How do you get from Bali to Lombok?

There are three ways across the Lombok Strait, and each suits a different trip.

Flying

Time: 30 minutes in the air, plus airports.

Cost: often 30 to 70 USD one way, sometimes less.

Routes: Denpasar to Lombok International, several daily, with onward connections to Sumbawa and Flores.

Why choose it: speed, reliability and no seasickness. Lombok's airport is in the south, 30 minutes from Kuta Lombok, which makes flying by far the best option if the south coast is your destination.

The catch: getting to and through DPS eats the time saving if you are staying in Canggu or Ubud.

Fast boat

Time: 1.5 to 2.5 hours to the Gilis, 2 to 4 hours to Lombok's west coast, depending on route and stops.

Cost: roughly 400,000 to 900,000 rupiah each way.

Ports: leaving from Padang Bai (shortest crossing), Sanur and Serangan. Arriving at Gili Trawangan, Gili Air, Bangsal, Teluk Nare or Senggigi.

Why choose it: it is the only sensible way to reach the Gili Islands, and it delivers you to the northwest coast directly.

The catch: the open water between Bali and Lombok is genuinely exposed. Crossings get rough, particularly in the afternoon and in wet season, and cancellations happen. Operator standards vary, and there have been incidents on these routes.

Practical rules: take the earliest crossing, use an established operator with its own boats, put valuables in a dry bag because luggage gets wet, and never book the return crossing for the day of an international flight.

Public ferry

Time: 4 to 5 hours, plus loading.

Cost: very cheap, under 100,000 rupiah for a foot passenger.

Route: Padang Bai in Bali to Lembar in southwest Lombok, running around the clock.

Why choose it: it carries vehicles, it is cheap, and it runs when fast boats cancel. It is the route for anyone moving a car or motorbike, and the slow, characterful option.

The catch: slow, basic, and Lembar is a long way from anywhere you want to be. Budget two hours onward to Kuta Lombok or an hour and a half to Senggigi.

Which to choose

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The connection nobody plans for

If you are going to the Gilis and then on to Lombok, the local boats from Bangsal take 10 to 30 minutes and cost a fraction of the tourist fast boats. Doing the whole journey on tourist boats is the expensive way round.

Buffer days

Fast boats cancel in bad weather, and the Gilis and Nusa Islands also close harbours for local ceremonies. Always return to Bali the day before an international flight, not the morning of. This is the single most common way a trip out here goes wrong, and it is entirely avoidable.

Getting between the islands once you are there

From the Gilis to Lombok, local boats from Bangsal run frequently and take 10 to 30 minutes for a few tens of thousands of rupiah. From Bangsal it is 90 minutes to Senggigi, two and a half hours to Kuta Lombok, and a similar time to the Rinjani trailheads.

From Lombok to Sumbawa, the ferry from Labuhan Lombok to Poto Tano runs constantly and takes about two hours, which is the route for surfers heading to Lakey Peak or Maluk.

Luggage, boards and pets

Fast boats charge for surfboards and sometimes for large bags, and everything is stacked where it can get wet. Boards travel better on the public ferry or by plane.

Animals cannot travel on tourist fast boats. Moving a pet between the islands means the public ferry and paperwork, which is a separate exercise entirely.

Booking

Book fast boats a day or two ahead in high season and on the morning departures, which fill first. Buy from the operator or through your accommodation rather than a street agent, so that you know which boat you are actually on, and keep the ticket: it is checked at the harbour along with the Bali tourist levy QR code.