Getting Around the Gili Islands: Bikes, Cidomo Carts, Boats and Luggage

27 October 202631 October 2026

“I’ve heard there are no cars on the Gili Islands, so how do I get a heavy suitcase from the harbor to my hotel?” “How do I get from one island to another?” “Should I rent a bike?” The short answer: on all three islands, Gili Trawangan, Gili Air and Gili Meno, you get around on foot, by bicycle or by cidomo (a small horse-drawn cart), and you travel between the islands by boat. A bicycle is enough to see each island. Plan to use a cidomo or your hotel’s pickup only on the days you are carrying luggage, and you will rarely have to think twice.

This article draws on the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism, Lonely Planet (updated July 2026), Indonesian news reports, a Gili conservation group and hotel websites. There is no official fare table for cidomos, and boat fares differ from source to source, so we give the ranges we could confirm, each with its date.

As of October 2026

What this article covers

✓Why there are no cars or motorbikes on the Gilis, and where e-bikes stand
✓Bike rental prices, sandy tracks, and how long it takes to loop each island
✓What a cidomo (horse cart) costs, and what to know about the horses
✓Times and fares for boats between the islands (public boat and fast boat)
✓Getting a suitcase from the harbor to your hotel, and moving around after dark

In short

As of October 2026, there are no cars or motorbikes on the three Gili Islands. You get around on foot, by bicycle or by cidomo (horse cart). Bike rental runs Rp50,000 to 100,000 a day (about US$3 to 6). Gili Trawangan takes about an hour to loop by bike and about two hours on foot, while Gili Air and Gili Meno each take about an hour on foot. A cidomo starts at around Rp100,000 (about US$6) on Gili Trawangan, and on Gili Meno fares of Rp20,000 to 50,000 have been reported depending on where you go. Agree the price before you get on. Between the islands, a scheduled public boat runs twice a day in each direction (around Rp35,000 to 45,000), and Lonely Planet (updated July 2026) also lists a fast boat at Rp85,000 (about US$5) one way. For a suitcase, the realistic options are your hotel’s pickup or a cidomo.

Contents

Why are there no cars or motorbikes on the Gilis? Can you use an e-bike?

There are no cars or motorbikes on any of the three Gili Islands. The Indonesian Ministry of Tourism’s official site says cars and motorbikes are banned on the Gilis and that motorized vehicles are not permitted. Lonely Planet describes it as a ban under a local regulation covering vehicles that run on fossil fuels. The Indonesian news site Good News from Indonesia (July 2026) writes that there is a long-standing customary village rule (awig-awig) and that the village administration has backed it.

Electric bikes are where it gets confusing. Lonely Planet writes that electric scooters were introduced in 2022 and that some hotels rent them for Rp250,000 to 350,000 a day (about US$14 to 20). The local government, however, does not allow them.

According to an Antara news agency report (carried by Koran Jakarta, June 2023), North Lombok Regency said electric bikes are not permitted on Gili Trawangan except for carrying rubbish, collected 47 of them, and said owners who kept breaking the rule after three warnings faced six months in jail or a fine of 50 million rupiah. detikBali (March 2024) reported on an incident in which residents and cidomo drivers gathered around 100 electric bikes and similar vehicles said to be unlicensed, and quoted the head of the regency transport office as saying that electric bikes are not allowed but the rule is not being followed.

According to Times Indonesia (May 2026), the regency rule still bans electric bikes except for uses such as water supply and clinics, and a committee of the regency council is pushing for a revision that would allow them with a cap on numbers. With the rules and the reality pulling in different directions, there is little reason for a visitor to rent one, and an ordinary bicycle plus walking is all you need on the islands.

Should you rent a bike? Prices, sandy tracks and what to check

For getting around an island, a bicycle is the easiest option. Lonely Planet (updated July 2026) puts bike rental at Rp50,000 to 100,000 a day (about US$3 to 6), notes that many hotels rent them, that there are rental stands all over the islands, and that some rent by the hour. The travel site tiket.com (updated June 2026) gives around Rp50,000 a day on Gili Trawangan.

The roads are flat, but not always easy to ride. Lonely Planet says the paths are narrow concrete or sand and dirt, rough in places and potholed. On the northeast side of Gili Trawangan there is a stretch of soft sand about 50 yards (about 45 m) long where you have to carry your bike across.

