Public ferry crossing
Lembar to Padang Bai ferry
Leaving Lombok by public ferry. The crossing is the same water in the other direction, but the journey is not: getting to Lembar is the hard part, and where you land in Bali decides how long the rest of your day is.
At a glance
| Departure port | Lembar — West Lombok Regency, south-west Lombok |
|---|---|
| Arrival port | Padang Bai — Karangasem Regency, east Bali |
| Approximate crossing time | Usually about four to five hours at sea |
| Service pattern | The Bali–Lombok ferry is a continuous service rather than a handful of fixed daily sailings — vessels work through the night as well as the day. Actual departures for your date are published by ASDP. |
| Operated by | ASDP Indonesia Ferry, a state ferry operator |
| Where tickets are sold | Ferizy, ASDP’s official channel, and authorised Ferizy sales points |
| Bookable on Sailtix | Not yet — this page is travel information only |
Schedules and fares can change. Check the official Ferizy/ASDP channel before travelling.
Route overview
Lembar is Lombok’s vehicle-ferry port, on the south-west coast below Mataram, and the ASDP service from here to Padang Bai in east Bali is the island’s road connection to the rest of Indonesia. It carries motorcycles, cars, buses and freight alongside foot passengers, and it runs as a continuous service rather than as a handful of daily sailings.
For a visitor, the deciding question is where you are starting. Lembar is about an hour from Mataram, an hour and a half or so from Senggigi, Kuta Lombok and the airport at Praya, and around two hours from Bangsal in the north-west. That last one catches people out: travellers coming back from the Gili Islands land at Bangsal and then face a long drive south to a ferry, when a fast boat from the Gilis to Bali would have skipped both.
Where the ferry does win is with a vehicle, or with a large amount of luggage, or when you want the cheapest crossing and have the day to spend on it. It also keeps running in sea conditions that stop the small boats.
The two ports
Departure: Lembar
Lombok’s vehicle-ferry port, on the south-west coast below Mataram. It is an industrial harbour rather than a resort one: a ramp, a terminal building, a car park and a road out.
Getting to and from Lembar
- From Mataram and Ampenan, allow around an hour by road.
- From Senggigi, allow an hour and a half or so.
- From Kuta Lombok and the south coast, and from Lombok International Airport in Praya, allow something in the region of an hour and a half — the airport is on the other side of the island’s southern plain.
- From Bangsal in the north-west, where the Gili boats leave, expect around two hours. Lembar and Bangsal are opposite ends of the same coast and are constantly confused for each other.
Arrival: Padang Bai
A working port town on Bali’s east coast that does two unrelated jobs from the same bay: the ASDP vehicle ferry to Lombok leaves from the terminal at the head of the harbour, and the tourist fast boats to the Gili Islands and Lombok leave from the beach beside it.
Getting to and from Padang Bai
- From the Kuta, Seminyak and Canggu side of Bali, allow roughly two hours by road, and more in the afternoon — the coast road through Sanur and Klungkung is the slow part of the journey, not the last stretch.
- From Ubud the drive is shorter, usually somewhere around an hour and a half depending on the route your driver takes.
- From Amed, Candidasa or the east coast it is a short hop, well under an hour from Candidasa.
- The ferry terminal and the fast-boat beach are a few minutes apart and are not the same check-in. Tell your driver you want the ASDP ferry terminal, not the boat beach, or you will be dropped at the wrong gate.
Who and what can cross
| Travelling as | Carried |
|---|---|
| Foot passengers | Yes |
| Motorcycles | Yes |
| Cars | Yes |
| Buses and coaches | Yes |
| Trucks and freight | Yes |
This is a roll-on/roll-off vehicle ferry, so everything from a scooter to an articulated truck crosses on the same deck. A vehicle is ticketed by its class, which is based on the type and length of the vehicle rather than on how many people are inside it.
