Jenny and René have been on a six-month trip around the world since August 2019. They began their great adventure in Indonesia, specifically in Bali. After four intensive weeks, they decided to move on to Lombok. Jenny and René have compiled all their experiences and knowledge of the island and would like to share their best Lombok sights & tips with you today. They also talk about getting there, accommodations, beaches, attractions, and excursion destinations. Enjoy browsing, and a heartfelt thank you to these two globetrotters. We wish you a wonderful trip with many great moments. Follow them on Instagram: Seelen_Pause.
- Arrival in Lombok
- Transportation on Lombok
- Our accommodation on Lombok
- The most beautiful beaches on Lombok
- Surfing on Lombok
- Snorkeling and diving
- Our tour to the Secret Gilis
- Tour of the Rinjani volcano
- Exploring the Monkey Forest
- Waterfalls and jungle
- The Sasak Village near Senaru
- Conclusion of our Lombok trip
- Best time to travel to Lombok
- Lombok earthquake 2018
- Travel reading and guidebooks
Arrival in Lombok
There are several ways to cross to Lombok. You can choose whether you want to travel to Lombok by speedboat, public ferry, or plane. Many people also take the opportunity to stop off on the Gili Islands beforehand. The ferry departs once an hour from Padang Bai and takes you to Lombok in around five hours. Of course, the journey time depends on the current weather conditions. Tickets start at around €3 per person and can be purchased directly at the pier. You can also take your scooter with you for an additional charge of around €3 to €5.
The speedboat is, of course, a bit faster. These travel either via Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Penida, or the Gili Islands. You could make a stopover before continuing on to Lombok. The journey to Lombok usually takes around 2 to 2.5 hours, and prices start at around €20–€25 per trip. You can purchase tickets online here: GetYourGuide*, Gili-Bookings, Bali Ferry, or Lombok Fast Boats.
We opted for the plane because the flights were cheaper than expected. If you book early, you can get a round-trip flight for just €20 to €30. The flight takes only around 30 minutes, and you can fly with Lion Air, Wings Air, and Garuda Indonesia.
Once you arrive at the airport, taxi drivers jostle for the new arrivals, trying to get their business. If you want to avoid some of the crowds, you can arrange a driver through your accommodation. Alternatively, you can, of course, take the well-known Bluebird taxis. But be careful: Don’t forget to negotiate and pay attention to the prices.
Transport on Lombok
Scooters can be rented on almost every corner here, just like in Bali. For 50,000 to 65,000 rupiah, you can zip around the area for a whole day. You can also order a Bluebird taxi, but these are frowned upon in some areas. We arranged most of our local trips through our accommodation or drove the scooter ourselves. There’s also a helpful post on the topic here on Bolle and Marco’s blog: Renting a scooter in Bali.
Our accommodation on Lombok
We initially planned to stay in a homestay in the northwest for the first few days, as it seemed like a good base for exploring the amazing Lombok sights in the north. We quickly decided on the Whiterose Guesthouse* near Senggigi. What did we like so much? Well, the accommodation was very clean, and breakfast was included. Coffee, water, and tea were available to guests 24 hours a day, free of charge.
We were also able to book a scooter directly through the accommodation. What more could you want? What made our stay at this accommodation unforgettable was the owner, Rei. He’s a young, cool guy and up for any kind of fun. He offered us fair prices for excursions (which we definitely recommend) and looked for several people, so it ended up being even cheaper for us.
We were actually only planning on staying for two weeks, but we ended up staying with him for four. We became more like family day by day. Another major tourist spot in Lombok is Kuta. Kuta is a small village that offers something for every taste, whether it’s surf lessons, a veggie restaurant, or even yoga classes. Accommodations here are available in all price ranges. So, if you’re looking for a hostel or hotel, you’re sure to find one here.
More Accommodations on Lombok
As already mentioned, you’ll find a variety of accommodations on Lombok. You can get a private room with a shared bathroom starting at just €5 per night. In the following table, you’ll find some top-rated accommodations with breakfast and private rooms. The prices in the table are based on 2 people per night (as of October 2019).
The most beautiful beaches on Lombok
For us, the most beautiful beach in Lombok was definitely Selong Belanak, located just west of Kuta. This white, powder-fine sand beach is just as you’d imagine it to be. Here you can swim, surf, sunbathe, and have a picnic. This beach is naturally quite busy, so you’re usually never alone here. There’s a small parking fee. But it’s still well worth it!
