How to get to the Secret Gilis from Selong Belanak

If you are staying in Selong Belanak, reaching the Secret Gilis is easier than many travelers expect. The journey by car to Lembar Harbour takes approximately one hour, followed by a scenic boat journey through the sheltered waters of southwest Lombok.

Rather than spending most of your day driving between beaches, this route is designed to put you on the water as quickly as possible.

Your adventure begins at Lembar Harbour, where you board a traditional Lombok outrigger boat and begin your journey toward the islands.

The route combines a short coastal boat ride, hidden bays, tropical islands, coral reefs, white-sand beaches and several excellent snorkeling locations.

How to get to the Secret Gilis from Selong Belanak: The Route at a Glance

Selong Belanak → Lembar Harbour → Gresak Bay → Gili Nanggu → Gili Tangkong → Gili Kedis → Lembar Harbour → Selong Belanak

• 🚗 Selong Belanak → Lembar Harbour: approximately 1 hour
• 🚤 Lembar Harbour → Gresak Bay: approximately 15 minutes
• 🚤 Gresak Bay → Gili Nanggu: approximately 10 minutes
• 🚤 Gili Nanggu → Gili Tangkong: approximately 5 minutes
• 🚤 Gili Tangkong → Gili Kedis: approximately 5 minutes

This makes the journey particularly attractive for travelers who want to experience several islands without spending hours on the road.

Starting Point: Lembar Harbour

Your Secret Gilis adventure begins at Lembar Harbour, one of the important gateways to southwest Lombok.

After approximately one hour of driving from Selong Belanak, you leave the road behind and step onto the boat.

Here, you meet the local captain and crew before boarding your outrigger boat.

The traditional outrigger design provides stability on the water while giving you an open-air experience throughout the journey. Instead of traveling inside an enclosed passenger vessel, you can feel the sea breeze, watch the coastline and enjoy the changing scenery as Lombok slowly disappears behind you.

From Lembar Harbour, the boat heads toward the quieter waters around the southwest coast.

And this is where the island adventure begins.

How to get to the Secret Gilis from Selong Belanak

Stop 1 — Gresak Bay

A Hidden Beginning to the Journey

Boat ride from Lembar Harbour: approximately 15 minutes

Gresak Bay is the first stop on the journey and provides a beautiful introduction to the landscape of southwest Lombok.

The bay is surrounded by the rugged coastline of Sekotong, with calm tropical water and a more secluded atmosphere than many of Lombok’s better-known coastal destinations.

Geography

Gresak Bay sits along the southwestern coastline of Lombok, where the mainland coastline begins to open toward the small islands scattered offshore.

Its sheltered position creates a transition between the mainland and the island environment that lies ahead.

Why Visit Gresak Bay?

The attraction here is not simply one particular reef or beach.

It is the feeling of entering a quieter side of Lombok.

The water, surrounding hills and distant islands create a scenic backdrop for the beginning of your boat journey.

What can you see?

Depending on the conditions, visitors can enjoy:

• Clear coastal water
• Rocky and tropical coastline
• Small beaches and secluded coves
• Views toward the offshore islands
• Tropical marine life
• Beautiful scenery from the boat

Gresak Bay is therefore more than just a transit point. It sets the mood for the entire Secret Gilis experience.

From here, the boat continues toward the first major island.

Stop 2 — Gili Nanggu

The Natural Aquarium

Boat ride from Gresak Bay: approximately 10 minutes

As the boat approaches Gili Nanggu, the scenery changes.

The mainland becomes more distant, the water takes on brighter shades of turquoise, and the island appears surrounded by clear tropical water.

Gili Nanggu is one of the best-known islands in the Secret Gilis area and is particularly appreciated for its accessible snorkeling. Its reef begins close to shore, making it suitable for travelers who want to experience tropical marine life without a long swim from the beach.

Geography of Gili Nanggu

Gili Nanggu is a small island located off the southwestern coast of Lombok in the Sekotong area.

The island is surrounded by shallow coastal waters and coral reef, while its interior is covered mainly by tropical vegetation.

Its relatively small size gives it an intimate island atmosphere. There are no busy streets, large towns or urban development.

