There are now numerous direct boat services from Bali to the Gilis, all of which continue onto the main island of Lombok. Established daily services depart from Benoa and Serangan Island in South Bali and Padang Bai in East Bali. Benoa Harbour and Serangan are around 25 minutes by car, (dependent upon traffic) from the South Bali tourist hub. Padang Bai is further. If one was to depart by car fo the same point at the same time, the trip to Padang Bai would take around an additional 45 to 50 minutes in a vehicle on most days.

It's more efficient to depart from Padang Bai if you are starting from central or east Bali, such as Ubud and Candidasa, or the east coast dive areas such Amed, and Tulamben or North Coast locations such as Lovina or Pemuteran.

No matter what port of departure you use, with the exception of those staying in Padang Bai, you will be required to use a vehcile transfer for one portion of your journey. The big consideration in choice of port of departure is time and distance at sea, coupled with weather.

The distance by sea from Benoa/Serangan to Gili Trawangan/Lombok, is just under twice that of the distance from Padang Bai to the same ports of arrival. Passengers departing from Benoa/Serangan will spend about twice the time at sea as passengers departing Padang Bai. This difference in time at sea logically increases exponentially when weather conditions deteriorate, as vessels are unable to maintain top speeds.

Gili Cat official operating logs demonstrate an average time at sea, all conditions, all years, (since initiating the first daily scheduled departure service in June 2007,) of 80 mins. While the trip from Padang Bai can be faster, (55 minutes,) it can also be slower. Benoa/Serangan operators marketing suggests two hours by sea. In reality, the time is more like 150 - 160 minutes on a "perfect" day. When selecting a port of departure it is worth keeping in mind that any deterioration of weather conditions will affect passenger comfort and the amount of time spent at sea, no matter what the port of departure. The greater the distance to be traveled at sea, the greater the effect of weather conditions on "real time" at sea. While one operator has reported commencement of construction of a significantly larger vessel, the vessels currently servicing all routes are smaller high speed craft.

Anyone traveling with children or infants, prone to sea sickness, historically uncomfortable on boats, or with any health conditions, would be well advised to select the shortest possible sea crossing. Similarly in anything but perfect weather conditions, the shortest sea crossing would be the wisest route in order to avoid weather related delays or discomfort.

A daily speedboat service called Amed Sea Fast Boat started to ply the Amed to Gili Trawangan route in 2010. There is also a daily fast boat service to Gili Trawangan from Nusa Lembongan, a small island off the south east coast of Bali.

There are currently significant differences in prices between operators on all the Gili Fast Boat routes. There are also significant differences in the standard of the vessels, operating standards, operating experience and crew certfication. Passengers would be well advised to look at more than just price. As competition has increased, so has misinformation about availability of seats or operating schedules. Passengers would be well advised to check the veracity of information direct with their chosen operator if told by a tour desk a vessel is "full" or "bankrupt - not operating" or has "spontaneously combusted." Passengers are also advised to ensure their ticket states the specific vessel they have requested.

If you have more time than money, you can use a tour service (160,000 from Kuta/Ubud) to take you from your hotel on Bail, drop you off at the ferry, then pick you up in Lombok and switch cars a few times, then drop you off at the dock to the Gili's and then on to a small boat. The whole trip takes about 12 hours and you will be subjected to unnecessary hard sells on booking return tickets (not necessary). The last stop you may be befriended by those talking up stories of mosquito born illness, then try to be sold repellent and coils at extortionate prices. These products are reasonably priced on the Gili's.