How to get to Gili Air from Bali (2026 guide)

The short answer

From Bali: fast boat from Padang Bai (1.5–2.5 hours crossing, 4–5 hours door to door from Seminyak) or Serangan (around 4 hours crossing, but no cross-Bali drive first if you are flying into Denpasar). From Lombok: land at Lombok International, drive around 2–3 hours to Bangsal, then 5–10 minutes by boat. Island-hopping from Gili Trawangan or Gili Meno takes 10–20 minutes and runs several times a day.

Whichever route you choose, plan to reach your departure harbour by 4:00pm at the latest — boat schedules shift with weather and boat size, and the last crossings of the day do not wait for a late transfer.

From Bali, via Padang Bai

Padang Bai is on Bali's east coast, roughly 60–75 minutes by car from the southern beach towns and about an hour from Ubud. The crossing is the shortest available and takes 1.5 to 2.5 hours depending on the boat and the sea, making it the fastest total door-to-door option from most parts of Bali.

Most operators run a morning departure and an early-afternoon one. Book the morning boat. If it is cancelled for weather you still have the afternoon as a fallback; the reverse is not true, and you do not want to be the couple watching the afternoon boat leave without you.

From Bali, via Serangan

Serangan is much closer to Ngurah Rai International Airport and to the southern beach towns, which is why the Gili Getaway service sails from there. The crossing itself is longer — roughly four hours — but you skip the drive across Bali entirely, landing you door to door in about 4.5–5 hours from the airport.

If you are flying into Denpasar in the morning and want to be swimming by mid-afternoon without a long road transfer first, this is usually the calmer arithmetic, even though the boat time is longer on paper.

From Lombok, via Bangsal

If you fly into Lombok International (LOP), you are roughly 2–3 hours by car from Bangsal harbour in the north, putting you 75–90 minutes total from touchdown to the boat. The crossing itself from Bangsal is the shortest of any route — just 5–10 minutes by speedboat.

Public boats leave when full, which can mean a short wait at the harbour. A private charter removes the uncertainty entirely and is worth the extra cost if you land late in the day or are travelling as a group.

The last five minutes

The KOHO Air Hotel is a five-minute walk east from the harbour, along the coast lane — or a two-minute ride if you would rather not walk it with bags. There are no cars on Gili Air, and nothing motorised at all. A cidomo, the local horse cart, will carry your luggage the rest of the way while you walk.

Tell us your boat and rough arrival time in advance and we will have someone watching for you at the harbour.

Mistakes worth avoiding

Booking a Bali-side transfer that arrives at the harbour after 4:00pm — boats do not wait, and there is no later option to fall back on.

Assuming the crossing will run without issue in January and February — it usually does, but weather cancellations are noticeably more common in the wet season, and a spare day at each end of the trip removes most of the risk.

Bringing a hard wheeled suitcase. There are sand paths and no cars anywhere on the island, and a soft duffel or backpack travels far better on a cidomo.

Not carrying cash for the crossing and the first day. ATMs exist on Gili Air but occasionally run dry at weekends, so a buffer from Bali or Lombok is worth having.

Written by the team at The KOHO Air Hotel, a boutique wellness retreat five minutes’ walk from Gili Air harbour. We answer these questions by message most days — just ask.

Common questions