Indonesia: Lombok

Laying 142 km to the east of Bali, Lombok is the perfect destination for those looking for the Bali charm without the Bali crowds. While the Gili Islands just off the coast of Lombok remain popular travel destinations, far fewer people venture the extra few kilometres to this lonely island. While Bali was once the pinnacle destination for relaxation, it has since been dethroned by Lombok as the former began to attract more and more commercial tourism. Lombok maintains its old Bali image of vast rice terraces, tranquil waterfalls, small surfing towns, beautiful Hindu temples and festivals, and hikes with awe inspiring views. While Lombok lacks the tourism presence of Bali, its location near it has allowed it to attract more travellers than other islands such as Sulawesi, and as such its infrastructure is well suited for getting around the island, making it the perfect destinations for those looking for somewhere in the middle of those two extremes.

Don’t forget to checkout my post on Indonesia for more information.

My Itinerary

1. The Gili Islands

After travelling around Bali, the group I was with headed over to Padang Bai to catch a ferry that would briefly stop at Lombok before ferrying us over to Gili Meno. Gili Meno is a popular island for relaxing vibes, with beach bars lining the circumference of the island, with the surrounding waters perfect for snorkelling with sea turtles. At night we met up with some friends we had met in Bali, and together we found a beach restaurant with bean bags to lounge on as we listened to live music while sampling their local magic mushroom teas.

Having done our fair share of partying in Bali, we opted to skip on visiting Gili Trawangan(Gili T), which is famous for its beach bashes and full moon parties. Instead we decided to spend a night on the quiet island of Gili Air, the smallest and least touristed of the three. While there aren’t a ton of activities on this island, it was the perfect place to escape the tourist crowds and unwind in the local island culture. Being only 5 km in circumference, one can easily walk around the island and experience it in a single day. From stopping for lunch at a beach restaurant and taking a dip in the water, to happening upon a hatchery for sea turtles, you will find yourself virtually free from the hustle and bustle of tourism. As you head inland of the island you will find an island lake, and quiet possibly a local soccer match. If you follow the noise that in the quiet of the island will suddenly make itself apparent, you will come across the soccer pitch that entertains virtually all the locals on the island. While the soccer players themselves are no premier leaguers, it’s cool to see how it becomes such a draw for socializing and gambling in this small island culture.

2. Headed to Lombok

The boat from the Gilis drops off in Bangsal, and the easiest option is to spend the night in the main city of Mataram, where you can find cheap accommodation while you try to arrange your transportation around the island. While it would be easy enough to get around the island with a scooter, as a group of three travelling together we opted to rent a car. My first spot I went to was one of the car rental stores in town, where I quickly learned that they do not rent to foreigners. However it was not long before we met up with Dion, a local who upon speaking to him had some connections with a local tourist agency and was able to hook us up with a cheap car for the week.

3. Lombok North Regency

4. Lombok East Regency

Our drive brought us down the east coast where we stopped at another set of Gili Islands. However unlike their western Lombok counterparts, these islands are very small and uninhabited, with one being no more than a small jut of sand sticking out of the ocean. The area around these islands is covered by a large reef perfect for snorkelling. To get to these islands you can find a dock at Pelabuhan Kayangan, where you can pay for a boat to take you out. From their we headed to Selong where we spent a couple days hanging out with a group of locals, and drinking their local rice wine. This area struck me as the Lombok version of Ubud in Bali. During the day we took a hike through vast rice terraces to a couple of grotto waterfalls and ending in a monkey forrest, all the things we had found in Ubud, but without the huge crowds of tourists. Further south we made it to a small town near Pandai Putri before heading over to the pink beach near Sunut, so named for the colour of the sand which it gets from the broken down coral washed onto shore. However while the surrounding area around the beach is beautiful, upon arriving at the beach itself we discovered it to be covered in seaweed and garbage and moved on.

5. Lombok South Regency

This finally brought us to the beach towns of the south. Like Bali, Lombok’s primary beach is named Kuta, and this area is a surfers paradise, with several beach bars and beach party vibes. All along the coast you will find various beaches with surf appropriate for all levels of experience. Having only surfed a couple of times before, we headed for the beginner beach of Selong Belanak, where we spent the day catching waves and soaking up the sun on the provided beach beds.

6. Back to Mataram

This brought us to the end of our 7 days with the car, and we returned to the capital city to return it, where after a few minor issues we decided to spend another night before heading back over to Bali and on to Java

Missed List

1.Mt. Rinjani trek

So this one was a huge let down for me to miss. I once met a traveller well before I planned my trip to Indonesia who described this trek as one of the best hikes of her life, and I knew I needed to visit Lombok. So when I planned my trip I made sure that I would be on the island during a time I would make the hike. However my trip to Lombok was supposed to be broken up by a visa run to Malaysia, and I planned on doing the hike the second time around, when the weather was a little more manageable for this hike that at times is described as demanding. As I’ve mentioned in several of my Indonesian posts, my visa run was cut short by the Covid-19 lockdowns, and I had to return home without hiking Rinjani. So if anyone reading this has done the hike, please, send along pictures.

2.Visit a pearl farm

Unfortunately I actually didn’t know about Lombok’s pearl farming export until well after I got home from my trip, but apparently there are a variety of these farms located all over the island. While the idea of a pearl farm never crossed my mind(I guess I always just pictured divers stealing them from the bottom of the ocean), a tour of these farms has since made its way on to my to do list.

3.Watch a Persean Rattan stick fight

This traditional martial art recreates the legend of Princess Mandalika, who according to legend took her own life instead of allowing two suitors to fight to the death for her hand in marriage. Armed with rattan sticks and wooden shields, the fight sees two men battle until one is either bleeding or an official calls a winner.

Traditional Cuisine

Budget

$35 CAD

This island is one of the cheapest you will find in Indonesia. Unlike Sulawesi, Lombok does experience tourism, and its infrastructures allows for enough competition where you can find accommodation for very cheap. However on the other side of the coin, the island is not as touristed as Bali, and so also lacks the enflamed activity and admission fees that come with mass tourism. For accommodation you can expect to pay $5-$10/night depending on where on the island you are looking. The west and the south of the island will run towards the lower end of the spectrum, where as the north and east will be a little more. For street food, the prices stay pretty standard for Indonesia, and one can get by on about $5/day, but you can expect to pay $10/day for a little more comfort. As for transportation, you can rent a scooter for $7/day, however if you are travelling with luggage this could be an issue but can be done. A car will run between $25-$30/day, but is more efficient if you are able to find a couple people to split the costs. As in Bali, Gojek and Grab are also viable, affordable options. Overall you can expect to pay $10/day for transport. Admission and activity fees are super cheap here. Even for a surf board rental, which can run pretty high in some locations, is relatively cheap for a daily rental, and you can easily get by on $10/day and experience just about everything the island has to offer. Overall you can expect a budget of $30-$40/day.