How Much Does a Bali to Gili Fast Boat Ticket Cost?
GiliBaliBoat · 22 July 2026
Search for a fast boat from Bali to the Gili Islands and you will see the same crossing quoted at wildly different prices. On our own live schedules, an adult ticket from Bali to Gili Trawangan currently ranges from about Rp 430,000 to Rp 685,000 — a difference of nearly 60% for a trip that ends at the same jetty on the same morning.
That gap confuses a lot of first-time visitors, and it is where most of the bad buying decisions get made. This guide explains what you are actually paying for.
The short answer
For a one-way adult ticket between Bali and the Gili Islands in 2026, expect roughly:
| Ticket type | Typical range (one way, adult) |
|---|---|
| Budget / larger shared boat | Rp 430,000 – 500,000 |
| Mid-range | Rp 500,000 – 600,000 |
| Premium / fastest crossing | Rp 600,000 – 700,000 |
Children usually travel at a reduced fare. Prices move with the season — July, August and the December holidays are the peak — and the cheapest seats on any given day sell out first.
You can see the current fare for every operator side by side on the Bali to Gili Trawangan and Bali to Gili Air pages.
What actually drives the price
1. Which port you leave from
This is the single biggest factor, and the one most people miss. "Bali" is not one departure point — it is two very different ones.
Padang Bai, in East Bali, is the closest harbour to the Gilis. The crossing is short, so tickets from here tend to sit at the lower end of the range. The catch is that Padang Bai is roughly 1.5–2 hours by road from Seminyak, Canggu or the airport, so you either leave very early or pay for a transfer.
Sanur, in South Bali, is far more convenient if you are staying in the south — but the boat has to travel much further. On our live schedules the Sanur crossing runs around 3 hours versus roughly 1.5 hours from Padang Bai, and the fare reflects that.
We compare the two in detail in Padang Bai vs Sanur: which port should you leave from.
2. The boat itself
A larger, newer, more powerful boat costs more to run and charges more. It also tends to ride noticeably better in choppy water, carry more life-safety equipment, and keep to its schedule more reliably. On a calm morning the difference matters little. On a windy day in the Lombok Strait it matters a lot.
3. Crossing time
Faster is more expensive, and the spread is bigger than people expect. Across the operators we list, the Bali to Gili Trawangan crossing ranges from about 1 hour to 3 hours depending on the boat and the port. If you are trying to protect a same-day connection, that two-hour difference is worth paying for.
4. What is included
Some fares bundle a hotel transfer on the Bali side; some do not. A cheap ticket plus a private car to Padang Bai can easily cost more than a pricier ticket that includes pickup. Always compare the total door-to-door cost, not the boat fare alone.
Is the cheapest ticket a bad idea?
Not automatically — but "cheapest" should never be the only filter.
The operators we sell are all established companies with licensed crews and life jackets on board, and we publish a safety rating for each one so the trade-off is visible rather than hidden. The genuinely risky tickets are the ones sold by an unnamed agent at the harbour with no operator named on the ticket, no manifest, and no way to reach anyone if the boat is cancelled.
Our honest advice:
- Travelling light, flexible on timing, calm season? The lower-priced options are perfectly reasonable.
- Prone to seasickness, travelling with kids or elderly parents, or crossing in windy season? Pay for the bigger, faster boat. See how to avoid seasickness on the Gili fast boat.
- Catching a flight the same day? Buy on schedule reliability, not price.
How to avoid paying more than you need to
Book ahead in peak season. In July, August and December the cheaper seats go first, sometimes days ahead. Booking late usually means paying the top of the range.
Book the return at the same time. Return availability from the Gilis is thinner than the outbound — there are simply fewer afternoon departures — and leaving it to the last minute limits you to whatever is left.
Do not buy from touts at the harbour. A ticket bought at the jetty on the morning of travel is almost always more expensive than the same seat booked online, and you have no recourse if something goes wrong.
Compare the whole day, not one departure. A boat an hour later can be significantly cheaper for exactly the same crossing.
Prices for other crossings
The Gilis are not the only route, and fares differ:
- Bali to Gili Air — similar pricing to Gili Trawangan
- Bali to Gili Meno — fewer operators, so less price competition
- Bali to Nusa Penida and Bali to Nusa Lembongan — much shorter crossings from Sanur, and considerably cheaper
- Bali to Lombok — mainland Lombok, priced close to the Gili routes
- Gili Trawangan back to Bali — the return leg
The bottom line
There is no single "correct" price for a Bali to Gili fast boat, because you are not comparing identical products. A Rp 430,000 ticket and a Rp 685,000 ticket can differ by two hours of travel, a much bigger boat and a harbour on the other side of the island.
What matters is that the difference is visible before you pay. Compare every operator on your date — departure time, crossing time, price and safety rating side by side — and pick the trade-off that suits your trip.