South Gili Day Trips from Senggigi, Mataram and Kuta: Tour Times, Prices and Staying in Sekotong

31 October 2026

You can visit the South Gilis (Gili Nanggu, Gili Sudak and Gili Kedis off Sekotong) on a day trip with hotel pickup from Senggigi, Mataram or Kuta Lombok. One sales page lists a tour from Senggigi and Mataram running about 10 hours, 8:00 to around 18:00, from AUD 50. From Kuta, one example costs Rp950,000 per person including hotel transfers. The drive takes 3 to 4 hours there and back, so if you want more time on the water, staying in Sekotong and hiring a boat is the alternative.

For this guide we read two tour sales pages (Feel Lombok’s day tour and one-night camping tour), a travel blog that joined a tour (JourneyEra), and news and blog pages on boat prices and the islands in October 2026, and set out times, prices and inclusions side by side. Tour prices vary by operator and season, so sources and dates are given.

This guide is for anyone staying in Senggigi, Kuta Lombok or Mataram who wants to see the South Gilis in a day, and anyone deciding between a tour and staying in Sekotong.

Information as of October 2026

What this article covers

✓Day tours from Senggigi and Mataram: times, prices and islands
✓An example tour from Kuta Lombok
✓A two-day, one-night camping tour
✓Cost and time if you stay in Sekotong and hire a boat
✓What to check when choosing a tour

In short

Day tours from Senggigi and Mataram take about 10 hours from AUD 50; one from Kuta costs Rp950,000 per person with pickup. The drive takes 3 to 4 hours there and back, so staying in Sekotong and hiring a boat leaves more time on the islands.

Contents

What is a South Gili day tour like?

The “Secret Gilis Snorkeling Adventure Day Tour” sold on the booking platform Rezdy (product code Feel Lombok) starts at 8:00 and ends around 18:00, about 10 hours. Pickup is from hotels in Senggigi or Mataram; other locations cost extra.

Senggigi pickups stop first at Batu Bolong Temple, and Mataram pickups at the Banyumulek pottery village, before driving to Sekotong to board a fishing boat. On the islands, the tour snorkels and swims at Gili Nanggu, has a fish lunch and a walk on Gili Kedis, then snorkels and looks for starfish at Gili Sudak, before returning to the mainland at sunset and back to the hotel.

Figure: A day tour from Senggigi or Mataram (Feel Lombok example)

Included are a car and driver, fuel, entrance and parking fees, a boat and captain, and snorkel gear. Lunch is listed as not included, yet the itinerary describes a fish lunch on the island, so the page contradicts itself. Check lunch when you book. Groups of more than six can be accommodated if arranged in advance.

An example tour from Kuta Lombok

The travel blog JourneyEra (updated February 2026) describes an Adventure Divers Lombok tour joined from a hotel in south Kuta Lombok. It cost Rp950,000 per person including hotel pickup and drop-off, with group discounts available.

In the blog, the drive from south Kuta to the harbour took about an hour and the boat to Gili Nanggu about 15 minutes. After 2 to 3 hours of snorkelling at Nanggu, the group had lunch on Gili Sudak and finished at Gili Kedis. The group put on fins and snorkels at the jump-off point before boarding. The travel blog We Seek Travel (updated July 2025), however, puts Sekotong to Kuta Lombok at about 80 km and about 2 hours, so driving times differ between sources. Confirm pickup and return times when you book.

There is also a two-day, one-night camping tour

Feel Lombok also runs a two-day tour with a night on Gili Kedis (sold on Southeast Asia Backpacker). The shared tour runs only on Sundays, with 10:00 pickups in Senggigi, Mataram, Kuta Lombok and Selong Belanak; travellers staying on the northern Gilis are collected at Bangsal. Private tours can start on any day. Groups are 2 to 12 people.

On day one you board a boat in Sekotong, visit Gili Kedis and Gili Tangkong, and camp on Kedis. On day two, after sunrise and breakfast, you snorkel at Gili Nanggu, have lunch on Gili Sudak and return to the mainland, with drop-off at 14:30 on Monday. Transport, boat and captain, snorkel mask, camping equipment, dinner and breakfast, parking and island camping fees are included; lunch, alcohol, travel insurance and tips are not. The deposit paid on the site is fully refundable up to 72 hours before the start. No price was shown on the page.

Staying in Sekotong and hiring a boat: how do cost and time compare?

Staying in Sekotong keeps the trip to the harbour short, so you can spend from morning to early afternoon on the islands. Boats are usually hired whole and the cost shared. The traveller’s blog homeiswhereyourbagis (updated March 2026) gives about Rp350,000 for a boat to the three near islands (Nanggu, Sudak and Kedis) and about Rp600,000 to the farther Gili Layar and Gili Rengit, with boats usually taking 6 to 8 people. Indonesian news site detikBali (March 2024) also gives Rp350,000 per boat for up to eight people.

