The Gili Islands offer a perfect experience in paradise, with coral reefs, azure waters, amazing marine biodiversity, white sandy beaches, warm tropical water for swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving, and of course beach bars and restaurants. It’s the perfect part of the world to visit to relax, chill out, calm right down, and get away from all your worries and the demands of daily life.
However, actually getting to that place of blissful relaxation can be anything but calm and chilled-out. If you’ve never been to Bali or the Gili Islands before, then if you don’t know what to do, the experience of getting from your plane to your final destination can be quite stressful. With this Bluewater Express guide to planning your holiday or honeymoon in the Gili Islands, you will get the lowdown on everything you need to know to have as stress-free a time as possible.
What to do in advance
Make sure that your passport has at least six months left starting from the day of your arrival, and that it is clean and undamaged.
Get travel insurance. Recommended companies are True Traveller if you are from Europe, Covermore if you are from Australia, Hey Mondo if you are from anywhere else and Safety Wing for digital nomads.
You currently don’t need to show a Covid vaccination certificate to enter Indonesia or Bali. However, it would be very ill-advised to go to the Gili Islands without a Covid vaccine, as there are only very basic medical facilities there, and if you do develop symptoms you will have to cut your holiday short to get treatment. It is still very common for people to catch Covid from plane travel.
Familiarise yourself with the visa requirements and pre-pay online to avoid the queue at the airport. The 30 day Visa On Arrival is the standard visa for entry into Bali, and you can apply for the VOA online before you fly, avoiding the long queues at the airport. Your online application must be made between 14 days and 48 hours before your departure. Full details about the VOA are given below.
You need to have a return flight out of Bali booked within or at the end of that 30 day period.
Fill out your customs declaration online. Use the Indonesian Government online customs declaration form here within two days of your flight – the system won’t let you fill it in earlier. More details about the customs declaration are given below.
Arrange a fast-track VIP airport service, especially if this is your honeymoon. It’s the more expensive way to go, but it will make everything so much smoother. Details are given below.
Book your fast boat ticket to the Gili Islands with Bluewater Express. If you’re travelling in peak season book your place nice and early!
Pre-book your airport transfer with Bluewater Express when you are booking your boat. Contact Bluewater via WhatsApp or email and give us your arrival details, we will send a driver to meet you at the airport.
Pack what you need, and only what you need. You won’t need lots of clothes! It’s good to pack sunscreen, because it’s expensive to buy on the Gili Islands, but not in your carry-on bag – only 100ml of any liquid or gel is allowed in a carry-on bag on any international flight. Bring a powerful insect repellent as the bugs can be a problem, especially mosquitos.
Take with you light, breathable clothes, flip-flops, swimwear, a sunhat, sunglasses, and if possible a sarong – it’s the best option! You can lie on it when sunbathing then wrap it round you later.
Bring any personal medicine with you, enough for your whole holiday. Medical facilities are very basic on the Gili Islands.
Arrival at Denpasar Airport
On arrival you can use the free airport wifi. This has the name “Ngurah Rai”, no password is needed.
Airport VIP Service on Arrival
The least stressful way to manage the airport arrivals palaver is to use a VIP service, especially if this is your honeymoon. Someone will meet you off the plane, holding a sign with your name either coming off the plane steps or at the arrivals gate. They will then take you through the whole business, immigration, Visa On Arrival, customs and luggage collection. There are several companies that form part of the group Airport VIP Assistance. Here is one Airport VIP Service. These services are very handy for families with small children and lots of luggage, especially if you have never been to Bali before.
Immigration
In order to be able to go through customs inspection you need to have completed an immigration form. The best time and place to do that is on the plane. There are supposed to be forms available in the arrivals hall, but they often run out, and there are never pens available to fill them out with. Bring a pen with you. Keep the completed form with your passport and boarding pass.
The arrivals hall is very big, and there will be quite a walk from your arrival gate to the immigration queue. Try to get to it as quickly as possible. The wait in the queue can be anything from half an hour to two hours if unlucky.
Top tip: use the toilet on the plane before landing, so as to avoid needing to go after arrival or in the immigration queue.
For the older or the very young, the good news is that there is a fast-track queue for families with children under five years old, and for the over 60s. It’s the smaller queue to the right of the main long one. It is often possible to ask for fast-track assistance when booking your flight, in which case you will be met off the plane and helped to the fast-track lane.
Visas
Entry into Indonesia is achieved by getting a Visa On Arrival (VOA) either online or at the Visa Desk at the airport. It is valid for 30 days only, but it can be renewed once, allowing a total stay of 60 days. The renewal process can only be done once in Indonesia and involves spending time at the immigration service with an agent. The fine for overstaying by even one day can be pretty steep.
The VOA costs 500.000 Indonesian Rupiah (IDR), $31.75 USD, $48.25 AUD, £25 GBP, and this is paid at the Visa Desk at the airport. The queues can be very long at peak times such as July and August.
