Best Tourism world: Lombok

The Uniqueness of Gili Islands

ADMIN 2/27/2023 Comment

Separated from the Big Island of Lombok, the Gili Islands are a marine tourism paradise with many interesting things. Consisting of 3 islands, namely Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air, here are the uniqueness of the Gili Islands.

A row of 3 islands

The first uniqueness of the Gili Islands is that they are a row of 3 islands. God aligns 3 small islands, not too far apart, and makes anyone who visits them have a ‘big’ experience. Gili Trawangan is the largest and the center of the crowd of ‘Gilis’. There are night parties on the beach, as well as various other pleasures that complement you to enjoy its natural beauty. Then, there is Gili Air in the far east, which is quiet. But it has complete holiday facilities, from restaurants, cafes, to homestays. One more thing, Gili Meno is the smallest, but the most special. It is the ultimate honeymoon destination! Like a private island, here you and your couple will feel like on a private island.

Can only be reached by sea transportation

No less interesting, the uniqueness of the Gili Islands is that you can only use sea transportation to reach them. There are various choices of fast boats from Bali and from Lombok (mainland) to get here.

The sea trip will provide a memorable experience. You’re not just crossing. There are many interesting things that will be seen during the short voyage, from Lombok and from Bali to the 3 dykes. More than that, you will feel the sensation of going ‘to another island’, where life is really close to natural – like pollution-free.

No Motorized Vehicles

The uniqueness of the Gili Islands above is closely related to the fact that there are no motorized vehicles. The three islands are completely free of ‘exhaust’ smoke. You’ll experience a quiet life—and maybe a taste of the life of the ancients without motorized vehicles and deeply at one with nature. However, there is no need to worry about doing anything on foot. On these three islands, there are bicycle rentals that you can use to get around the beach. There is also a mini horse-drawn carriage called Cidomo. You can try it to get a different picnic experience. Besides being used for tourist tours, this horse-drawn carriage is also used to carry goods from the port to shops.

Underwater Tourism Paradise

Then, the next uniqueness of the Gili Islands is the beauty of the sea and under the sea. You can swim and snorkel. And the most special is the existence of ‘Nest‘. These are sculptures on the seabed that are purposely placed for artificial reefs. The statue, designed by Jason deCaires Taylor, is located not far from the Gili Meno waters. In this spot, you can see works of art combined with fishes created by God swimming around them. This is really an attraction as well as an interesting object of underwater photography.

Well, that was the uniqueness of the Gili Islands. We hope you can come here and prove those uniqueness.Don’t hesitate to contact Gotravela Indonesia for Lombok tour packages and other supporting accommodations, including fast boat tickets, both from Lombok and Bali. (y)

Senggigi Port | Alternative Options Lombok -Gili Islands and Bali

ADMIN 2/22/2023 Comment

Bangsal Port is indeed the busiest port in Lombok, both to Bali and the Gili Islands from Lombok. However, there is Senggigi Port, which can be an alternative to reaching these two beautiful islands.

Location

Senggigi Port is a place for fast boats from Bali to dock. In addition, there are also many fishing boats around here. It is located in Batu Layar District, West Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara province. From downtown Lombok—let’s say from Mataram, which is the provincial capital of West Nusa Tenggara, it can be reached in just 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, geographically, it is located on the west side of Senggigi Beach. Well, it’s the beach that makes Senggigi so famous—and not the harbour.

***Distance from Senggigi Port to Bangsal Port***

Beautiful View

Yes, Senggigi Beach is one of many charming beaches in Lombok. The attraction of this place lies in the fine sand beaches and pure white, continuous with the panoramic view of the blue sea that soothes the eyes. If the weather is clear, you can see the silhouette of Mount Agung in Bali here. It is located not far from Senggigi Port. Practically, when you are going to cross from Lombok to the Gili Islands or to Bali, you will be able to see the beauty of the beach at the same time. If you have enough time, of course, you can come earlier than the fast boat departure schedule. Thus, you can more freely enjoy Senggigi Beach.

The Golden Age of Senggigi

However, did you know that Senggigi is not a place that just became famous? However, it has reached its heyday or as a golden era in the late 1990s. At that time many tourists entered Lombok, including from abroad. I is related to the massive advertising of Lombok as ‘The Next Bali’.

senggigi beach — ***Complete Information About Senggigi Beach***

However, the 2002 Bali bombing, the 2018 earthquakeand the 2020 Covid -19 pandemic made tourism in this area slump. Now, after the pandemic, Senggigi is back on the bench. Senggigi Port itself is an important link in transporting tourists both from Bali to Lombok / Gili Islands, and vice versa.

How to get to Senggigi Port

So, for those of you planning to cross from Lombok to the Gili Islands or Bali from Senggigi Port, there are many ways you can do. Besides you can rent a car, you can also use a motorcycle taxi (called an ojek) or a taxi. The travel time by motorized vehicle from the Senggigi area to the port is only 10 minutes. If you are from Mataram City, it will take around 20-30 minutes. Then, if you are from Kuta Lombok, it will take about 2 hours.

