, and passengers are taken from the fast boat to the pier by a small boat, as large vessels cannot dock there; a small fee for this transfer is paid on site. Is Gili Meno worth visiting? If you want the quietest beaches of the three islands and excellent snorkelling straight from the shore, it is the one to choose.

Snorkelling around the Gili Islands

The Gili Islands are surrounded by coral reefs and are one of the best places in Indonesia to swim with green and hawksbill turtles. The shared snorkelling trip in the default option uses a local boat and visits several spots around the three islands: turtle areas where the animals feed on sea grass, the famous ring of underwater statues off Gili Meno, and coral gardens full of colourful tropical fish.

The trip lasts about four to five hours and can be joined on any day of your stay, with departures from Gili Trawangan in the morning or early afternoon; snorkel, mask, fins and an underwater action camera are provided. The water is usually calm and warm, but you should be comfortable swimming in open water. Please do not touch the turtles or the coral, and use reef-safe sunscreen to protect the reef.