Tajung Aan Beach is also really beautiful. The crystal-clear water and the powder-fine sand won us over. At Tajung Aan Beach, you can watch beautiful sunsets in the evening against a hilly landscape with a stunning panorama. So be sure to plan a trip to this beach. This beach is located near Kuta; by scooter, it might take 10 to 15 minutes.
In the northwest, you can also leisurely explore the beaches by scooter. Surfing, snorkeling, or simply chilling on the beach are popular here. During our trip, we sometimes had an entire beach to ourselves, something you can’t say about Bali, for example. That definitely spoke in favor of this corner of the island! Our favorite beach was at the end, Nipah Beach. If you want to go snorkeling here, with a bit of luck you might even spot turtles right on the beach!
There are many other beautiful beaches on the island, such as Mawun Beach near Kuta. North of Senggigi is also Senggigi Beach, the quiet beach of Pantai Pandanan, Seger Beach, Pink Beach in the southeast of the island, and the beaches of the Gili Islands. For us, the most beautiful islands were not the Gili Islands in the northwest, but the small Gilis in the southwest of Lombok. But more on that below.
Surfing on Lombok
There are plenty of adventures and activities on Lombok. Whether surfing, hiking, cooking classes, swimming, wildlife, mosques and temples, or waterfalls – you’ll definitely not get bored on Lombok. We’ve done some really cool excursions that we can definitely recommend.
If you like surfing, Kuta is the place for you. Here, for example, you can take surfing lessons at Selong Belanak and practice your first waves. However, there were a lot of newbies on this beach on the day we visited, so it was quite busy. There are other beaches around Kuta that are perfect for surfing and relaxing, such as Tajung Aan Beach and Mawun Beach. However, these beaches can all only be reached by scooter or driver.
Popular surf spots on Lombok include Mawi Beach (especially for advanced surfers), Kuta Beach on Lombok, Gerupuk Beach, Senggigi Beach and Pantai Segar Beach. We’ve read on other blogs that there are now many “self-proclaimed surf instructors” on Lombok, who often have no clue what they’re doing. Therefore, it’s best to ask your accommodation for a trustworthy surf guide.
Snorkeling and Diving
If you enjoy snorkeling, you should definitely head to the Secret Gili Islands in southwest Lombok. All we can say is: WOW! We’ve never seen such beautiful reefs and so many colorful fish anywhere else on earth! We highly recommend this tour to every visitor to Lombok! It’s best to book your tour through one of the many travel agencies in Senggigi.
There are also numerous diving spots and many diving schools around Lombok. You’ll find excellent spots around the well-known Gili Islands in the northwest of the island (Gili Air, Gili Meno, and Gili Trawangan) as well as around the smaller Gilis in the southwest (Gili Gede, Gili Nanguu, etc.). Also popular are the Artificial Reef Park with underwater sculptures and Secret Bay between Bangsal and Senggigi.
Our tour to the Secret Gilis
Our tour was one of the most beautiful we’ve ever done. This tour, as described, is only offered at the Whiterose Guesthouse. The other providers all offer fewer islands or shorter excursions (no sunset). We also really enjoyed having as much time as we wanted on each island. We weren’t rushed from one to the next.
After a 1.5-hour drive, we reached the south of the island in the morning. A small fishing boat took us to the first island, Gili Layar. Here, we went snorkeling from the boats, as the island doesn’t really have much to offer. The second stop was Gili Rengit. Here, after snorkeling, we could sit on the beach for a while, enjoy the view on the swing, or even drink a delicious Lombok Kopi (included in the tour price).
The third snorkeling stop was on Gili Nanggu. This island is a bit larger and also had a beautiful beach. A little hungry, we then headed to the penultimate island, Gili Sudak (you can’t really snorkel here anymore). There’s a warung on the island that serves fresh fish and typical local food (lunch was not included in the tour price). Refreshed, we headed to a tiny island across the street to watch the sunset. After about 12 hours, we returned to our accommodation.
Prices for this excursion
The price (due to our large group of 8 people) was €20 per person, not including lunch. The price varies depending on the group size (the smaller the group, the more expensive, as a fishing boat always has to be rented). The price included water, coffee, diving goggles (fins could be rented for just under €1), and even underwater footage with a GoPro. Most providers only include three Gili islands, and you can watch, for example, the sunset in a beach town.