Top Tip: in order to avoid a bad exchange rate when you first try to get Indonesian Rupiah, use a large denomination note of your own currency – $100 or £100 for example – to pay for your visa. You will be given the change in IDR, and the rate will be a fair one, thus enabling you to get hold of Indonesian cash before you leave the airport. They accept US and Australian dollars, British pounds sterling, euros and many other currencies.
You can avoid the long queue by paying for your VOA in advance. Pay online here.
If you want to stay in Bali or the Gili Islands for longer than 30 to 60 days then you should apply for a Single Entry Visa B211A before you leave. The B211A visa is valid for 60 days and can be extended twice, allowing for a maximum of 180 days. It costs $295 USD.
Customs Declaration
After clearing immigration and getting your visa, the next step is to pick up your luggage. Bali airport is infamous for its slowness in unloading people’s luggage. Fortunately things have improved a bit recently but you should still be prepared for a wait – an hour is considered normal.
After collecting your luggage, you need to give the officials a completed customs declaration. There are now two ways to fill in your customs declaration form, on paper at the airport or online in advance. It is strongly recommended to choose the online option, as it saves time, and there are often no declaration forms available (and never any pens).
Use the online customs declaration form within two days of your flight. You can also fill in the online form having arrived at the airport. Use the free airport wifi “NgurahRai”.
There is no cost to do this declaration. You will be given a QR code at the end of the process. Show this to the customs officials between collecting your luggage and the customs security inspection.
After collecting your luggage go to the customs queue. You will be asked to hand over your forms and then either go straight to the exit or be chosen for x-ray security screening.
Top tip: The leftmost queue leads straight to the exit, and some people have reported that you are more likely to be allowed straight through in that line.
Each individual aged 18 or over is allowed to bring in one litre of alcohol. Any more will be confiscated. Personal electronics such as laptops are allowed but any other electrical goods above the value of $500 may incur a customs duty.
Through the gate and into Bali
Your first experience will be of a press of drivers and touts trying to get your custom. They can be aggressive and demanding, and will ask for money to carry your bags. Ignore them all. If you need refreshments go upstairs to the departure hall. Take the elevator to the third floor, where there are several cafés.
Before you go anywhere, you need to do two things: get a local sim card for your phone, and take out cash.
There is a new facility at the airport for taking out cash from cashpoints and changing money from trustworthy exchanges. It is recommended that you take advantage of these. The money changers ask a slightly higher price than the market rate but that’s a lot better than being ripped off, which is very possible elsewhere in Bali and the Gili Islands, especially if you are a first-time visitor. Get at least a couple of days’ worth of cash, enough to see you through until you are comfortably ensconsed in your hotel. See the section below on budgeting and costs to check how much money you will need.
There are cashpoints on Gili Trawangan and Gili Air, especially the main built-up south-east part of Trawangan, but none on Gili Meno. The more upmarket hotels and restaurants take Visa and Mastercard, but elsewhere it’s by no means guaranteed. You will need cash. If you need to change money, only use reputable bureaus, not the street kiosks.
Get a local sim card
Wifi is available in hotels and restaurants, but this can be slow and unreliable, especially in the Gilis. For constant coverage in Bali and on the Gili Islands you need a sim card. The local 4G network is very efficient. Two of the local providers have kiosks at the airport, XL and Telkomsel. Both of these are open from seven in the morning until 2 am. Telkomsel is widely considered the best. Its red kiosk is easy to spot.
Expect to pay 120,000 rupiah, $7.65 USD, $11.60 AUD, £6 GBP, for a 30-day 20 gig card.
Leaving the airport
As mentioned above, it’s strongly recommended to book an airport transfer in advance with Bluewater Express. If you haven’t done this, then the recommended option is Grab. They have an office outside the terminal near the car park. Download the Grab app in advance.
Budgeting for your stay in the Gili Islands
There will of course be big differences between a honeymoon holiday of a lifetime, a family holiday and a backpacker’s getaway. The Gili Islands cater for all budgets. Prices for common goods are often higher than on Bali and Lombok because everything needs to be imported, including water, and tourist holiday items such as sunscreen will often be at inflated prices. But for such small islands the range of accommodation, food and drink, and activities available is excellent. Some of the most important experiences on the Gili Islands, such as the magnificent sunsets and sunrises, sunbathing on picture-postcard beaches and swimming in the azure tropical sea, are completely free!
Backpackers, nomads and young travelers should budget to spend about 400,000 rupiahs per day at the lowest end. That’s $25 USD, $40 AUD, £20 GBP as an absolute minimum. For this money you can stay at a hostel, eat at the local warung restaurants or from street food vendors – especially the night market on Gili Trawangan – and drink Bintang beer. You can rent a bicycle and hire snorkeling equipment from kiosks on the beach.
A mid-range budget will start at around 1,500,000 IDR per day, which is $100 USD, $145 AUD, £75 GBP. For this money you can stay at a poolside bungalow, eat and drink at beachside restaurants, book a snorkeling tour, experience stand-up paddling, and take a yoga class.
