- Before you plan: four rules
- 4 days: one island, done properly
- 7 days: all three Gilis
- 10 days: the Gilis and north Lombok
- 14 days: Bali, the Nusas, the Gilis and all of Lombok
- Adapting the routes
Before you plan: four rules
- Cross in the morning. Fast boats from Bali mostly leave between 8 am and 1 pm, and the sea is calmest early. Arrival and departure days are half days at best.
- Keep a buffer before flights. Never plan a Bali fast boat on the day of an international flight. Leave one clear day in the dry season, two between December and February.
- Do not over-move. Two bases in a week is plenty. The islands reward staying put.
- Consider an open jaw. Arrive by boat from Bali and leave by air from Lombok (or the reverse) to avoid crossing the strait twice.
All four routes can be reversed. Tours mentioned are listed, with prices, on our tours page.
4 days: one island, done properly
For a short break from Bali. Choose Gili Air for calm or Gili Trawangan for buzz.
| Day | Plan | Sleep |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Early pick-up, fast boat from Padang Bai, on the sand by lunchtime. Afternoon swim, walk to the west coast for sunset. | Gili Air or Trawangan |
| 2 | Morning three-island snorkelling boat: turtles, Meno’s statues, lunch ashore. Late afternoon cycle or walk around the island. | Same |
| 3 | Public boat to Gili Meno for the day: beach, ring path, snorkel the west coast. Or a try-dive and a cooking class. | Same |
| 4 | Sunrise swim, late-morning boat back to Bali. Night in Bali before any flight. | Bali |
Make it five: add a day trip to the Senaru waterfalls on Lombok, or simply a day with no plan at all.
7 days: all three Gilis
The classic week, moving from the liveliest island to the calmest and ending closest to Lombok.
| Day | Plan | Sleep |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fast boat from Bali to Gili Trawangan. Settle in, sunset at the south-west swings, dinner at the night market. | Gili Trawangan |
| 2 | Snorkel Turtle Point in the morning; cycle the island loop; climb the hill late in the day. | Gili Trawangan |
| 3 | Try-dive or two fun dives; sunset boat with snorkelling. | Gili Trawangan |
| 4 | Morning hopping boat to Gili Meno. Beach, salt lake, sunset on the west coast. | Gili Meno |
| 5 | Swim out to the Nest statues before 8 am; drift the turtle reef; a long, lazy afternoon. | Gili Meno |
| 6 | Morning hopping boat to Gili Air. Lunch on a beach platform; yoga or a silver class; west-coast sunset. | Gili Air |
| 7 | Sunrise over Rinjani; fast boat to Bali, or speedboat to Lombok for a flight. | Bali or Lombok |
Variation: skip the move to Meno and visit it as a day trip, giving three nights each on Trawangan and Air.
10 days: the Gilis and north Lombok
Islands first, then the volcano. Swap the trek for a waterfall day if you prefer.
| Day | Plan | Sleep |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | Gili Trawangan or Gili Meno: snorkelling boat, shore snorkelling, diving or pure beach time. | Trawangan or Meno |
| 4–5 | Hop to Gili Air. Classes, a slow loop of the island, an early night on day 5. | Gili Air |
| 6 | Morning boat to Bangsal; drive to Senaru. Sendang Gile and Tiu Kelep waterfalls in the afternoon. | Senaru |
| 7 | Trek through forest to the Senaru crater rim; camp above Segara Anak. | Rinjani rim camp |
| 8 | Sunrise over the lake; descend by midday; drive to Senggigi. Pool, massage, sunset at Pura Batu Bolong. | Senggigi |
| 9 | Coast road and Mataram’s Narmada and Lingsar, or a full rest day. | Senggigi |
| 10 | Fly from Lombok, or fast boat from Bangsal back to Bali. | — |
Rinjani’s trails normally close from about January to March; in those months replace days 6–8 with a waterfall day from Gili Air and two nights in Kuta Lombok. Trek details are in our Rinjani guide.
14 days: Bali, the Nusas, the Gilis and all of Lombok
An island chain from west to east with no backtracking, ending near Lombok’s airport.
| Day | Plan | Sleep |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Sanur to Nusa Lembongan: mangroves, Dream Beach, the bridge to Ceningan. | Nusa Lembongan |
| 3 | Nusa Penida: Kelingking, Angel’s Billabong, manta snorkelling if conditions allow. | Nusa Penida |
| 4 | Direct fast boat to Gili Trawangan. Sunset on the west coast. | Gili Trawangan |
| 5–6 | Diving or snorkelling; cycle loop; night market. | Gili Trawangan |
| 7–8 | Gili Meno: statues, turtles, silence. | Gili Meno |
| 9–10 | Gili Air: food, yoga, sunrise over Rinjani. | Gili Air |
| 11 | Boat to Teluk Nara, drive south via Mataram to Sekotong; boat to Gili Gede. | Gili Gede |
| 12 | Private boat to Gili Layar and Rengit for coral; afternoon transfer to Kuta Lombok. | Kuta Lombok |
| 13 | Tanjung Aan, Sade village, sunset on Bukit Merese; or a surf lesson at Selong Belanak. | Kuta Lombok |
| 14 | Thirty minutes to Lombok airport; fly to Bali, Jakarta or onward. | — |
For trekkers: drop the Nusas and insert a three-day Rinjani summit trek between Gili Air and the south.
Adapting the routes
With children
Fewer moves: a week on Gili Air with a day trip to Meno, then three nights in a Senggigi or Kuta resort with a pool. Fly one way to avoid a second long boat ride.
In the wet season (November–April)
Fly Bali–Lombok rather than relying on fast boats, base yourself on Gili Air for the short crossing, and keep the Rinjani trek for another year. Mornings are usually fine for snorkelling.
For divers
An Open Water course takes three to four days; plan five nights on one island around it and remember the 18–24 hour gap before flying.
On a tight budget
Take the public ferry from Padang Bai to Lembar and the public boat from Bangsal, stay in homestays in the island interiors, eat at warungs and the night market, and snorkel from shore.
