How to get to Gili Islands from Bali?
Buy your ticket at DuckFerries. Ride the free shuttle* to the boarding zone. Board the fast yet comfortable boat. Arrive at your destination. It’s that simple.
With more than 10,000 happy customers and a growing reputation, we made what could be an absolute nightmare into an experience you won’t remember. Yes, you read that right! Uncontrollable vomiting, misplacing your luggage, a terribly slow boat ride—these are the things that make a boat ride memorable and we are all about smooth experiences you won't remember.
Once you have selected your place of departure and the desired destination, you will be prompted with the different options and prices provided by our business partnerships. All you have to do is select the option that better suits your needs.
Other Ways to get from Bali to Gili Islands
If you find yourself conflated by all the different information and services being blasted at you, the following can clear up your mind. We have listed all the different options in a concise list (spoiler alert: we offer one of the best services).
Public Ferry
As part of their public transport, Bali operates a cheaper ferry that travels to the Gili Islands. Traveling on the standard ferry is a day-long endeavor since the boat, besides being considerably slower than other commercial options, has to cover a longer distance—it travels from the port to Lombok and then to the Gili Islands.
There is also a faster ferry available. It travels directly to Gili Trawangan, then to Gili Meno, and finally to Gili Air. Counterintuitively, the faster option tends to be cheaper and more comfortable, especially for parents traveling with children. If you happen to suffer from motion sickness, you will appreciate the greater stability on this boat as well. However, we still recommend taking motion-sickness pills before boarding.
Private SpeedBoat
If you want to take a speed boat from the south of Bali to Gili, it is more expensive but less stressful than getting to Padang Bai in the Bali traffic. Many boat companies do stop on Nusa Lembongan and Padang Bai before they continue to Gili Islands.
So, in the end, traveling time is very similar compared to departing from the south of Bali (Serangan, Sanu, Benoa harbor) or if you take the shuttle bus to Padang Bai. The difference is you spend more time on the boat enjoying the view than in the jam-packed shuttle bus stuck in traffic.
Since the transport to Padang Bai by car is longer, boat companies save you extra time by avoiding the traffic situation. So, you can be asked to be ready for pickup from your hotel even 3 hours before the departure of your boat.
To sum up, traveling from Serangan, Sanur or Benoa to Gili Islands is a little bit faster and more comfortable than from Padang Bai but also more expensive.
Arriving with Style
If the idea of traveling in a boat to a small island in the Indian ocean scares you to death, or maybe you are obscenely prone to seasickness, there might be a solution for you.
You can take a flight from Bali to Lombok and then ride a small boat to Gili Trawangan. You are still exposed to the mighty sea, but the boat feels a lot more stable and the ride only lasts 20 minutes. Even cooler, there is a helicopter service running for those who want to arrive at Lombok with style.
How does the free Shuttle Work?
Most fast boat operators will pick you up in popular tourist areas like Kuta, Seminyak, Sanur or Ubud. Our smart booking system allows you to add your address to the booking app. You can see if the location of your hotel or villa in Bali is in the free transfer area or if you need to pay extra for the pickup.
When you are staying in Kuta, Seminyak, Sanur or Central Ubud, the free shuttle service will most likely include your address.
If you are staying in Canggu or any other “disconnected” areas, you can either catch the free shuttle bus at the pick-up point that is nearby or order a private car. For more details and all the pick-up points, see our booking app.
The shuttle bus picks you up roughly 2.5 - 3 hours before the departure time of your Gili fast boat leaving from Padang Bai. If you are departing from South Bali, it is about 1 - 2 hours before the departure. All the details about the lift and the boat ride from Bali to Gili are evident in the booking process.
Furthermore, you can choose not only what company you want to go with (budget or premium) but also from which port you wish to depart from. The most frequented port is in Padang Bai, which connects all the nearby islands: Gili Trawangan, Gili Air, Gili Meno, and Lombok as well as Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan.
Most of the Fast boat companies provide pickups straight from Denpasar international airport DPS. Be sure to put your phone number and also the flight information to the pickup field. You should have enough time after your plane lands please consider time spend in customs, duty-free zones or while getting your visa. Let's say you will land at 8:00 AM, your pick up at the airport would be at 10:00 AM and your boat's departure at noon. So, you should add 4 hours to your flight arrival time to DPS when looking for a boat.