Facilities Around the Port

Oh yes, you don’t need to worry if you want to cross from Senggigi Port. The reason is, even though this port is not as busy as Bangsal Port, its facilities are still adequate. Around the Port, you can easily find hotels, homestays and restaurants. Interestingly, you can also find accessories sellers in the port area. That way, if you forget to buy souvenirs beforehand, you can get them here before the scheduled departure. So nice isn’t it?! (y)

Lembar Port Lombok | An Old Harbor Since the Dutch Colonial Era

ADMIN 2/20/2023 Comment

When talking about transportation from Bali to Lombok, including the Gili Islands, there are many well-known port names. Call it like Padang Bai and Serangan on the Island of the Gods. Then, there is the Bangsal Harbor in Lombok which is the busiest. However, there are other port names on the island which actually also have important, even historic, meaning. Lembar Port is an old port in Lombok and has existed since the Dutch East Indies colonial era.

Old Harbor

As the name suggests, Lembar Harbor is located in Labuan Tereng Village, Jl. Raya Harbor No. 5, Lembar District, West Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara. It is ‘senior’ port in terms of age. Yes, historically, this port has existed since the Dutch East Indies Colonial Era.

At that time, it functioned for the loading and unloading of sailing boats and shelter for many ships from the west monsoon season. This is the time when the wind blows from Asia to Australia via the Indian Ocean (now we call it the Indonesian Ocean) from October to April. It causes most areas in Indonesia to experience the rainy season. And this is quite a disturbing cruise.

Initially, this port was not in Lembar, but in AmpenanMataram. It was the center of Lombok in the past. Now, you can find many Dutch architecture buildings and also various villages with different ethnicities that still live in harmony.

Move to Sheet

Meanwhile, this port was only transferred to Lembar in 1977. In addition, regarding the transfer of activities from Ampenan Port to Lembar Port,took effect on 11 January 1979. Then, the tourism industry in West Nusa Tenggara began to develop in 1993 and there were fast crossings from Lembar to Benoa in Bali and vice versa. The type of transportation used was the Hydro Foil fast boat with an average daily passenger capacity of 100 people.

At that time, this port also began to receive visits from foreign tour boats, especially from November to March. This enthusiasm for tourism has made the government rush to establish the Port of Lembar as a short-visit visa-free area. This regulation was stated in the Decree of the Minister of Justice dated 30 November 1994.

Serving Passenger and Goods Ferry Crossings

Until now, Lembar Harbor is still functioning and has ferry services for passenger and cargo ships with routes from the western and northern regions of Lombok to Bali and Makassar. Crossing activities run normally every day. The frequency of boat departures from Lombok to Bali is scheduled once every hour. The crossing time is 3-4 hours under normal conditions. However, this time can be slower if the weather is less favorable and there are loading and unloading activities at the wharf.

Meanwhile, if you want to use a fast boat from Bali to Lombok, then you need to depart from Padang Bai Port in Bali to Bangsal Port in Lombok. Here is more complete information about crossings from Bali to the Gili Islands. (y)

Lombok to Gili Islands | Important Ports Between the Two

ADMIN 2/07/2023 Comment

Now, Gotravela will now invite you to find the way from Lombok to Gili Islands. It is an area separated from the main island of Lombok. You can reach Lombok by plane via Zainuddin Abdul Madjid International Airport. From this place, you can reach many famous tourist destinations, such as Sade Tourism Village, Merese Hill, Kuta Beach, Mount Rinjani and many more. However, if you want to go to the Gili Islands you need sea transportation.

The position of the Gili Islands between Lombok and Bali

Bangsal : Busiest Port to Gili Islands

Yes, some of those places are interesting. But sometimes people want to go deeper into the nature of Lombok and will not be satisfied before going to the 3 Gilis. Therefore, you can go from Lombok to Gili Islands via Bangsal Port. This place can be reached within 30 minutes from Senggigi. Yes, the name just mentioned is famous for its clean and quiet beaches. It is also a paradise for snorkeling lovers.

Meanwhile, you can use a fast boat from this port to Gili Trawangan. Usually the ship will depart from Bangsal in the morning and return again in the afternoon. You can see more complete information about this on the Bali Gili fast boat ticket.

How to Reach Harbor

Maybe you will think, ‘then how do I get from Lombok to Gili Islands? How to get to the Harbor from my hotel?’ Don’t worry! Because this is not a difficult matter. There are lots of public transportation that you can use from the inn to get to Bangsal Port, such as taxis, motorbike taxis (two-wheeled taxis / motorbikes) or maybe a vehicle charter if you want to be exclusive.

If you are from the Capital City of Lombok Province, namely Mataram, then you will be more comfortable using a taxi. The journey will take around 30 minutes. However, if you are from Kuta Lombok, it will take you about 2 hours. This is because there is congestion in the area.

Gili Trawangan Port

Next, there is the Gili Trawangan Port, which is also the traffic from Lombok to Gili Islands. This is the main port in the 3 Gili area. As is known, Lombok has 3 famous Gilis, namely Gili TrawanganGili Meno and Gili Air. The name that is called first is the biggest and busiest. That place is also the entrance to the other 2 dyke, both from Lombok ( Bangsal Port) or from Bali (both from Padang Bai and Serangan). Fast boats from various ports operate every day.

Then, to go to Gili Air and Gili Meno can also be reached by using a small traditional boat. It will take some time, but will give you more valuable experience.

https://www.gotravelaindonesia.com/gili-meno/

So, those are some important things regarding transportation, especially the way from Lombok to Gili Islands. Hopefully, this information will help you to easily reach the 3 Gilis quickly and efficiently. As a provider of tour services and other supporting accommodations we will provide the best service for you. Oh yeah, you can also rent motorbikes to go around both when you in Lombok or Bali at our place. All you have to do is relax and get a pleasant vacation experience in Lombok and Bali. (y)