Getting to the Gili Islands
The paradise getaway from Bali's hustle and bustle
Gili Sands Beach Club
Need a holiday from your holiday? The Gili Islands and their crystal blue waters are the perfect place to spend a couple days away from Bali, which you might find very busy and hectic after a few days.
Getting to the Gili Islands
Crystal clear water, amazing for snorkelling!
To get to the Gili Islands (there are 3 of them - Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air), you will need to get a taxi or shuttle bus from where you are staying in Bali to Padang Bai harbour and from there, an hour and a half fast boat to Gili T, the first of the three islands. We decided to simply stay on this one because we instantly fell in love with it and heard the others are quite similar but just slightly quieter. From Ubud you shouldn’t pay more than 350 000 rupiah (or $35 AUD) to get a shuttle to the harbour as well as the boat itself. You can try to haggle the price and get it down to as little as 250 000. We got a shuttle to the harbour at 7am and the fast boat at 8:30, getting to Gili T around 12, because Bali time is not the same western time. You’ll get there when you get there!!
Getting to the other islands will cost you around 100 000 idr ($10) or you can do snorkelling day trips where you stop over at the other islands for around 150 000 idr for the day. You'll see amazing ocean life with turtles and the famous underwater Gili statues. Or you could simply hire a snorkel for around 25 000 ($2.50) for an hour and venture out on your own!
Gili T
Strolling past chill out spots like this.
Gili Trawangan is the first island you will stop at from bali. When you get off the island you can find hundreds of little healthy cafes, bars, restaurants and beach lounges, all with free wifi and fresh food. Smoothie bowls for days! We hadn’t booked accommodation and were perfectly fine to sit at a cafe, have a quality coffee and use their wifi to find something close by. We paid around 200 000 idr (roughly $20 AUD) for a private bungalow at the Uber Scuba Dive centre, which had a pool and was 40m from the beach. The Gili islands are famous for snorkelling and diving and many of the places are dive centres, but you don’t have to be a diver to stay at them.
Read more for some of the best spots in Gili T!