Flight versus Boat

Hi

I will be travelling from Bali to Lombok and Gilli T in November, what is the best way to travel between islands, boat or fly? I don't like long ferry journeys much but my travel agent in London said that Indonesian flights are not the safest...

Any recommendations, advice??

Thanks in advance!

Hi Hemamda

It's true that some of the planes in Indonesia - particularly between Bali and Lombok - are a bit dodgy, but I can assure you that the slow ferry if much worse. It is not so much a ferry as an old barge crammed full of trucks. One sunk a few years ago with a lot of lives lost. No one knows how many as there is no manifest.

I have flown countless times. The flight takes about 20 minutes from Denpasar in Bali to Mataram in Lombok. The airports are both located near the main tourist areas. Currently flight costs are around Rp 390,000 to Rp 450,000 (GBP 23 to 29) one way. If you fly, then you get a taxi to Bangsal harbour (about Rp100,000) and get a small boat over to Gili T (about Rp 40,000).

There are a couple of fast boat options. Both are about double the price of flying. One is called Gili Cat and runs for Padang Bai in Bali (around 2 hours from Denpasar) to Gili T. The other is Blue Water Safari which runs from Benoa in Bali (about 1 hour from Denpasar) to Gili T. These boats take around 1.5 hours to do the crossing - longer in high seas or stong winds. You should try contacting these companies and checking on the schedule and price if you don't want to fly. I think they leave Bali around 8am in the morning.

I'm pretty sure both these boats are currently in operation as I saw them advertised in the Lombok Times last week.

Cheers

Funny enough I had to call Gili Cat today.

here is what I found out.....

Gilicat (0361) 271680

Jalan Danau Tamblingan 51, Sanur.

www.gilicat.com

info@gilicat.com

Daily from Padangbai -9.am to Gili Trawangan & Teluk Kode (between Senggigi & Bangsal) (if bookings are high they may use their second boat too and add extra departures at 9.30am & 2pm)

Daily from Gili Trawangan at 11.30am and from Teluk Kode at noon. (May add extra depatures depending on bookings)


Cost Rp660,000 one way or Rp1,200,000 return. Includes transfer from Kuta, Seminyak & Legian.

Hope that helps.

Having just done the return journey by ferry again. I am pleased to say this time it ran to the scheduled 4 hour journey time with no delays in disembarking.

The cost for a car has now come down to Rp572,000. And I would imagine the other fares have also dropped a few thousand too.

The weather must be good then? Four hours is great- let's face it you don't want to have to use the loo on those ferries! Four hours is do-able.

Quote :

Four hours is do-able.

How about 10 hours that I went door to door.

Infact I thought at first it was that & dehydration that was causing my blinding headache on the drive from Padangbai but a fever that night and the fact I still have the headache, I'm guessing not.

I used the loo on the way over and it was fine but on the way back Iluh said it was bad, so I was avoiding it.

Yes the weather seemed to be pretty good, didnt stop the woman behind us from throwing up behind her seat though. Ok maybe she was desperate but we were only about 8 rows from the loos!