Here are the Perama bus times in Lombok.
Exploring the Gili Islands and Lombok myself, first solo on a motorbike, and secondly, with friends in Gili Trawangan, I experienced no dangerous or annoyoying situations. I found the people in the Gili’s / Lombok, to be reserved, respectful and the place in general to be quiet and laid back. Bali is way more in your face, and 10 times times as busy, with people hanging out,
watching what you are doing etc.
Gili Meno has a range of accommodation to fit any budget. The small island is only 2km by 1km, and like Gili Trawangan, the cheaper places are on the northern side of the island.
A German lady friend of mine visited Gili Air a couple of years ago and loved it. She didn’t love the stray cats (in the Gili’s there are no dogs, but many cats), or the local young men, who are like a pack of pole cats, but the island itself is quieter than Gili Trawangan, and closer to the mainland.
The Gili Islands are located of of Lombok’s NW coast. Basically they are 3 sand islands, (Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno, Gili Air) with no rivers, streams or lakes, hence no fresh water. The Gili islands have peace a and quiet, no cars, white sand beaches, snorkeling, diving and some good hotels.
Herre is a quick glance at boat transport in Lombok & the Gili Islands.
The Gili Islands are never going to win any prizes for the quality of marine life, ask anyone in the diving business. If you are looking for spectacular diving, go to Manado in Sulawesi, Komodo, Ambon, or West Papua (Irian Jaya).
Looking at a map of Gili Trawangan, you will see that most of the accommodation is located on the south eastern side of the island. This is also the location of most everything else, such as bars and restaurants. For people with money, the best place to stay is probably Vila Almarik on the NE side. A good budget option is Pondok Lita, just inland from the Beer Shack on the SE coast. Being close to the ‘action’ in Gili Trawangan, isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as its not an ‘all night rocking party’.
There are 3 main ways to get to the Gili’s from Bali (4 if you’re Monte Monfore). The first is taking a bus, car, motorbike to Padangbai. Catching a ferry to Lember in W.Lombok. Ferries run every 90 minutes 24/7 and the journey takes anywhere from 4-7 hours depending on port congestion and weather. From Lember you drive to the port of Bangsal in NW Lombok. This will take you about 2 hours. At Bangsal you can catch a small local ferry to the Gili’s, journey time, up to 45 minutes for the fiurthest island, Gili Trawangan, less for the other 2.
Lombok is Bali’s neighbor to the east. While tourism has run rampant in Bali, it has progressed at a crawl in Lombok. A trip to Lombok can be like going back 40 years in Bali.
Here’s a run down of the history of Lombok.