Adding the Gili Islands or Lombok to a Bali trip is worth it on a stay of two weeks or more, and hard to justify on a week. The Gilis are three small car-free islands off Lombok, reached from Bali by fast boat or by a short flight to Lombok and a transfer. Each way uses most of a day in each direction, and the boat depends on the sea.
What the Gili Islands are
The Gili Islands are three small islands off the northwest coast of Lombok, the island east of Bali. Gili Trawangan is the largest and is known as the party island. Gili Air is the closest to Lombok and has an established local community. Gili Meno is the quietest. None of them has cars or motorbikes.
Why people add them
The Gilis offer something Bali's main island does not: small sandy islands with no traffic, where the day is spent walking, cycling, swimming and snorkeling. For travelers who find south Bali too busy, that contrast is the appeal.
Lombok
Lombok is a large island in its own right, with its own airport. We have sourced little about Lombok beyond its role as the route to the Gilis, so this page treats it as a gateway and does not describe its sights. It is a separate province from Bali, so Bali's tourist levy and provincial rules do not extend to it.
Getting there by fast boat
Fast boats run from Bali to the Gili Islands. Travel guides name Padang Bai, in East Bali, as the main port, with a crossing of roughly an hour and a half; boats from the south of Bali take longer, and Amed, on the northeast coast, has the shortest sea route. We have no official schedule and name no operator.
Getting to the port
The port is part of the journey. Padang Bai is about 35 miles from the airport by road and about 23 from Ubud. Add that drive to the crossing, and a morning boat means an early start from most bases. Staying in East Bali the night before shortens the day.
What travel guides warn about
Travel guides are direct about the boats. They describe the fast boats as small high-speed craft, note that crew training and safety standards vary considerably, and advise travelers who have concerns about the vessel, the operator, overloading or the weather not to board. They describe sea conditions as roughest in July and August.
Getting there by air
The alternative to the boat is a flight from Bali to Lombok's international airport, followed by a drive to the harbor area at Bangsal and a short boat to the islands. Travel guides put the drive at well over an hour and a half. The flight is short; the whole journey is not.
When flying makes sense
Flying suits travelers who are uneasy on small boats, anyone prone to seasickness, and trips in the months when the sea is roughest. It also suits a trip that includes time on Lombok itself. It still ends with a boat, though a much shorter one across sheltered water.
Domestic flights
A domestic flight is a separate booking from your international ticket, with its own baggage rules, and it does not connect to your flight home. Leave a wide margin if you fly back from Lombok to Bali on the same day as an international departure. Our advice is not to do that at all.
