Gili Cat Private Charter

Choose private charter when:

• You're a group of 4-6 (per-person cost competitive)
• You want to snorkel at specific sites between islands
• You want flexible timing (early morning, sunset, or mid-day)
• You want to stop somewhere off the standard route
• You have specific photography or filming goals
• You want a sunset cruise

Choose scheduled shuttle when:

• You're a solo or couple traveler with simple A-to-B needs
• Budget is the priority
• Your timing aligns with the public schedule (10am, 9:30am, or 4pm)
• You don't care about snorkel stops along the way

Half-day charter (4-5 hours, 2-3 snorkel sites + island stop):

• 800,000-1,200,000 IDR per boat
• Boat capacity: 4-6 passengers
• Per-person at 4: 200-300k IDR
• Per-person at 6: 130-200k IDR
• Includes snorkel gear, drinking water, basic shade

Full-day charter (7-8 hours, 4-5 sites + lunch stop):

• 1,400,000-2,000,000 IDR per boat
• Includes snorkel gear, water, lunch coordination
• Per-person at 4: 350-500k IDR
• Per-person at 6: 230-330k IDR

Sunset charter (2-3 hours):

• 600,000-900,000 IDR per boat
• Includes water and basic snacks
• Best timing departure 4:30-5pm for golden hour and sunset

Private transfer between islands:

• Trawangan to Air: 200,000-300,000 IDR per boat
• Trawangan to Meno: 250,000-350,000 IDR per boat
• Useful if you want flexible timing outside scheduled shuttle hours

A standard half-day snorkel charter typically covers:

Turtle Point (Trawangan northeast): Where green sea turtles graze on seagrass. Easy site for beginners. Best at high tide.

Trawangan Wreck: A small sunken statue/shipwreck site at 5-7m depth. More interesting for snorkelers comfortable in deeper water. Visibility varies.

Meno Wall: A wall site with diverse soft and hard corals between Trawangan and Meno. One of the better all-around snorkel sites.

Air Reef: Off the south of Gili Air. Healthy coral garden in shallow water, often calm conditions. Good for less confident snorkelers.

Underwater Statues (Bask): Sculpture installations off Meno's east side. Photogenic but the snorkel itself is brief.

A full-day charter adds 1-2 sites and includes a lunch stop on Air or Meno.

The good charter captains know:

• Which sites work on which tides (some are inaccessible at low tide)
• Where the current is strong (avoid for less experienced snorkelers)
• Where turtles are most active at given times of day
• Which sites are crowded with dive boats at given hours (and how to time around them)

This local knowledge is the genuine value-add over generic group tours that follow a fixed itinerary regardless of conditions.

The dedicated sunset charter is one of the better Gili experiences:

• Depart 4:30-5pm from Trawangan
• Cruise west toward sunset position
• Anchor offshore with views back to Lombok and Mount Rinjani
• Sun goes down behind silhouetted volcanos
• Return after dusk

The view is more dramatic than the Trawangan hilltop sunset spots — being on the water with Rinjani in the background is genuinely memorable.

Group of 4-6 makes this affordable at 100-200k per person.

WhatsApp booking is standard. Tell the captain:

• Pickup island and approximate beach
• Number of passengers
• Half-day, full-day, or sunset
• Specific sites you want (or "captain's choice")
• Any dietary requirements if including lunch coordination

Confirm 24 hours ahead in season. Same-day booking works for sunset trips and quick transfers but full-day charters need notice.

• Reef-safe sunscreen
• Your own snorkel mask if you have one (rental masks fog)
• Wide-brim hat and sun shirt
• Towel
• Cash for tips and lunch (if going to a Meno or Air warung)
• Underwater camera if you have one
• Dry bag for phone and valuables
• Motion sickness pills if you're prone (open boat with swell)

December-February sees frequent cancellations. Even calmer-than-Bali-Gili-crossing inter-island routes are affected. Captains will refuse to charter in genuinely rough conditions — this is a feature.

In wet season, sunset charters are more reliably running than full snorkel days (sunset is often the calmest time, and the shorter trip exposure to weather is manageable).

Groups of 4-6 wanting flexible Gili-hopping, snorkelers serious about specific site quality, photographers wanting golden-hour boat positioning, sunset cruise seekers, and travelers who appreciate local-captain knowledge over group-tour generic itineraries. Skip if you're solo or a couple on tight budget (per-person economics weak), or if you only need simple A-to-B inter-island transfer (use scheduled shuttle).