When you rent, Lonely Planet suggests checking the tires, taking a short test ride to try the brakes and gears, and choosing a bike with a light if you can. Renting from your own hotel saves you a trip to return it to another shop before checkout.

As for time, a loop of Gili Trawangan by bike takes about an hour (Indonesian Ministry of Tourism). tiket.com (updated June 2026) also gives a circumference of about 7 km, about an hour by bike and about two hours on foot, and notes that you will end up stopping often for photos. We could not confirm from official sources how long it takes to cycle around Gili Air or Gili Meno.

How long does it take on foot? Loop times for each island

All three islands have a path that follows the coast all the way around. According to Lonely Planet, walking a full loop takes about two hours on Gili Trawangan and about an hour each on Gili Air and Gili Meno. Gili Eco Trust, a conservation group working on the islands, says almost every hotel, hostel and resort on Gili Trawangan is less than a 20-minute walk away.

The travel guide Wikivoyage advises wearing sunscreen and avoiding the hottest part of the day if you plan to explore on foot.

Figure: Rough time to loop each of the three Gili Islands

Figure: Walking times from Lonely Planet (updated July 2026), the Trawangan cycling time from the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism, and the circumference from tiket.com (updated June 2026). Cycling times for Air and Meno could not be confirmed. Breaks and photo stops add time.

What does a cidomo (horse cart) cost? What to agree first, and the horses

A cidomo is a small cart pulled by a horse, and it is the islands’ traditional form of public transport. It carries residents’ goods as well as visitors and their luggage (Lonely Planet). The Ministry of Tourism’s official site says a cidomo takes up to three passengers at a time and that a ride around Gili Trawangan takes about 30 minutes. According to Lonely Planet, the horses wear bells, so you can hear one coming.

Horses on the Gilis are also ridden along the beach, mostly in the evening. Prices, ride times, age and weight limits, and what to look for in how an operator treats its horses are covered in our guide to horse riding on the Gili Islands.

We could not find an official fare table. The examples we could confirm are in the table below. Lonely Planet says to expect at least Rp100,000 and recommends agreeing the price before setting off. When detikBali (October 2022) spoke to drivers on Gili Trawangan, a short ride from the harbor to a hotel cost Rp100,000 to 150,000, and a loop of the island for three people cost Rp350,000. For Gili Meno, detikBali (December 2024) reported cidomo fares of Rp20,000 to 50,000, depending on the destination, for getting from the harbor to your accommodation or touring the island.

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Option	Typical price	Source
Bike rental	Rp50,000 to 100,000 a day (about US$3 to 6)	Lonely Planet (July 2026), tiket.com (June 2026)
Cidomo (Trawangan)	At least Rp100,000 (about US$6). Harbor to hotel Rp100,000 to 150,000 (about US$6 to 8); island loop for three Rp350,000 (about US$20)	Lonely Planet (July 2026), detikBali (October 2022)
Cidomo (Meno)	To your accommodation or around the island Rp20,000 to 50,000 (about US$1 to 3, depending on destination)	detikBali (December 2024)
Electric scooter	Rp250,000 to 350,000 a day (about US$14 to 20). Banned in principle under the regency rule	Lonely Planet (July 2026), Times Indonesia (May 2026)
Walking	Free	–

Published examples we could confirm as of October 2026. US dollar figures use US$1 ≈ Rp17,800 (September 2026). Cidomo fares vary with the number of people, distance and luggage, and we could not find an official fare table.

How cidomo horses are treated has been debated for years. Gili Eco Trust lists the problems as no resident vet on the islands, drivers struggling to pay for feed and treatment, and a shortage of skilled farriers (the craftsmen who fit horseshoes). Lonely Planet says horse care has improved considerably since 2015, thanks to care training and free clinics run by the non-profit Horses of Gili and by Gili Eco Trust.

If you do ride, there are things you can do as a visitor. Lonely Planet suggests limiting the load to two people and their luggage (fewer than the Ministry of Tourism’s “up to three”). A blog post by BASK Gili Meno, a resort on Gili Meno (April 2026), suggests looking at the horse, the cart and the driver before you get on, paying the going rate rather than haggling hard, and not feeding the horses, especially anything sweet. It describes heavy breathing, a lot of drooling, visible ribs and sores from badly fitting harness as signs that a horse is unwell. For short distances, walking is also an option.

