Every week we receive emails and messages from people asking if they can combine a trip to the Gilis with other areas on mainland Lombok.

When planning your Gili Getaway, make sure you factor in travelling times. Most people visiting the Gilis come via fast boats from Bali, so you need to think about how long you will spend travelling to and from the islands, depending on where you are staying in Bali.
If you only have a few days to spend on the Gilis, consider your first and last days as travel days, including checking out of your hotel and getting to whichever harbour you are catching your fast boat from.

If you are staying in the south of Bali, transfers to Serangan Harbour (near Benoa Harbour), are fast but you’ll spend longer on the boat travelling to the Gilis.

Transfers to Padang Bai Harbour from the south of Bali take around 2 hours, but you’ll spend less time on the boat.

Either way, you’ll arrive on the Gilis around lunch time or a little after. By the time you check into your Gili accommodation, there is only the afternoon left for a late lunch and exploring your new destination before heading out to dinner or a party.

Depending on how many days you’ve allowed for the Gilis, the following days will be filled with exploring, diving (preferably book in advance online), snorkelling, swimming in the hotel pool or at the beach, cycling around the island, having a massage and all the other fabulous things we do on holiday.

On the last day, you’ll only have time for some early morning yoga or a swim and breakfast before you’ll be packing up and travelling back to Bali from the Gilis.

Most fast boats will leave the Gilis between 10.30am and 1pm. Factor in travelling from the harbours to your hotel on Bali and you’ll be checking in to your next hotel anywhere from 2.30 to 6pm.

Three days is the bare minimum you need for visiting the Gilis. With the first and last days being travelling days, there’s just enough time to give you a taste of what the islands are like… but every person we talk to wishes they had spent more time on the Gilis!

Five days on the Gilis is better, or ideally seven days. This gives you time to settle in, start getting to know the island and fine tune your holiday doing the things you enjoy most.

With more time, you can book a dive course, join in yoga classes, go snorkelling and swimming, cycle around, dine at the fabulous restaurants and eateries the islands have to offer, and party at a different place every night, if that’s your thing.

The Gilis are slow-paced and laid-back and tailored to holidays offering the sort of activities you don’t get to experience at many other destinations.

With a longer stay, you can take a side trip to explore the other Gilis or even hop across to the mainland for a day trip. The public fast boat makes island hopping easy with regular departures from the harbours on all three Gilis and Bangsal Harbour on mainland Lombok, allowing you to quickly and easily travel between different locations throughout the day.

If you are staying on Gili T, make a day trip to Gili Meno or Gili Air, or vice versa. Spend the day exploring and experiencing the different atmosphere that exists on each island. They all have bicycles and snorkelling equipment for rent, and beachfront places with sun lounges or bean bags for hanging out.

A day trip to Lombok itself is possible from the Gilis using the island hopper to reach Bangsal Harbour and organizing a car and driver to meet you at the harbour and take you wherever you want to go. Organise this with tour agents on each of the islands or book online before-hand by searching “Lombok tour driver”.

It’s easy to visit the Lombok Wildlife Park, or Sedang Gile and Tiu Kelep waterfalls at Senaru – or even play a round of golf at Sire Beach Golf Club – all are located in North Lombok, not far from Bangsal.

You can also visit Senggigi or take a trip into the cites for some shopping for a few hours. Longer trips to the south coast are not really practical, as you’ll need 2 ½ to 3 hours each way and no one wants to spend their holidays stuck in a car!

However, day trips to these other areas will no doubt whet your appetite for exploring more of these beautiful islands and that’s why so many travellers are spending more of their time on the Gilis and Lombok every year!