Gili Air

Gili Air is the most easterly of the three Gili Islands off Lombok.



Understand
Of the three Gilis, this is the island closest to Lombok. Traditionally, Gili Air was seen as the domain of families and couples wanting a quiet, off-the-beaten-path escape, while the rowdier hoarders had their fun on Gili Trawangan. With Trawangan now upscaling so obviously, more and more backpackers seem to be choosing Gili Air as their primary option. This island has more of a rural, established feeling than the other two, and it is no surprise that many of the local Gili Islanders seem to prefer living on Gili Air, and that it has the highest permanent population of about 1,800.

Orientation
Most of the accommodation and other tourism facilities are on the south and east coasts, facing Lombok. The boat landing is in the centre of the south coast. A coastal path leads you around the perimeter of the island, and a leisurely stroll all the way around will take about 90 min. For such a small island, the maze of paths that criss-cross the island can get surprisingly confusing, but these always lead back to the coast path eventually.

By boat
See Gili Island main page for more info.

The sea is calmest in the morning and all transport stops running in the late-afternoon, well before dark. During periods of southerly winds and in July and August especially, the swell can be a bit hairy and you are very likely to get wet on the crossing. It is advisable to place laptops, cameras and handphones in waterproof bags for the crossing. You will need to wade through shallow sea when disembarking, so wear either appropriate footwear, or none at all.

From Bali
Nearly all fast boat operators stop at Gili Air, among which:

Amed Sea Express offers a twice daily high-speed schedule to Gili Air from Amed on the East coast of Bali. Boats depart Amed at 10:00 and 15:30 with arrivals on Gili Air at 11:30 and 17:00. Prices are Rp 600,000 (one-way) and Rp 1,100,000 (return) and tickets can be booked online.

Blue Water Express from Serangan and Padang Bai in Bali to Gili Air daily. Exceptional standards.

Gili Getaway (formerly Island getaway) reputed to be among the best in terms of safety and service standards. Also offers trips to Gili Gede. Operating out of Serangan, Bali.

Gili Gili departing from Padang Bai (east Bali).

Kuda Hitam and Gili Gili fastboats both also stop at Gili Air. Kuda Hitam originates in the north-east of Bali (Amed), which is only appropriate for travellers staying in that area.

Patagonia Xpress, a very large and modern boat, sails to Gili Air, leaving from Benoa (08:30 from Rp 450,000) via Padangbai (10:00 from Rp 300,000). Return from Gili Air at 12:30 (same prices; check all prices online before paying more on the island).

To check live seat availability on a variety of trusted carriers (including many of the above) and book boat tickets online, use the well established Gilibookings website.

From Lombok
Public boats depart from Bangsal between 08:00 and 17:00, but often no later than 16:00 and are fewer in number than go to Gili Trawangan. The voyage takes about 30 min and the official price is Rp 18,000 (Jun 2024). Sometimes these services only depart when there are enough people, normally a minimum of 15 is enough. If numbers are insufficient you may have to endure a wait at Bangsal. The official maximum is 20 people but sometimes the boat is overloaded by the time it is ready to depart. The best time to be sure of a crossing to Gili Air is 14:00-15:30 in the afternoon however this can vary, especially with weather or passenger loads.

Buy your tickets direct from the official Koperasi Angkutan Laut Karya Bahari office. In Bangsal this is located inside the main building near the door at the eastern corner. The Koperasi operate the Public Boat, the Shuttle boat (fast boat), the Island Hopping boat and also offer (official) Charter boats.

There is a ticket office on Gili Air to buy your ticket back to Bangsal, it is located adjacent to the arrival and departure point.

Public boat (ferry)
 * This is the standard method to reach Gili Air and is used by both local residents and tourists. The maximum number of passengers is fixed at 20 persons but it is often overloaded with goods and or passengers. If it seems clearly unsafe due to either overloading or prevailing weather conditions then it is most likely best not to board it.


 * Bangsal to Gili Air 1 way is Rp 18,000
 * Gili Air to Bangsal 1 way is Rp 18,000

Shuttle boat (fast boat)
 * This service supplements the Public boat (ferry) service.


 * Bangsal to Gili Air departs at 17:00, the official price is Rp 85,000.
 * Gili Air to Bangsal departs at 08:15, the official price is Rp 85,000.

Charter boat
 * The official charter boat service provided by Koperasi Angkutan laut Karya Bahari is permitted to carry a maximum of 12 persons.


