Bali to Gili Trawangan
Gili Trawangan (also popular among tourists as Gili T, as ‘Trawangan’ is pretty hard to say) is the most popular, largest, and most developed Gili among the others and. Traveling from Bali to Gili Trawangan or returning from Gili Trawangan to Bali is very easy either by sea transport (fast boat to Gili Trawangan), or air transport (flight from Bali to Gili Trawangan with overland shuttle).
Fast Boat from Bali to Gili Trawangan
Fast boat from Bali departs from all ports in Bali. But, the most crowded one is a route from Padang Bai to Gili. You can find varied boats in Padang Bai, from small boats to big ones. The biggest boat from Padang Bai to Gili is Eka Jaya Fast Boat. But, either the small or the big boat, provides a comfy and safe boat for the passenger. Mostly fast boat from Bali to Gili departs in the morning. And fast boat from Gili to Bali departs at noon.
How to reach the harbor in Bali
The ticket price for a fast boat to Gili island normally includes free pickup / drop off service in Bali between the passenger’s hotel and the harbor for the hotels in most tourist areas, so the passengers are not needed to worry about the transport between the harbor and their hotel. Some fast boat companies also provide free shuttle service from Denpasar airport to Gili Trawangan. Just inform us before your departure time or before booking the ticket to arrange a shuttle easier.
Flight from Bali to Gili Trawangan
Gili Trawangan is a tiny island that has no airport. The nearest airport is Lombok airport on Lombok mainland. If you want to take a trip from Bali to Gili Trawangan by flight, 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 at Lombok airport, we can arrange a private shuttle service from the airport to Gili Trawangan. This shuttle service consists of a 1.5-hour 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 Trawangan.
Fast boat or Flight?
The answer depends on your preference and location. Fast boat saves time than flight. It normally about 30 minutes of boarding time at the harbor, then 1.5 hours of crossing (via Padangbai harbor) or 2.5 hours of crossing (via Sanur harbor). The total time for the fast boat is around 2 – 3 hours.
While a domestic flight takes about 1 hour of boarding (the last check-in time for a domestic flight is 45 minutes prior to departure time and since this is strict regulation you may make it 1 hour), 30 minutes flight, 1.5 hours overland, 15-20 minutes crossing. The total time for transfer by flight is around 2.5 – 3 hours with many transport switching.
The ticket for a fast boat to Gili island includes pickup/drop-off service between the passenger’s hotel and the harbor in Bali (for certain areas). It includes all transportation needed from every single step out of the hotel in Bali to Gili island / Lombok harbor. While taking a flight means the passenger needs to arrange each transportation separately.
However, if you have any issue with sea crossing at 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 a 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