On the south of Bali, there are a couple of essential harbors too – Serangan, Benoa, and Sanur; these are great for connecting to Nusa Islands: Nusa Penida, Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Lembongan.
Arriving at the Gilis: You should Know
Bali to Gili Trawangan
When arriving at the Gili Trawangan, a great sign with the name of the island will greet you. This is when you start to get excited!
There are no motorcycles or cars on Gili Trawangan, nor is there a dropoff service included. When going back from Gili to Bali, there is a free shuttle service taking you to your hotel or villa.
Departure times for most of the fast boats from Gili Trawangan to Bali are similar. Most fast boats leave every day between 10:00 and 11:00 in the morning. The afternoon trips are usually between 15:00 and 16:00. There may be some other connections from time to time as well. You can check the current schedule for tomorrow here.
Gili Trawangan
Bali to Gili Air
How to get from Bali to Gili Air? It is the same as getting to Gili Trawangan. Because most of the speed boats from Bali to Gili Trawangan continue to Gili Air. It only takes a little bit longer because of the quick stop on Gili Trawangan.
The ride from Padang Bai to Gili Air is about 2 hours. The ride with Blue Water Express from Serangan to Gili Air is 3 hours long. To see all the options, check the current schedule here.
Gili Air
Bali to Gili Meno
Getting to Gili Meno from Bali can be a little trickier. This is because the companies with larger boats cannot dock right by the island.
When you go with Eka Jaya from Bali to Gili Meno, you will be asked to switch by the shore of Gili Meno to a smaller boat which takes you to the island. Be advised that Eka Jaya requires an extra fee of 25k IDR/person (around $1.80 USD) for the smaller boat transfer.
However, if you are curious about the Gili Trawangan nightlife, then you should go first from Bali to Gili Trawangan and stay there overnight. Then you can take the public boat service between the islands the next day.
It is a one night longer trip from Bali to Gili Meno, but you get to see Gili Trawangan too. The sailing time from Gili Trawangan to Gili Meno takes only 3-5 minutes because they are so close to each other.
Gili Meno
Are the Boats Safe?
If you are a tourist visiting from the West or from Europe, you may have serious questions about the safety of our services. And, we don't blame you! The transportation business is riddled with amateurs who just want to make a quick American dollar. We advise you to stay away from cheap services that cannot guarantee your safety.
Unlike the cheaper alternatives, we do make sure every client gets not only a comfortable experience but also a safe one. In fact, part of the fee that you pay goes to the training of the staff and the maintenance of the ships.
The boats servicing the connection from Bali to Gili Trawangan, Bali to Lembongan or Bali to Lombok are either small high-speed crafts with outboard engines or larger fast boats with internal engines.
The high-speed boat BlueWater Express III can take a maximum of 70 passengers, is powered by six engines of 250hp for a combined total of 1500hp.
These are the examples of the fastest speed boats that are crossing the Bali Sea with an average traveling speed of 30 knots (50km/h). Gili Getaway III is a shorter launch style boat with 4x Suzuki engines at 250hp. It has the capacity of only 36 passengers, and it gets sold out quickly.
Super Scoot is another Gili fast boat that keeps the average traveling speed 30 knots (50km/h). It can take up to 50 passengers from Bali to Nusa Lembongan as well as from Bali to Gili Trawangan.
Wahana Gili Ocean III is an example of a bit bigger craft that can take 116 passengers. There are even bigger fast boats with slower average traveling speed 25knots (40km/h). It is the Wahana Gili Ocean V with a capacity of 180 passengers as well as the EKA JAYA 25 with the same number of seats and with four 750 HP Volvo engines.
Fast boat - Blue Water Express III.
Fast boat - Gili Getaway
High speed ferry / Eka Jaya 25
Still Not Convinced?
If you made it until here it’s probably because you are interested in our services but might still have some doubts. Our business is focused primarily on customer service, so any questions that you may have are welcomed. You can view our contact information in the footer below. Also, feel free to check our sterling facebook reviews.
