Amed vs Gili Islands: Which Bali Dive Escape in 2026?
by Yannick SchrothAug 3, 20266 min read
Photo: Sreeraag Rajesh / Pexels.
Best for
- Quiet, cheap mainland shore diving and a wreck: Amed, Bali east coast
- Car-free island chill and turtle snorkeling: Gili Islands
| Amed | Gili Islands | |
|---|---|---|
| Signature | Relaxed shore diving, muck, wreck nearby (Tulamben) | Turtles, calm reef, car-free islands |
| Conditions | Calm, warm, easy shore access | Calm, warm, clear, beginner-friendly |
| Vibe | Quiet, low-key, traditional coast | Chilled, car-free, backpacker |
| Wifi | Basic (about 8 Mbps, and on the mainland grid | Basic) about 8 Mbps too, but reported as patchy even in coworking |
| Cost | Cheap | Cheap |
| Visa | Indonesia E33G or tourist entry | Same |
| Best for | Quiet shore diving and a mainland base | Island chill and easy snorkeling |
Connection levels are defined on Fast, Solid, Basic and Thin.
Amed in short
Amed is a quiet, traditional stretch of Bali's northeast coast where the diving is relaxed and accessible: gentle shore dives, muck sites, and the famous USAT Liberty wreck at Tulamben a short drive away. It is cheap, low-key and uncrowded, with workable mainland wifi, which makes it a calmer, more grounded base than the party ends of Bali or the islands.
Gili Islands in short
The three Gili Islands, off Lombok, are car-free, calm and easy: warm, clear water, turtles you can snorkel with off the beach, and a chilled, backpacker atmosphere with no motor traffic. It is a lovely place to switch off, dive or snorkel, but the wifi is weak, so it works better as a relaxed escape than a work-first base.
Amed or Gili Islands: the short version
Choose Amed for quiet shore diving, a wreck nearby and a low-key mainland base with usable wifi; choose the Gilis for car-free island calm and easy turtle snorkeling if you can live with patchy connectivity. Both are warm, cheap and gentle, so it is really mainland-quiet versus island-chill.
Amed or Gili Islands: which to pick
- If you want quiet shore diving, a wreck and workable wifi on the mainland: Amed.
- If you want car-free island calm and easy turtle snorkeling: the Gili Islands.
- Both are warm, cheap and on the Indonesia visa; mind the Gilis' weak wifi if you need to work.
Getting there: Amed by road, the Gilis by boat
Amed is on Bali's north-east coast. The Gili Islands are off Lombok, in a different province. For most purposes that is a ferry timetable; for one purpose it is a line item.
Bali levies international tourists IDR 150,000 under an instrument its own portal names as “Bali Provincial Regulation Number 2 of 2025 Amendment to Regional Regulation Number 6 of 2023 concerning the Levy for International Tourists for the Protection of Balinese Culture and Natural Environment”. The clue is in the name: it is a provincial regulation, made by and for Bali. Payment goes through Bali's own portal, singly or as a group, the voucher arrives by email, and there is a formal “Apply Exemption” route.
It is a small sum and it is not the point of the comparison. The point is that the two destinations sit under different administrations, which is also why their marine-park arrangements, boat licensing and dive-operator oversight are not the same thing under two names. When an operator tells you what the rules are, ask which authority's rules they mean.
What both have in common is what you came to look at, and it is measured. On the IUCN Red List, version 2026-1, more than 49,500 species are threatened with extinction, 28 per cent of everything assessed, with reef-building corals at 44 per cent against 26 per cent for mammals and 11 for birds, and sharks and rays at 38 per cent. Amed's coral gardens and the Gilis' turtle reefs are both inside those numbers.
FAQ: Amed vs Gili
Is Amed or the Gilis better for diving?
Both are gentle and warm. Amed has relaxed shore diving, muck and the nearby Tulamben wreck, ideal for easy, self-paced dives. The Gilis are more about calm turtle snorkeling and easy reef dives. For a wreck and shore diving, Amed edges it; for car-free island snorkeling, the Gilis.
Which has better wifi?
Amed, being on the Bali mainland, has more workable wifi than the Gili Islands, where connectivity is weak and patchy. If you need to work between dives, Amed is the safer base.
Are they good for beginners?
Yes, both: calm, warm, clear water and easy access make Amed and the Gilis gentle places to learn to dive or snorkel, with schools at each.
Sources
- The levy, and the instrument behind it. Love Bali, the Bali provincial government’s official levy portal: Tourist Levy IDR 150,000, payable singly or as a group, with the levy voucher sent by email and a separate route to “Apply Exemption”. The portal describes itself as “Love Bali Application as the Implementation of Bali Provincial Regulation Number 2 of 2025 Amendment to Regional Regulation Number 6 of 2023 concerning the Levy for International Tourists for the Protection of Balinese Culture and Natural Environment”. lovebali.baliprov.go.id. Read 13 September 2026.
- What the reefs are rated at. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, version 2026-1: “More than 49,500 species are threatened with extinction”, “28% of all assessed species”, with reef corals at 44% and sharks & rays at 38% against 26% for mammals and 11% for birds. iucnredlist.org. Read 13 September 2026.
- This comparison is assembled from our two full destination guides, and every cost, wifi, season and visa claim above is one those guides already verify: Amed, Bali, Gili Islands.
- How we work: editorial standards.