Gili Trawangan to Bali - Fast Boat

Two days before our departure date we could book onto the boat we'd like to get with Eka Jaya. We picked the earliest boat leaving at 11am and were told to turn up at 10am.

To be honest we didn't need to turn up that early, 20 minutes before departure would of been fine. We checked in and received our departure cards. Just before 11am around 5 different boat companies docked up on the shore so make sure you get on the right one! Our boat was the same as the previous one coming and we waited for everyone to depart before boarding. 

Leaving Gili Trawangan 

This boat was much more full than the one going however everyone still had a seat and the aircon was working. This boat went directly to Padang Bai, Bali and took about 1 and half hours. We enjoyed watching most of the new Tarzan film on the boat. 

Fun for people getting on a different boat!

We departed the boat, got our luggage and headed to the free shuttle services they provide. This part is where they let themselves down.

We were heading to Seminyak and they clearly didn't know how many people were going there. We were two seats short so we squeezed up to fit one more in but nobody else seemed to offer so the other must of got another bus. Being over 6ft 4in it was quite an uncomfortable journey for me and the person infront of me. Unfortunately my legs were cramped for the two hour journey. It also took a while for the minibus to cool down.

Our driver was always looking to race other traffic and we stopped once for fuel. I knew beforehand it was unlikely they would drop us off at our hotels as they advertise but that wasn't a problem. The only annoying thing is, he had no problem in taking the Indonesian couple to their hotel first, they look after each other but not tourists who pay the ridiculous prices!

Oh well, we got dropped off near Seminyak Square, grabbed some food and got a Bluebird meter taxi to our hotel.

Overall I would recommend Eka Jaya to anyone who wants to take a cheaper option! Compared to other boats we saw, they were much bigger and I only encountered an issue at the end due to my height!

Eka Jaya 4 out of 5 

Bali to Gili Trawangan - Fast Boat

The choices for fast boats to Gili Trawangan are endless and I spent a good while looking around online at prices and reviews. The best boat seemed to be Blue Water Express which costs three times the price of cheaper ones. Of course the cheap ones all had awful reviews on online websites such as TripAdvisor. 

After reading around, I decided to opt for Eka Jaya, instead of the likes of Semaya One and others. I can't remember why exactly but either way how bad could a short boat ride be? Prices online were a lot pricier so we booked a few days before at a travel agency in Ubud.

I went into several travel agencies and got offered tickets ranging from 500,000 idr return up to 1,500,000 idr. All the Eka Jaya return tickets were between 600,000 idr and 1,000,000 idr. Some people say you can get it for as little as 400,000 idr if you find the right travel agency on the right day.

Anyway we booked 2 return tickets for 600,000 idr with the shuttle bus picking us up at 11am and the boat departing from Padang Bai harbour at 1pm. We also had the option of being picked up at 7am. They arrived on time and we spent the next hour picking up other people from around Ubud.

Traffic near the boat harbour was very bad and when it passed 1pm we were worried we might have missed the boat. However, within 20 minutes we were all checked in at their office and running for the boat. We think everyone just about made it!

The boat was a nice surprise! Inside was quite modern with a film playing and plenty of room. We were on the Eka Jaya 23 boat, I think they have two boat types. The journey took around 2 hours and the sea was quite calm. We stopped off at Gili Air first to drop and pick people up. When we arrived our luggage was handed down to us on the beach. We headed off for our guesthouse, hopefully the return journey would be the same!

Arriving at Gili Trawangan

4 out of 5 

Medan to Bukit Lawang (Return) - Tourist Bus

Sorry I missed out this post of Medan to Bukit Lawang. 

We were able to book our bus tickets with our trekking company; Bukit Lawang Jungle Trekking for 15€ each. They called it a tourist bus which is basically a 7 seater car. We arranged to be picked up 11am however our hotel got a phone call to say he was running half an hour late which wasn't a problem. 

'Tourist Bus' 

Another couple were already in the car when we got picked up and when we got chatting they were still to be dropped off in Medan. After that we picked up 3 more people which took a while due to the awful traffic around Medan!

One more short stop for the driver to have a cigarette and we were on our way. The car inside was very nice with plenty of space and a small music video screen in the front to watch.

The roads heading towards Bukit Lawang were truly awful from pot holes and it was an extremely bumpy ride. We went through many some villages with school kids waving to you at every opportunity! A very lovely scenic route towards the jungle in Bukit Lawang.

When we arrived we were picked up by motorbikes and taken to our guesthouse. This was a very fun experience, sitting on a motorbike with your big backpacks on!

The return journey to Medan was very similar to the one going! For some reason it only cost us 120,000 IDR each which is nearly half of what we paid going. A bit more of a basic car this time but again it was fine.

The only major downside of both journeys was how long it took due to mainly the traffic in Medan. Both journeys took about 5 to 6 hours each.

4 out of 5