How do you get from island to island? Inter-island boat times and fares

A scheduled public boat (the island hopper) runs between the three islands twice a day in each direction. The table below shows the times the travel guide site Bali Untold checked on the ground in December 2023, and the departure times listed by Lonely Planet (updated July 2026), Gili Air 8:30 and 15:00, Gili Meno 8:45 and 15:15, Gili Trawangan 9:30 and 16:00, match them. The crossing takes about 15 minutes to the neighboring island, and about 30 minutes between Gili Trawangan and Gili Air with a stop at Gili Meno (Bali Untold).

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Sailing	Gili Air	Gili Meno	Gili Trawangan
Morning, Air to Trawangan	Departs 8:30	8:45	Arrives 9:00
Morning, Trawangan to Air	Arrives 10:00	9:45	Departs 9:30
Afternoon, Air to Trawangan	Departs 15:00	15:15	Arrives 15:30
Afternoon, Trawangan to Air	Arrives 16:30	16:15	Departs 16:00

Timetable from Bali Untold (recorded December 2023), which matches the departure times listed by Lonely Planet (updated July 2026). Times can change with the weather or the operator, so check at the harbor ticket office the day before.

Fares vary a little between sources. Lonely Planet gives Rp35,000 to 40,000 (about US$2), Bali Untold (December 2023) gives Rp40,000 to 45,000 (about US$2 to 3) depending on the leg, and the Gili Air fare board shown on Wikivoyage (June 2024) lists Rp40,000 to Gili Meno and Rp45,000 to Gili Trawangan.

Tickets are sold at the ticket office at each island’s harbor, and Lonely Planet advises getting there with time to spare in the busy season. Bali Untold says the Gili Trawangan office is opposite the fast boat company Eka Jaya. It also says that, separately from the fare, you pay a harbor fee of around Rp10,000 or 20,000 per person depending on the island, so keep some small cash on hand.

Sources disagree about the fast boat. Lonely Planet says a fast boat costing Rp85,000 (about US$5) one way leaves every 30 to 45 minutes between about 8:00 and 17:00, with eight or more departures a day. The Gili Air fare board on Wikivoyage (June 2024) also lists a fast boat at Rp85,000 to any destination. Bali Untold, on the other hand, says that as of December 2023 it could find no information on the fast boat that used to run roughly every hour, and that it may have stopped. We could not confirm an official timetable from an operator, so check at the harbor ticket office or with your hotel the day before.

If the times do not suit you, you can charter a boat. There is no fixed price, so it comes down to negotiation. Bali Untold gives the example of a group of five paying Rp50,000 per person (Gili Trawangan to Gili Meno) and Rp100,000 per person (Gili Meno to Gili Air), while saying it does not know whether that was a fair price. A charter can drop you on a beach other than the harbor, which helps if your hotel is far from it.

The public boat schedule also makes a day trip to another island possible. For example, if you are staying on Gili Trawangan, the 9:30 boat gets you to Gili Meno at 9:45, and the 15:15 boat back gets you to Gili Trawangan at 15:30. The islands may look close, but do not try to swim between them (see the note below).

How do you get a suitcase from the harbor to your hotel?

Once you land, you either walk, take a cidomo, or ask your hotel for a pickup or porter. If your bag is light and the hotel is close to the harbor, you can walk. Bear in mind, though, that some paths are sand or dirt, and the small wheels on a suitcase drag on them.

On days when your bags are heavy, it is raining or you arrive after dark, a cidomo or your hotel’s pickup is easier. According to the BASK Gili Meno blog, two people sit on a cidomo’s seat and luggage goes on a small rack at the back. On Gili Meno, all public boats land on the east side of the island, and BASK’s official site says guests need to take a horse cart from there to the resort. As alternatives to the horse cart, the BASK blog mentions asking the resort’s activity desk for a porter to carry your bags, or using a small trolley for the last stretch. Services like these vary from hotel to hotel.

That is why there are three things to ask your hotel when you book: which pier you will arrive at, how many minutes it is on foot from there, and whether they can arrange a pickup or someone to carry your luggage (and what it costs). If you stay on two islands, the day you switch means doing hotel to harbor, boat, harbor to hotel twice over. The public boat runs only in the morning and the afternoon, so plan it around your checkout time.

