How to get from Canggu to the Gili Islands, Indonesia

Last updated on May 19th, 2023 at 02:19 pm

In this post, I want to go through the different options of how to get from Canggu to the Gili islands. It takes some research to find the best option, but it will make your life easier if you read this post and figure out the best option for you.

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The Route
Should I go from Padang Bai or Sanur?
Where to find the best deals on a fast boat to the Gili Islands?
What fast boat company should I chose to go to Gili?
How to get from Gili Trawangan to Gili Air or Gili Meno?
What are the best things to do on Gili Trawangan?

If you are in South East Asia, you might find my other recent blog posts interesting:

The Route from Canggu to Gili Islands

The main route options to consider are going from Padang Bai (Central Bali) or Sanur (South Bali) to the Gili Islands.

From Sanur to the Gili Islands

The drive from Canggu to Sanur is roughly 50 minutes. But the fast boat from Sanur to Gili Trawangan is roughly 3 hours.

From Padang Bai to the Gili Islands

The drive from Canggu to Padang Bai is about 2 hours. Plus the fast boat from Padang Bai to Gili Trawangan takes about 2 hours.

The route we took

The route we took was from Padang Bai. We purchased a ticket from a shop called ‘Three D Cell‘ in Batu Bolong, Canggu. The price was 650k/€40 each so it was the cheapest option we found after some research. Here is what it included:

pick up from our homestay in Canggu at 6:30
return fast boat ticket from Padang Bai to Gili Trawangan & back from Gili Air to Padang Bai
shuttle bus drop off at Canggu Station

We got a Grab from Canggu station back to our accommodation after that.

Another thing to note is that if you get a return ticket, you are meant to check in at the company’s desk at the harbour on Gili. We were not told this but you are meant to check in so they can book you a space on the boat.

Should I go from Padang Bai or Sanur?

It depends on whether you would prefer longer on a boat or in a car/bus. For me, I was glad to get off the boat after 2 hours and get into an air conditioned car for another 2 hours.

Also take into consideration the price. The cheapest we found went from Padang Bai so that is what we opted for.

Where to find the best deals on a fast boat to the Gili Islands?

My advice would be to shop around at some of the stalls on the side of the street selling tickets to see what their best deal is. Haggle to get money off your tickets. If you are near the port, go to the offices there and see what are the best deals you can get.

You can also compare the prices of the tickets on 12GoAsia and add on what the transport will cost. The Grab and Gojek app will have the best prices on a car or scooter ride. If you are going to Sanur and have a scooter, you can just drive yourself and park there.

Next, you can also check with each fast boat company directly through the website or whatsapp to see how much they are charging (Bluewater express, Semaya One etc). You can also try get a better deal through whatsapp.

Lastly, if you do not mind paying extra, but just want someone else to deal with all the fast boat tickets and transport hassle, so you can just show up. You can book a ticket with get your guide here and that includes the boat and they collect you and drop you off at your hotel in Bali. This actually goes from Serangan harbour which is further south of Sanur, around 1 hour 5 minutes driving.

**Make sure to have some cash as you have to pay a harbour tax of 10k at Padang Bai, plus an island tax of 10k at Gili Trawangan.

What fast boat company should I chose to go to Gili?

The boat company that was used as part of the tickets we bought was inVinia on the way out. We had to get the Samaya One fast boat back as for some reason inVinia was not running.

Don’t expect anything special with these boats, only that you will be very hot.

We went when Nyepi was on in Bali (a day of silence), so many tourists escape to the Gili islands at this time where Nyepi is not celebrated. So this was a very busy time to go and boats were crowded – it was hot and cramped, but that’s part of the fun.

The Semaya One was a bit nicer than the inVinia as it had more windows inside so it was much more airy. The best seat I found was on the top deck inside, not too hot but a good breeze.

How to get from Gili Trawangan to Gili Air or Gili Meno?

Go to the public harbour in Gili T which is located a 3 minute walk north of the main harbour, where you got off the boat from Bali. You can get a public boat from here at 9:30 & 16:00 daily. It costs 45k/€2.75 to Gili Air and 40k/€2.45 to Gili Meno one way.

Be at the harbour about 30 minutes before to get your tickets. It takes about 30 minutes to get from Gili Trawangan to Gili Air and about 10-15 minutes to Gili Meno.

There are also regular fast boats that depart from the same pier but costs around 100k. They will get you there about faster.

What are the best things to do on Gili Trawangan?

The thing that I loved the most was the water sports. You can go Supping at SUP Gili for just 100k/€6.10 per hour (so cheap), we did and it was a highlight for me on the trip. A guide takes you out and teaches you how to stand on the board. We seen turtles too while we were out there. They also offer kayaking.

After that we rented snorkels from the same place for just 25k/€1.50 each and snorkelled around turtle point. We swam with turtles and I would definitely recommend it! The turtles were very close to the shore, making them easy to find.

Other than that, relax on the beach with a drink and some food. There is also a night market if you are interested.

I do hope that this post on how to get from Canggu to the Gili islands was helpful. If so, share it with your friends and subscribe for more.

Thanks for reading,

Lisa