Nusa Dua to Gili Trawangan
Your journey, step by step
Every leg with real timing, and what each one costs.
What this journey costs
One traveller taking the whole car, on the cheapest class and crossing. A group splits the car, so it costs less each.
Know before you go
The things travellers actually ask us about this route.
One boat a day — book ahead
This harbour’s advantage comes with its catch: a single morning departure. There is no later sailing from Nusa Dua if it sells out, and no same-day fallback if the weather holds it. Book it in advance in high season, and if your date is fixed and the boat is full, Sanur is the harbour with options — the search compares both.
If anyone gets seasick
The boat that sails from here is one of the larger hulls working the Gili crossings, which is the single biggest factor in how a rough day feels — bigger boats move less in the same swell. Combine that with a morning departure, before the trade wind gets up, and this is about as gentle as the Lombok Strait gets in the windy months.
Travelling with children
Everything about this journey suits families better than the alternatives: a fifteen-minute drive instead of two hours, a big boat, and an arrival before lunch. Under-threes usually travel on a lap rather than a seat — the fare rules are on each operator’s card at booking. Bring what they need in a bag you hold, because the rest of the luggage rides in the bow.
Checkout timing
Resort checkout is usually noon and the boat leaves well before it. Arrange an early bag collection the night before, or leave the bags with the concierge if you are coming back — the harbour is close enough that the return leg is trivial from here.
Other ways in
Routes we do not sell, named so your comparison is complete.
Via Sanur
Half an hour further by road and several boats a day instead of one. This is the sensible choice whenever the Nusa Dua departure does not fit your date, and the fares are usually lower.
Via Padang Bai
The shortest crossing of all, around ninety minutes, at the cost of a two-hour drive up the east coast. From Nusa Dua it makes sense only if you are determined to minimise time on the water.
Fly to Lombok
A short flight from Denpasar, a road transfer to Bangsal and a local boat. Dearest, most connections, least open water.
Explore Gili Trawangan
The crossing, the harbour, and the island itself.