How ASDP classes a vehicle
Vehicle fares are set by class, and the class is decided by what the vehicle is and how long it is. There are nine classes; IV, V and VI split into A for passenger vehicles and B for goods.
| Class | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Golongan I | Bicycles. |
| Golongan II | Motorcycles under 500cc, and hand carts. |
| Golongan III | Motorcycles over 500cc, and three-wheeled vehicles. |
| Golongan IVA | Passenger cars up to 5 metres — jeep, sedan, minibus. Most private and rental cars sit here. |
| Golongan IVB | Goods vehicles up to 5 metres: open and closed pickups, and double cabins. |
| Golongan VA | Buses over 5 and up to 7 metres. |
| Golongan VB | Medium trucks and tankers over 5 and up to 7 metres. |
| Golongan VIA | Buses over 7 and up to 10 metres. |
| Golongan VIB | Trucks and tankers over 7 and up to 10 metres, and tractor units without a trailer. |
| Golongan VII | Trucks, tankers, tractor-trailers and heavy plant over 10 and up to 12 metres. |
| Golongan VIII | The same, over 12 and up to 16 metres. |
| Golongan IX | The same, over 16 metres. |
- You must enter the vehicle registration plate number when booking — ASDP requires it under government regulation, so have the plate to hand before you start.
- ASDP staff may measure your vehicle at the port and verify its class. If the measured class does not match the one on your e-ticket, ASDP applies a penalty of 25% of the measured vehicle fare plus the difference in fare.
- If you over-declared and paid too much, a refund can be requested — but it is also reduced by a 25% penalty and bank transfer costs, and ASDP allows itself up to 30 days to pay it. Declaring the right class first time is the only outcome that costs nothing.
ASDP’s full vehicle-class reference is the authority on this, and it is where the figures above come from.
Public ferry or fast boat?
These are two different services that travellers routinely confuse, and choosing the wrong one is the most common mistake on this journey. The short version: the ferry takes vehicles, the fast boat takes time off the crossing.
| Public ferry | Fast boat | |
|---|---|---|
| Vessel | Large roll-on/roll-off public ferry | Small passenger craft |
| Vehicles | Cars, motorcycles, buses, trucks | None — passengers and luggage only |
| Crossing time | Hours, on the longer routes | A fraction of the ferry time |
| Ports | Working freight ports | Tourist harbours near where visitors stay |
| Fares | Generally the cheapest way across | Higher, and priced per passenger |
| Sold by | ASDP, through Ferizy and authorised sales points | Private operators — bookable on Sailtix |
| Weather | Keeps running in conditions that stop small boats | More often cancelled in rough seas |
Without a vehicle, the fast boat is the obvious comparison: far quicker, from tourist harbours rather than the freight port, and bookable on Sailtix today. See the fast boat route page.
Buying a ticket and boarding at Lembar
Tickets are sold by ASDP through Ferizy and authorised sales points, and are bought before you travel rather than at the gate. They are issued against passenger identity details, so book in the name on the document you are carrying and bring that document with you.
Give yourself margin at the Lembar end. The road down from Mataram is straightforward but the last stretch into the port area is shared with freight, and the check-in gate closes before the vessel sails. If you are coming from the north of the island, build the drive into your plan generously rather than optimistically.
- Book through Ferizy or an authorised Ferizy sales point before setting off for the port.
- The passenger name must match your travel document — usually a passport for foreign visitors.
- Keep the booking available offline. Do not count on signal at the terminal.
- Ferry services to and from Bali stop for Nyepi and the ports close. The date moves each year; check it if you are travelling in March.
Buying on Ferizy, step by step
Finding your crossing on Ferizy
The site is in Indonesian only. These are the six fields on its search form, in order, with what each one wants.
- Pelabuhan Asal — departure portGilimanuk and Ketapang are in the short default list. Padang Bai and Lembar are not: choose "Pelabuhan Lainnya?, Klik Disini" ("other ports, click here") to reach them. This is the step that convinces people the route does not exist.
- Pelabuhan Tujuan — arrival portThe list fills in once the departure port is chosen.
- Kelas Layanan — service classWhich class of service you are buying on that crossing.
- Jenis Pengguna Jasa — who is travelling"Pejalan Kaki" is a foot passenger; "Kendaraan" is with a vehicle. Choosing Kendaraan then asks for Golongan Kendaraan, the vehicle class.
- Jadwal Masuk Pelabuhan — port CHECK-IN time, not departureThe form asks you to "set your arrival schedule at the port". You are booking a slot to enter the port, not a sailing time — which is the single most misread thing about an ASDP ticket.
- Penumpang — passengersAdults, elderly, children and infants are counted separately.
The button on that form reads CARI JADWAL — "search schedules".
