Among the popular three Gilis, Gili Air is now become favourite idyllic destination. It's not as crowded as Gili Trawangan, but still has better public facilites compared to Gili Meno.
Traveling from Bali to Gili Air or return from Gili Air to Bali is pretty easy and can be reached either by sea transport (fast boat to Gili Air), or air transport (flight from Bali to Gili Air with overland shuttle).
Fast Boat from Bali to Gili Air
There are many fast boats from serves transfer from Bali to Gili Air everyday. Medium boat with capacity around 50 passengers to the biggest one with capacity around 180 passengers. A fast boat cruises at normal speed around 30 knots in normal weather. Commonly, fast boats from Bali to Gili Air haven't direct route. They'll stop at Gili Trawangan and the passenger can use a local boat to reach Gili Air. But, there are some fast boat serves a direct route from Bali, depart from Padangbai to Gili Air or Sanur to Gili Air, and absolutely Serangan to Gili Air.
- Fast Boat From Padangbai to Gili Air
| Fast Boat | Route | Departure Time |
|---|---|---|
| Bluewater Express Boat | Padangbai to Gili Air | 12.15 PM |
| Eka Jaya Fast Boat | Padangbai to Gili Air | 09.00 AM 10.30 AM 13.30 PM |
| Golden Queen Fast Boat | Padangbai to Gili Air | 10.30 AM |
| Putri Island Fast Boat | Padangbai to Gili Air | 09.15 AM 13.00 PM |
| Wahana Gili Ocean Fast Boat | Padangbai to Gili Air | 13.00 PM |
- Fast Boat From Serangan to Gili Air
| Fast Boat | Route | Departure Time |
|---|---|---|
| Bluewater Express Boat | Serangan to Gili Air | 08.00 AM 11.00 AM |
| Eka Jaya Fast Boat | Serangan to Gili Air | 08.00 AM |
| Gili Getaway Fast Boat | Serangan to Gili Air | 09.00 AM 10.30 AM |
- Fast Boat from Sanur to Gili Air
| Fast Boat | Route | Departure Time |
|---|---|---|
| Scoot Fast Cruise | Sanur to Gili Air | 09.30 AM |
- Fast Boat from Amed to Gili Air
| Fast Boat | Route | Departure Time |
|---|---|---|
| Freebird Express Fast Boat | Amed to Gili Air | 09.30 AM |
How To Reach Harbor in Bali
A ticket for fast boat to Gili island normally includes free pickup / drop off service in Bali between passenger’s hotel and the harbor for the hotels in most tourist areas, so the passengers are no need to worry about the transport between the harbor and their hotel. Just inform the ticketing agent / fast boat company before departure to make the shuttle arrangement easier.
Flight from Bali to Gili Air
Gili Air is a tiny island which has no airport. The nearest airport is Lombok airport in Lombok mainland.
If you want to take a flight to Gili Air, you have to take a flight from Bali airport (Ngurah Rai airport in Kuta Bali. Code: DPS) to Lombok airport (Bandara Internasional Lombok in Praya. Code: LOP). The flight is only 25 – 30 minutes. Once you have arrived in Lombok airport, we can arrange the private shuttle service from Lombok airport to Gili Air. This shuttle service consists of 1.5 hours overland transfer from Lombok airport to Teluk Nara jetty or Bangsal harbor by car, and 15 minutes crossing from Teluk Nara jetty or Bangsal harbor to Gili Air.
Fast boat or flight?
Depends on your preference and location.
Fast boat saves time than flight. It’s normally about 30 minutes boarding time at the harbor, then 1.5 hours crossing (via Padangbai harbor) or 2.5 hours crossing (via Sanur harbor). Total time for fast boat is around 2 – 3 hours. While domestic flight takes about 1 hour boarding (last check in time for domestic flight is 45 minutes prior depart time and since this is strict regulation you may make it as 1 hour), 30 minutes flight, 1.5 hours overland, 15-20 minutes crossing. Total time for transfer by flight is around 2.5 – 3 hours with many transport switching. A ticket for fast boat to Gili island includes pickup / drop off service between passenger’s hotel and harbor in Bali (for certain areas). It includes all transportations needed from very single step out of the hotel in Bali to Gili island / Lombok harbor. While taking a flight means the passenger need to arrange each transportation separately. However, if you have any issue with sea crossing in high speed (e.g. have sea sickness or motion sickness, heart attack, pregnant, etc) then taking a flight will be best for you.
Departing and Arriving for fast boat transfer
For more detail about departing and arriving for fast boat transfer, please refer to the page Fast Boat Departing and Arriving Guide.
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