Instead, the landscape is dominated by:

• White sandy beaches
• Coconut palms
• Tropical vegetation
• Clear shallow water
• Coral reef surrounding the island

Why visit Gili Nanggu?

Gili Nanggu is particularly attractive because the reef is close to the beach.

For first-time snorkelers and families, this makes the island easy to enjoy. In good sea conditions, the shallow water allows you to see tropical fish and coral without needing to swim far from shore.

What can you see?

When snorkeling around Gili Nanggu, you may encounter:

• Colorful reef fish
• Schools of tropical fish
• Sergeant major fish
• Parrotfish
• Coral formations
• Sandy seabeds
• Other small reef creatures

The exact marine life varies with season, tide and water conditions.

But the main attraction is the combination of clear water, shallow reef and abundant tropical fish.

This is the perfect place to slow down, enter the water and experience the underwater world of the Secret Gilis.

Stop 3 — Gili Tangkong

Boat ride from Gili Nanggu: approximately 5 minutes

After exploring Gili Nanggu, your outrigger boat continues toward Gili Tangkong.

The distance is short, but the atmosphere changes noticeably.

Gili Tangkong is much quieter and less developed, giving visitors a stronger feeling of being away from the usual tourist routes.

Geography of Gili Tangkong

Gili Tangkong is a small offshore island in the Secret Gilis area, positioned among the islands and reefs of southwest Lombok.

Unlike a traditional beach destination, its character is defined more by the surrounding sea and reef environment.

The island is small, tropical and relatively undeveloped, with shallow coastal waters giving way to deeper reef areas around the island.

Why visit Gili Tangkong?

The appeal of Gili Tangkong is its sense of isolation.

There is less infrastructure and less activity compared with the more established islands.

This makes the surrounding water the main attraction.

It is a place to leave the beach behind, jump directly from the boat and explore the reef.

What can you see?

Depending on sea and visibility conditions, snorkeling around Gili Tangkong can reveal:

• Coral reef
• Tropical reef fish
• Larger schools of fish
• Rocky underwater formations
• Clear blue water
• Deeper reef areas

The experience here feels more adventurous because the focus is on the underwater landscape rather than island facilities.

For travelers who want to discover a quieter side of the Secret Gilis, Gili Tangkong adds a different dimension to the trip.

Stop 4 — Gili Kedis

The Tiny Island of the Secret Gilis

Boat ride from Gili Tangkong: approximately 5 minutes

The final island on this route is perhaps the most unusual.

Gili Kedis is tiny.

From the boat, it looks almost like a small patch of sand floating in the middle of the sea.

Its miniature scale is exactly what makes it special.

Geography of Gili Kedis

Gili Kedis is one of the smallest islands in the Secret Gilis area.

It is essentially a tiny tropical islet surrounded by shallow turquoise water and sandy seabeds.

Unlike Gili Nanggu, there is little infrastructure and very little development.

The island’s landscape is simple:

sand, sea, vegetation and sky.

That simplicity creates one of the most photogenic stops of the entire journey.

Why visit Gili Kedis?

Gili Kedis is ideal for travelers looking for:

• A tiny deserted-island atmosphere
• White sand
• Turquoise water
• Photography
• Swimming
• Relaxing on the beach
• A peaceful final island stop

The island is also commonly included in Secret Gilis island-hopping routes because its tiny scale creates a completely different experience from the larger islands.

What can you see?

At Gili Kedis, the experience is more about the landscape than extensive island facilities.

You can enjoy:

• Crystal-clear water
• White sand
• A tiny tropical island
• Views across the surrounding islands
• Tropical coastline of southwest Lombok
• Beautiful photographs from the beach and boat

It is the kind of place where you can simply sit on the sand and look around.

There is nowhere to rush to.

The Complete Secret Gilis Experience

The beauty of this route is the progression.

You don’t simply visit four islands.

You experience several different landscapes during one day.

Gresak Bay introduces you to the hidden coastline.

Gili Nanggu brings you into the world beneath the water.

Gili Tangkong takes you farther from the developed coastline and into a quieter reef environment.

Gili Kedis finishes the journey on a tiny tropical island surrounded by turquoise water.

Each stop has a different character.

Secret Gilis from Selong Belanak: More Time on the Boat, Less in the Car

One of the biggest advantages of choosing this route from Selong Belanak is the balance between land travel and sea travel.

