The Nusa Islands vs. The Gili Islands – Which Should You Visit?

Which island chain is better? The Nusa islands off of Bali or the Gili islands off of Lombok?

Each is a set of three islands located close together, but that’s where the similarities end. There’s a big difference in vibe and things to do. Which should you visit if you’re low on time? Having been to all of them, some of them multiple times over the last 10 years, I’m here to help you choose:

Location of the Nusas vs. Gilis:

The Nusa islands are a half hour boat ride away from Bali’s southeast coast. They’re comprised of Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Ceningan, and Nusa Penida. You can drive across a bridge to access Nusa Ceningan from Lembongan. Both of these islands are small and easy to explore within the course of a day or two, though you’ll want to rent a motorbike to get the job done.

Nusa Penida is a ferry ride away from Lembongan and is much larger than the other two Nusas and the Gilis. This one takes several days or even a week to do justice.

The Gilis – Gili Air, Trawangan, and Meno, by contrast, are a short, 20-minute boat ride away from Lombok either by public boat, tourist boat, or private speed boat. You can also take a speed ferry to get there from Bali, which takes around 3 hours. I’ve done them all, and prefer the public boat from Lombok since it’s cheap and easy.

The Gilis are small, flat, and pretty similar to each other in size and topography. Each has its own vibe, though.

Getting around

This might be the dealbreaker for you in terms of which set of islands to visit. The Gilis are easily accessible by foot or bicycle. the narrow streets are made of sand, and you won’t see cars or motorbikes there. For our upcoming trip with my baby, that’s exactly why we are picking them.

The Nusa islands, particularly Nusa Penida, require something motorized. They’re mountainous, rocky, and rugged, and you’ll want a motorbike to get around. It’s best if you’re confident on that motorbike when on Penida, because the roads can be terrible! I’ve driven motorbikes all over Southeast Asia, but the rocky, sandy, and steep nature of the roads on Nusa Penida made me nervous. You could take a tour from Bali to get around if you’re uncomfortable with a motorbike. You can also hire a driver for around $65/day.

Things to do:

The easiest way to choose between the two is to ask yourself how much of an itinerary you want. Do you want to chill on the…