 * Bangsal to Gili Air 1 way is Rp 560,000, return Rp 1,000,000
 * Gili Air to Bangsal no published price


 * Gili Air to Senggigi no published price


 * Informal and unofficial charters are also available from private operators to travel from Bangsal to Gili Air. If requiring one try to deal only with the boat operator, ignore the touts and 'facilitators' and use your time over a negotiation, any hint of haste or urgency is sure to raise the price.

Perama has a small office on Gili Air next door to Villa Karang, and they offer daily transfers from Senggigi at 09:00 for Rp 90,000. These should not be relied on outside of the peak tourist season though. Perama is unlikely to take you to Gili Air if you are the only passenger.

Departing from Bangsal to either of the three Gili islands is rarely pleasant due to the very persistent touts who infest the place, just try to ignore them and do not listen to their generally fanciful tales that involve you paying them money to solve an imaginary transportation problem. They often provide a chorus of gloomy predictions regarding the alleged unavailability of services, then if successful they just place unknowing passengers upon the normal scheduled service or a private charter at an often seriously inflated prices.

The situation arising from the activities of pestering touts combined with confusing and inadequate formal services at Bangsal is the source of many disappointments and complaints.

From Gili Trawangan and Gili Meno
To move from one island to another the formal procedure is to take the Public boat (ferry) to Bangsal and then a further similar ferry to the required island departing from Bangsal. To return the reverse is required. This can be confusing and co-ordinating the timing with the connecting boat departing from Bangsal may be either difficult or elusive. There is also a limited official inter-island Island Hopping service provided.

Ferry operators may sometimes enter into informal arrangements with passengers to journey inter-island. In this situation a passenger boards a boat that is meant to go directly to Bangsal from one of the three Gili islands but instead it detours and sets down on the beach at another island whilst en-route. The prices are a movable feast but people will normally pay a price of around Rp 25,000. Inter-island access on the public boats in this manner is dependent upon timing, weather, loading, payment and the inclination of the crew to facilitate an inter-island journey and such arrangements are not officially sanctioned. The standard procedure is to travel to Bangsal and make a separate trip to the different island or to use the very limited official service. The price for a single journey Public Boat ferry journey from Gili Trawangan is Rp 10,000 and Gili Meno to Bangsal is Rp 9,000. The price for the subsequent Public boat to Gili Air from Bangsal is Rp 10,000, this assuming the required connection was made at Bangsal.

Island Hopping boat
 * A limited formal Island hopping boat service is provided by Koperasi Angkutan Laut Karya Bahari, this is the same local koperasi (maritime transport co-operative) that provides the Public Boat ferry service.


 * Gili Air to Gili Trawangan in the morning is an indirect service. Take the Island Hopping boat leaving Gili Air for Gili Meno at 08:30. The same boat then departs Gili Meno for Gili Trawangan at 08:50. The official Gili A to Gili T Island Hopping price is Rp 23,000. Hopefully you will only pay once. The alternative is to go to Bangsal and look for the boat to Gili T but may be best avoided due to the issues at Bangsal.


 * Gili Air to Gili Trawangan departs at 15:00 and the official price is Rp 23,000
 * Gili Trawangan to Gili Air departs at 16:00 and the official price is Rp 23,000


 * Gili Air to Gilli Meno departs at 08:30 and the official price is Rp 20,000
 * Gili Meno to Gilli Air departs at 16:20 and the official price is Rp 20,000

Charter boat
 * The official charter boat service provided by Koperasi Angkutan laut Karya Bahari is permitted to carry a maximum of 12 persons.


 * Gili Meno to Gili Air 1 way is Rp 170,000, return Rp 320,000
 * Gili Air to Gili Meno 1 way is Rp 170,000, return Rp 290,000


 * Gili Trawangan to Gili Air 1 way is Rp 195,000, return Rp 350,000
 * Gili Air to Gili Trawangan 1 way is Rp 195,000, return Rp 350,000


 * Gili Air to Senggigi to 1 way is Rp 480,000, return Rp 690,000

Informal private charters are also available. Prices are subject to negotiation, take your time over the process.

Get around
Walking is the best option as you can wander around the whole of Gili Air in about 90 minutes.

Bicycles are widely available for rent for Rp 30,000-50,000 per day. Some hotels might give you one as part of your accommodation package.

There are fewer horse carts (cidomos) here than on Gili Trawangan, but they are still not hard to find. If you are planning an early morning departure and have heavy bags, it is wise to ask your hotel the day before to book a cidomo for you. Short trips will cost about Rp 30,000 per person. Alternatively, you can rent a bicycle instead.

Dive shops
There are several dive operators with offices on Gili Air. Most of them are independently run outposts of Gili Trawangan based shops. All dive shops offer a full menu of PADI or SSI dive courses and fun dives.