The drive to Lembar Harbour takes approximately one hour.

After that, the journey changes completely.

You are on the water.

Within approximately 15 minutes, you reach Gresak Bay.

Ten minutes later, you arrive at Gili Nanggu.

Then only five minutes separates you from Gili Tangkong.

Another five minutes takes you to Gili Kedis.

This makes the route ideal for travelers who want to experience the Secret Gilis without spending most of their holiday sitting inside a car.

More time on the boat, less in the car.

That is the essence of this journey.

Private Secret Gilis Snorkeling & Island Hopping from Selong Belanak

If you are staying in Selong Belanak and want to experience the quieter islands of southwest Lombok, this route can be arranged as a private Secret Gilis snorkeling and island-hopping adventure.

Your day begins with a comfortable transfer from your accommodation in Selong Belanak to Lembar Harbour.

Once you arrive, your local captain and crew will be ready with the outrigger boat.

From there, your journey unfolds at sea:

Selong Belanak → Lembar Harbour → Gresak Bay → Gili Nanggu → Gili Tangkong → Gili Kedis → Lembar Harbour → Selong Belanak

The itinerary combines snorkeling, swimming, island exploration, photography and relaxing on quiet tropical beaches.

Rather than following a crowded fixed group itinerary, a private boat gives you a more personal experience and allows you to enjoy the islands at a relaxed pace, subject to weather and sea conditions.

What makes this trip different?

It is not simply a snorkeling tour.

It is a journey through the hidden side of southwest Lombok.

You start among the mainland coastline of Lombok, cross the sheltered waters around Sekotong, discover coral reefs beneath clear tropical water, and finish on one of the smallest islands in the region.

Four destinations. Four different landscapes. One unforgettable day on the Secret Gilis.

Looking for a complete snorkeling experience? Explore our Secret Gilis Snorkeling Tour. Explore our Private Secret Gilis Snorkeling & Island Hopping experience. find us here Lombok Secret Gilis

Frequently Asked Questions

How far is Secret Gilis from Selong Belanak?

The Secret Gilis are reached from Selong Belanak by traveling first to Lembar Harbour, which takes approximately one hour by car. From Lembar Harbour, the journey continues by outrigger boat to Gresak Bay, Gili Nanggu, Gili Tangkong and Gili Kedis. The boat journey between the main stops takes approximately 35 minutes in total, depending on sea and weather conditions.

How long does it take from Selong Belanak to Lembar Harbour?

The journey from Selong Belanak to Lembar Harbour takes approximately one hour by car. Once you arrive at Lembar Harbour, you meet the local captain and crew before boarding the outrigger boat for the Secret Gilis journey.

Where does the Secret Gilis trip depart from?

The Secret Gilis trip departs from Lembar Harbour in southwest Lombok. After arriving from Selong Belanak, you board a traditional Lombok outrigger boat and begin the journey toward Gresak Bay and the surrounding islands.

What boat is used for the trip?

The trip uses a traditional Lombok outrigger boat. The outrigger design provides stability on the water while offering an open-air experience, allowing you to enjoy the sea breeze and views of the coastline throughout the journey.

Can I visit Gili Nanggu, Gili Tangkong and Gili Kedis in one day?

Yes. The route is designed to visit Gili Nanggu, Gili Tangkong and Gili Kedis in the same journey, with Gresak Bay as the first stop. From Lembar Harbour, the boat takes approximately 15 minutes to Gresak Bay, 10 minutes to Gili Nanggu, 5 minutes to Gili Tangkong and another 5 minutes to Gili Kedis.

Is the Secret Gilis trip from Selong Belanak private?

Yes. The route can be arranged as a private Secret Gilis snorkeling and island-hopping adventure from Selong Belanak. The journey includes a transfer from your accommodation in Selong Belanak to Lembar Harbour, followed by a private boat experience around the Secret Gilis. The itinerary can be enjoyed at a relaxed pace, subject to weather and sea conditions.

Is snorkeling equipment included?

Yes. Snorkeling equipment is provided for the trip, so you can enjoy the snorkeling stops at Gili Nanggu, Gili Tangkong and other locations without bringing your own equipment.