The Gili Nanggu entry fee is Rp5,000 per person, and snorkel gear can be rented from about Rp50,000 (detikBali, homeiswhereyourbagis). Two people sharing a boat would pay about Rp175,000 each plus gear and entry, less than a tour with transfers, but getting to Sekotong and accommodation are extra.

← Scroll sideways to see the whole table

Option	Time	Price guide	Source and date
Day tour from Senggigi or Mataram	About 10 hours (8:00 to 18:00)	From AUD 50	Feel Lombok sales page (Rezdy)
Day tour from Kuta Lombok	Pickup to drop-off, one day	Rp950,000 per person with transfers	JourneyEra (updated Feb 2026)
One night camping on Gili Kedis	2 days (Sunday 10:00 to Monday 14:30)	Not shown on the page	Feel Lombok sales page
Stay in Sekotong and hire a boat	Morning to early afternoon	About Rp350,000 per boat and up	homeiswhereyourbagis (updated Mar 2026), detikBali (Mar 2024)

Prices vary with group size, negotiation and season.

How to hire a boat and what to expect to pay is covered in our Sekotong boat hire guide, and the islands themselves in Gili Sudak, Gili Kedis and Gili Tangkong.

A tour or staying in Sekotong: how to choose

Figure: Choosing how to see the South Gilis

If you are staying in Senggigi or Kuta and one day in the South Gilis is enough, a tour with transfers is the least effort. Car, boat, gear and entry are booked together, which helps if language or haggling worries you.

If you want more time on the islands, to spread snorkelling over several days, or to pick the calmest day to go out, staying in Sekotong suits you better. The Semelar Beach Village stay programme runs from 3 nights/4 days to 5 nights/6 days at Rp4,800,000 per person, including airport transfers, local transport, a guide, a welcome dinner and a massage; flights and accommodation are separate. Where you can stay is on our Stay page, what you can do in the village on Things to Do, the beach cafe on SAKURA CAFE, and the route from the airport on Getting Here.

✓Is your pickup location within the price (others cost extra)?
✓Is lunch included (one page contradicts itself)?
✓Are snorkel gear, entry and parking fees included?
✓Pickup and return times, and the drive time
✓Cancellation, and what happens if boats cannot go out
✓Water, sunscreen, a change of clothes and a waterproof bag

A note from Sekotong

The South Gilis are small; Gili Kedis can be walked round in a few minutes. Whether on a tour or a boat you hired, you cannot be sure what will be on sale on each island, so take plenty of water and always a hat and sunscreen. One blog notes Gili Kedis is poor for snorkelling at low tide, so the tide can change the order of stops.

Downsides, and who a tour suits

The downsides first. Tours from Senggigi, Mataram and Kuta spend 3 to 4 hours driving there and back, which cuts time on the islands. Prices may be shown in foreign currency and lunch terms can contradict each other on the same page, so checking before booking is essential. Some day-tour pages did not state cancellation terms.

Still, a tour lets you see the South Gilis in a day without changing where you sleep. If you only want one South Gili day, or would rather not arrange a boat yourself, a tour with transfers suits you. If you want several days there, see How Many Nights in Sekotong?.

Frequently asked questions

Q. How much is a South Gili day tour?

Examples include from AUD 50 from Senggigi or Mataram (Feel Lombok sales page) and Rp950,000 per person with transfers from Kuta Lombok (JourneyEra, updated February 2026).

Q. What time does it start and finish?

Feel Lombok’s day tour runs about 10 hours, from 8:00 to around 18:00.

Q. Which islands does it visit?

Usually Gili Nanggu, Gili Kedis and Gili Sudak, with snorkelling at Nanggu and lunch on Kedis or Sudak.

Q. Is lunch included?

It depends on the tour. Feel Lombok’s day tour lists lunch as not included but describes a lunch on the island, so check when booking.

Q. How much does it cost to hire a boat myself?

About Rp350,000 per boat to the three near islands (6 to 8 people). Gili Nanggu entry is Rp5,000 per person and gear from about Rp50,000.

Summary

South Gili day tours from Senggigi and Mataram run about 10 hours from 8:00, with an example from AUD 50; one from Kuta Lombok costs Rp950,000 per person with transfers. They usually visit Gili Nanggu, Kedis and Sudak.

The drive takes 3 to 4 hours there and back, so if you want more time on the islands or several sea days, compare staying in Sekotong and hiring a boat. Before booking, check pickup locations, lunch, gear and cancellation (as of October 2026).