If you intend to learn to dive or advance existing qualifications and wish to avoid all the temptations of partying whilst doing so, then Gili Air is the ideal base.



Snorkelling
Any of the dive shops will also be able to organise snorkelling trips for you, including hire of gear. Alternatively, there are some good spots where you can snorkel from the beach. Try almost anywhere along the east coast where at least small parts of the reef are fairly healthy and close offshore. Be careful walking in the shallow waters though as there are a lot of very spiny sea urchins in amongst the sea-grass. Equipment can be hired from almost any cafe or shack close to the beach for about Rp 30,000, or your hotel will be able to help you. On Jun 2024, a shared tour including the 3 gili islands (4-5 spots if weather and water visibility are good: turtle, statues, tropical fish, coral garden) is about Rp 120,000-150,000 with mask and fins, sometimes bottom glass boat (more or less) and possibly underwater camera with variable number of people (up to 25p for cheaper tour). Private tour about Rp 900,000-1,700,000. Lunch not included but most operators seems to stop on Gili Meno's Aloha Warung (dish Rp 50,000-125,000, drink Rp 25,000-60,000).



Surfing
Gili Air hardly registers a blip on the global surf scene, which is somewhat surprising. There is a poorly known, barreling right hander off the south coast called Playgili. This is by no means a straightforward wave, breaks over some very sharp coral and is best left to experienced, skilled surfers. It does not always roll, but when it does this is a good wave. Best first stop for any surfer is Ozzy's Surf Shop, where the local crew will be keen to rent you a board and chat about the conditions.

Walk
The circular walk around Gili Air is very pleasant indeed. The highlight for many would be the awe-inspiring views of massive Mount Rinjani towering over Lombok.

Buy
There are different ATM outlets on Gili Air. CIMB Niaga bank ATM is 5 min east of the ferry arrival area. There are 2 terminals inside, the one which dispenses Rp 100,000 notes allows up to Rp 2.5 million per transaction from any Visa/MC (no extra charges).

The best bet for changing money is Oseana shop in the Harbour. Oseana shop will change a lot of different currencies. Ideally, make sure you bring enough cash with you that is already converted to Rupiah.

Siti Shop (in the village center, on the main north-south road of the island) is the biggest supermarket on Gili Air and has a good choice of food and nonfood items for a reasonable price.

There are a few shops selling basic necessities close to the boat landing and on the eastern coast for inflated prices. In the same area as well as along the west coast there are lots of vendors with a reasonable collection of Lombok handicrafts for sale.

Eat


Starting at the jetty and working your way north on the east side of the island up to Hotel Gili Air, there are lots of decent places to eat. Since there is no fresh water on the island, purified shipped water is the norm, which does not mean that salads are 100% safe, but the food is generally not problematic. Many restaurants propose delicious grilled fish, freshly caught from the ocean. Choose the fish from their display stand and discuss the price. Local cooking style normally tends to overcook the fish, so it is a good idea to specify your cooking taste.

For budget travellers, there are several warungs in the village, just go inland from the harbor. Nasi campur special (with chicken) is Rp 10,000, as well as soto ayam. There's also a place selling bakso and (sometimes) martabak a bit further inland, almost in the middle of island. Rp 10,000 for bakso, opens in the late afternoon.



Drink
Gili Air usually has one party a week rotating at different bars during the peak season only. Locals and restaurant owners will usually mention them to you, and sometimes flyers are posted around. The party scene on Gili Air is much more low-key, and not nearly as rowdy as the wild all-nighters on Gili Trawangan.



Sleep
If you prefer an undisturbed sleep, you might wish to check how close the islands' centrally located mosque is to your accommodation.

Budget
For those who want really cheap accommodation (Rp 50,000-100,000), the good option is to walk by the road going inland from the harbor/boat ticket office to the village. There are several homestay-type accommodation options there. In low season, the price can often be bargained down.

Gili Air budget hotels tend to bear a striking resemblance to one another and most are on the east side of the island. There is not a wide range in quality or appeal, although a few stand out.



Splurge




Connect
The island has mobile telephone coverage by the major Indonesian networks (Telkomsel, XL, Indosat, Axis, poor coverage by 3), and there are a couple of public telephone offices.

Mobile internet is a good option, if you have your own laptop or a smartphone. GPRS/EDGE access seems to be quite slow on Gili Air, however, depending upon the operator used it may help to go to the eastern or western beach to try for a better connection.



Go next

 * Hop over to Gili Meno for further seclusion and a real desert island experience.
 * Back to Lombok and Mount Rinjani for one of the best climbs anywhere in Indonesia.
 * Bali per Fastboat depending upon the weather conditions.