Opens ASDP’s official ticketing site in a new tab. Sailtix earns nothing from this link and is not a Ferizy sales agent — it is here because naming the official channel is the only way to keep you away from the ones imitating it.
Taking a vehicle from Lombok to Bali
The vehicle travels on its own ticket, priced by class according to its type and length rather than by how many people are inside it. Declare the vehicle you are actually driving; the ramp is not the place to discover a class mismatch.
If the vehicle is rented, check the agreement before you book it onto a sailing. Island-only terms are common in both directions, and an insurance policy that lapses at the shoreline is not something you want to find out about mid-strait.
- Confirm at booking how passengers inside the vehicle are counted for your class.
- Check rental terms and insurance for inter-island travel.
- Foreign drivers should carry an International Driving Permit alongside their home licence.
- Expect to leave the vehicle deck for the passenger deck once loading finishes — take what you need with you.
What foreign visitors should know
This is domestic transport used mainly by people moving vehicles, and the experience reflects that: unassigned seating, Indonesian-language announcements, basic facilities and a terminal designed for throughput. It is safe and routine — it is simply not a tourist boat, and it should not be booked as one.
The Lombok Strait can be uncomfortable, especially mid-year when the wind gets up. Four hours of it is a long time to regret not taking anything for seasickness. Take it before you board.
- Carry cash for the terminal and for onboard purchases.
- Bring water and something to eat; onboard catering is limited.
- Board early if you want a decent seat for a long crossing.
- Do not schedule a same-day flight out of Bali against a ferry arrival at Padang Bai — there is a two-hour drive after the crossing, on top of a crossing with no guaranteed arrival time.
Arriving at Padang Bai and getting onward
Padang Bai sits on Bali’s east coast in Karangasem, and the drive from there to where most visitors stay is a real leg of the journey rather than a transfer. Allow roughly two hours to Kuta, Seminyak or the airport, and expect more in the afternoon; Ubud is closer, usually around an hour and a half. Candidasa and Amed on the east coast are much nearer.
Transport waits outside the terminal, but Padang Bai is not south Bali and app coverage is patchier. If you are arriving late, or with a lot of luggage, arranging a car in advance is worth doing.
- Kuta, Seminyak, Canggu and Ngurah Rai airport: allow around two hours, more in traffic.
- Ubud: usually about an hour and a half.
- Candidasa and Amed: well under an hour.
- Fast boats to the Gili Islands and Nusa Penida leave from the beach beside the ferry terminal, if that is where you are headed next.
Mistakes travellers make on this route
Coming back from the Gili Islands via Bangsal and then driving to Lembar for the ferry.
That is two hours of driving to reach a four-hour crossing. Fast boats run from the Gili Islands to Bali directly. The ferry makes sense from Lombok when you have a vehicle, not when you have a backpack.
Assuming Padang Bai is close to south Bali.
It is roughly two hours by road from Kuta and the airport. The crossing ends at Padang Bai; the journey does not.
Leaving the Lembar drive to the last minute.
Lembar is an hour from Mataram and about two from Bangsal, and the gate closes before departure. The drive is the part of this journey most likely to make you miss the boat.
Buying at the port.
Ferizy and authorised sales points sell this crossing ahead of travel, against passenger identity details.
Questions travellers ask
How long is the ferry from Lembar to Padang Bai?
Usually about four to five hours at sea, plus loading, berthing and disembarkation. Weather in the Lombok Strait can make it longer.
How do I get to Lembar port?
By road — Lombok has no passenger rail. Allow about an hour from Mataram, an hour and a half or so from Senggigi, Kuta Lombok or the airport at Praya, and around two hours from Bangsal in the north-west.
Can I bring a motorbike back to Bali on this ferry?
Yes — motorcycles, cars, buses and trucks all cross. The vehicle is ticketed by class based on its type and length. If it is rented, confirm with the owner that inter-island travel is permitted.
Is there a faster way from Lombok to Bali?
Yes, if you are not taking a vehicle. Fast boats cross to Bali in a fraction of the time from Lombok’s tourist harbours and from the Gili Islands. They carry passengers and luggage only.
Where do I buy the ticket?
Through Ferizy, ASDP’s official channel, or an authorised Ferizy sales point, before travelling to the port. Booking for this route is not available on Sailtix.