If you are flying into Lombok, our guide from Lombok Airport to the Gili Islands covers the drive to Bangsal Port, buying a ticket at the port, public and fast boat fares, and what to do if you land at night.

Figure: From the harbor to your hotel

Figure: Based on Gili Eco Trust, the BASK Gili Meno official site and blog, and Lonely Planet (as of October 2026).

Getting around after dark

The paths on the Gilis are dark at night. Lonely Planet notes there are very few streetlights and suggests carrying a flashlight if you walk after dark. It also points out that electric scooters are silent, so you may not notice one coming up behind you. Cidomo horses wear bells, so step to the side of the path when you hear one.

According to tiket.com (updated June 2026), public boats from Bangsal Harbor on mainland Lombok to the Gilis run from 7:00 to 17:00 and leave once full. If you will arrive late, arrange a pickup from the harbor with your hotel in advance. Our Bangsal Port guide, listed at the end, covers the harbor on the Lombok side.

Note

Do not swim between the islands: they look close, but the currents are strong and boats pass constantly (Bali Untold).

✓Have you asked your hotel which pier you arrive at, how many minutes it is on foot, and whether pickup or luggage help is available and at what price?
✓Do you have a light for the dark paths, and small cash for boat and cidomo fares?
✓On the day you switch islands, have you matched your checkout to the public boat times (one morning and one afternoon sailing)?

A note from Sekotong

If your trip goes back to mainland Lombok or Bali after the Gilis, leave your big suitcase at the hotel you are returning to and take only what you need for your nights on the island in a small bag. Getting on and off at the piers and along the sandy paths becomes much easier. According to tiket.com, there are also places around Bangsal Harbor where you can store luggage.

Who the Gili way of getting around suits, and who it does not

If you travel with a lot of luggage or find long walks hard, the trip from the harbor to your hotel becomes a burden in itself. The public boat between the islands runs only twice a day, the paths are dark at night, and some people will not want to ride a cidomo because of concerns about the horses. If easy transport is your priority, a stay on Bali or mainland Lombok, where you can travel by car, will suit you better.

On the other hand, if you can pack light and do not mind getting around by bike and on foot, the Gilis suit you well. The islands are small, so little of your time goes on getting between the beach, meals and the sunset.

As an alternative to the three Gilis, there are also quiet small islands known as the South Gilis off Sekotong, in southwest Lombok. Sekotong is about 1 hour 10 minutes by car from Lombok International Airport and about 40 minutes from Lembar Port. We run a beach cafe and more with the local Sasak community in a fishing village in Sekotong. For choosing between lively and quiet, see our comparison of the three Gilis and the South Gilis, and for the islands themselves, see our guide to the South Gili islands off Sekotong.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Can I use an electric bike or electric scooter?

Some places rent them, but according to a May 2026 report the regency rule bans electric bikes except for specific uses. We suggest an ordinary bicycle.

Q. How much does a cidomo (horse cart) cost?

We could not find an official fare table. On Gili Trawangan, expect at least Rp100,000 (about US$6), with Rp100,000 to 150,000 reported from the harbor to a hotel; on Gili Meno, Rp20,000 to 50,000 has been reported depending on the destination. Tell the driver how many people and bags there are, and agree the total before you get on.

Q. Can I do a day trip to another island?

Yes. The public boat between the islands runs once in the morning and once in the afternoon in each direction (Bali Untold, December 2023; Lonely Planet, July 2026). From Gili Trawangan to Gili Meno, you can leave at 9:30 and come back on the 15:15 boat. Check the times at the harbor the day before.

Q. Is it OK to bring a suitcase?

You can, but it is hard to pull on sand and dirt paths. It is easier to use your hotel’s pickup or a cidomo, or to leave big bags at a hotel on mainland Lombok or Bali before crossing.

Summary

On the three Gili Islands, you get around on foot, by bicycle or by cidomo (horse cart). Electric bikes are banned in principle under the rules. Cidomo prices vary a lot by island and distance, so agree the total before you get on.

Between the islands, take the morning or afternoon public boat (around Rp35,000 to 45,000), the fast boat (Rp85,000 according to Lonely Planet, updated July 2026) or a chartered boat. For a suitcase, ask your hotel before booking which pier you arrive at, how far the hotel is, and whether pickup is available. Prices and times change, so check at the harbor ticket office or with your hotel the day before.