Tour of the Rinjani Volcano
Do you like hiking? Then off to the volcano! We highly recommend the Rinjani tour. The volcano is 3,726 meters high and can be climbed with a guide. Unfortunately, since the 2018 earthquake, it’s no longer possible to reach the top of the volcano; the crater is the last official stop. You’ll learn a lot more about this on site. Prices vary greatly, as you’ll have to choose between a 2- to 5-day tour. With some negotiating skills, a 2-day tour starts at around €100 per person. Don’t forget: tips for porters. They each carry around 40 kg of luggage barefoot up the mountain and provide the entire crew with food. That should also be honored!
Tour and Itinerary
Since we didn’t do the tour ourselves, we can only report on what we’ve heard. The tour can be done in different lengths, from 2 to 5 days, with food and equipment. A porter for your luggage is also included in the price. Depending on the tour, you’ll spend the night at various camps (gathering points). Here, your tent will be set up and you’ll cook for yourself. Comfort is, of course, very basic.
Together with a guide, the “hikers” gather at a designated meeting point in Senaru and then start the climb (around 8 hours). Don’t worry, there will be short breaks and a lunch break with food planned in between, so it won’t be 8 hours of pure walking. The tents will be set up by the porters/guides while you watch the sunset. An incredible view!
After eating and relaxing together, it’s off to bed to be fit for the next day. The next morning, after enjoying the sunrise together, the approximately 5-hour descent to the valley begins. Welcome, sore muscles! Short breaks and a lunch break are also included here. The ascent and descent times, of course, always depend on the entire group.
Explore the Monkey Forest
You can also explore a small Monkey Forest in the northwest. It’s best to just ask at your accommodation; there’s only one road that leads past the Monkey Forest; you can’t miss it. However, this forest is not “fenced in” like, for example, in Ubud on Bali. The monkeys live completely freely here and will immediately stop by your scooter if you stop on the side of the road to enjoy the view of Bangsal (the port town on the Gili Islands).
Waterfalls and Jungle
If you drive east in the northern part of the island, you can visit up to 7 waterfalls in one area alone. We took a tour to Sendang Gile and Tiu Kelep Waterfall with our homestay owner Rei. Grab a guide and see this beautiful natural spectacle! But there aren’t just these two waterfalls; there are also the Mayang Putek, Benang Kelambu, Benang Stokel, Tiu Tedja, and Jeruk Manis.
The Sasak Village near Senaru
During our Lombok trip, we also visited a Sasak Village near Senaru. This is where the indigenous people of Lombok live and still maintain many ancient traditions. There aren’t many villages left, and with a small donation and a guide, you can do something good for these people and have them explain everything they need to know. You’ll learn more about the food, crafts, music, houses, dances, and festivals of the locals.
We would always recommend a tour with a local. A guided tour* is certainly always possible, but you’ll usually be in a much larger group. You’ll also be doing them a favor, and they’ll be proud to share many things with you. They can also show you the hidden and often more beautiful spots upon request. So go ahead and ask!
Conclusion of our Lombok trip
…we’ll definitely be back!! We haven’t seen every corner yet, haven’t visited every market, or tried all the delicious local dishes. Lombok is a diverse and beautiful island that’s definitely worth a short or long visit!
Best time to visit Lombok
The best time to visit Lombok is April to October. During this time, the island enjoys an optimal climate. The thermometer usually climbs above 30°C, and the water averages 28°C – 30°C. Perfect conditions for a relaxing bathing and beach holiday, right? The rainy season is slowly coming to an end in October/November and usually lasts until March. Most precipitation falls in December, January, February, and March. It rains very often, but usually only briefly and heavily.
Lombok Earthquake 2018
In 2018, the island was hit by a magnitude 6.9 earthquake. More than 550 people died, and more than 396,000 residents were forced to flee their homes. Not only that, but around 83,000 buildings were damaged. The north was hit particularly hard. Since this earthquake, nothing has been the same. Countless families have lost their homes and even family members.
Reconstruction work is progressing slowly, and the north is struggling with limited resources and a drop in tourism of around 70%. So don’t be surprised that many cafes, hotels, and leisure facilities have been destroyed or simply no longer exist. It’s best to find out on site how you can help and donate. Let’s give something back to the locals and not just come and go as tourists!
Travel Reading and Travel Guides
If you want to learn more about Lombok, Bali, and all the other islands, we recommend the great books by Melissa from the blog Indojunkie. In her shop, you’ll also find an island guide for Lombok*. Also highly recommended is the book 122 Things to Do in Bali*. In this book, you’ll learn absolutely everything you need to know about the island. We have this book at home ourselves and always enjoy leafing through it. An incredible amount of work and love went into it. We would be delighted if you would support their work.