Backpacker Budget

By far the cheapest way of getting to the Gilis is with the Public Ferry. This daily service starts from Kuta Bali passing through many pick-up points on the way to Padang Bai.

Departure from Kuta Bali is around 6:30am to Padang Bai, where you will get on public ferry to Lembar, Lombok at around 10:00am arriving around 15:00pm. From Lembar, after fighting off the “porters” you will transfer to a minibus for the 90 minute journey to Bangsal harbour, where you reach the final leg of the journey, a 30 minute boat ride to Gili Air, arriving around sunset.

If you don't want to do the whole journey as a package you can make your own way to Padang Bai and buy your own ticket to Lembar. The Ferry Company advertises that they leave every hour, but this is rarely the case, and journey times can vary between 5 to 8 hours. As there is only 1 docking point the ferries often can sit outside the harbour for a up to a couple of hours waiting for the next boat to leave before you can dock!

From Kuta Bali the journey including shuttle buses costs around 170,000 IDR. If you make your own way to Padang Bai the tickets for the ferry should cost round 26,000 IDR but make sure you buy it from the ticket office as Hawkers will try and sell you the tickets for up to 3 times the real price.

This is not an easy journey. expect to be hassled by “porters”, and hawkers at both end of the journey. This is really the hardcore travelers option! For those of you wanting an easier journey there are easier options in our "Getting Here" section.