As for a high-end budget, well, of course the sky’s the limit, especially for a once-in-a-lifetime honeymoon. Prices per night at the most expensive luxury resorts can be as much as $400 USD at peak times. But you can experience a bit of luxury for less than that. From 2,500,000 rupiah a day upwards, that’s $160 USD, $240 AUD, £125 GBP, you can not only stay at an upmarket hotel, but also take private snorkeling tours, go diving, take a sunset boat cruise with onboard dinner and drinks, and enjoy a very pampered experience.
Scuba diving is the most expensive activity on the Gili Islands. A beginner’s starter course will cost 1050,000 rupiah, that is, $66 USD, $100 AUD, £50 GBP. That’s just the first step. A two-day Open Water Certificate will cost 4,600,000 rupiah, $290 USD, $445 AUD, £230 GBP.
Snorkeling is much cheaper. A snorkeling cruise will cost 160,000 rupiah, $10 USD, $15 AUD, £8 GBP. A private snorkeling tour with your own guide will cost twice that.
Here’s a breakdown of some of the prices to expect on the islands:
Accommodation
A hostel dormitory bed: 100,000 rupiah a night, $6.35 USD, $9.65 AUD, £5 GBP.
A hostel private room: 300,000 rupiah a night, $19 USD, $29 AUD, £15 GBP.
A budget hotel room: 500,000 rupiah a night, $31.75 USD, $48.25 AUD, £25 GBP.
A more expensive hotel room: 1,000,000 rupiah a night, $63.50 USD, $96.50 AUD, £50 GBP.
Food
Dinner at a local warung: 50,000 rupiah, $3.20 USD, $4.80 AUD, £2.50 GBP. This will be traditional food cooked in a local, often family-run eatery. Rice dishes such as nasi goring (egg fried rice with chicken and vegetables) and mie goreng (spicy fried noodles with meat and vegetables) and nasi ayam (fried rice with chicken) are a speciality.
Grilled and barbecued seafood is available cheaply from street vendors, particularly at the celebrated night market on Gili Trawangan.
Whatever your budget, even a high-end honeymoon, you should definitely try out the local traditional food. Pizzas and burgers are available at many places in the Gili Islands, but you can get that at home!
Dinner at a good western restaurant: 200,000 rupiah, $12.70 USD, $19.30 AUD, £10 GBP.
Beer: 45,000 rupiah. $2.85 USD, $4.35 AUD, £2.25 GBP.
Water: 17,000 rupiah a bottle, $1.10 USD, $1.65 AUD, £0.85 GBP.
Top tip: If you eat at the more expensive restaurants, including at the high-end resorts, keep a lookout for hidden taxes. They are often not mentioned until you get your bill, and vary from 5-25%.
Things to know about your holiday in the Gili Islands
The harbours can be stressful experiences, especially at Padang Bai, with people harassing you for custom. Be prepared for this and make sure you just ignore them all.
You need to pay a harbour tax when leaving Bali and on the return journey. Keep your harbour tax receipts.
Be prepared for possible rough weather and seas. Bluewater will give you a seasickness pill when you board the boat just in case.
Keep your valuables safe at all times. If you need to change money while on holiday use a reputable bureau de change with security cameras, glass windows and air conditioning, not a stall on the street. Keep your passport in the hotel safe.
Don’t drink the local tap water anywhere on Bali or the islands, or use it for cleaning your teeth. Use safe water either from a bottle or for preference from a safe refillable water bottle source. Check out the refillmybottle app.
Many of the hotels use seawater for showers, the exceptions being the upmarket resorts which import fresh water. You may find that using dry shampoo and soap is a good option.
Beware of cheap local spirits that may contain dangerous methanol. The local Arak is infamous for this. Stick to the more expensive branded imports if you do drink spirits, otherwise stay on the ubiquitous local Bintang beer.
There will be insects! Make sure you have a strong bug spray with you. Cover up at sunrise and sunset to avoid the worst of the mosquito bites. Dengue fever is present on Bali and in the Gili Islands. You are unlikely to catch it, but it’s best to do what you can to avoid being bitten too much.
Never try to swim between the islands. They don’t look far apart but the currents are dangerously strong.
Be aware that unlike Bali, the Gili Islands are Muslim. Respect their customs (no topless sunbathing) and be prepared for early morning calls to prayer from the mosque. Bring earplugs if your hotel is near it.
Be a responsible eco-tourist
The beautiful environment of the Gili Islands is very fragile, and has been damaged in the past. In recent years waste pollution has become a serious problem. You can help by never using single-use plastics and keeping your rubbish to an absolute minimum. Use a refillable bottle with a reusable straw. Find safe water with the refillmybottle app.
The Gili Eco Trust organizes waste recycling and beach cleanups. You can join in a beach clean and clear every Friday! Manta Dive also organizes fortnightly beach cleanups on Saturdays on Gili Air.
Be careful when snorkeling or diving, and make sure you treat the lovely coral reefs and their biodiversity with respect. Never touch anything! Not coral, not turtles, not manta rays… keep a safe distance from everything. As the old divers’ saying has it, “take only pictures, leave only bubbles!”
