Lombok is not as well-known or popular as its next-door neighbor Bali. Where Bali is flooded with tourists and foreigners living there, Lombok is more natural and relaxed. It offers beautiful beaches which are great for swimming and surfing, beautiful waterfalls and an enormous volcano which will satisfy anyone with a hunger for adventure. There are plenty of great things to do in Lombok.
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Table of Contents - 5 great things to do in Lombok
How to get to Lombok
By boat: It’s easy to get to Lombok from other popular destinations like Bali, Nusa Penida, and the Gili Islands. From Bali, the most common way to travel to Lombok is by taking a boat from the Padang Bai port. Many agencies will offer a combined ticket with overland transport from popular destinations around Bali and the boat to Lombok. You can also opt for a speedboat to Nusa Penida and take another speedboat from there to Lombok, traveling via the Gili Islands. And while you’re passing by Nusa Penida, it would be silly to not spend some time here and explore the beautiful beaches of this island. If you’re limited on time, check out this one-day itinerary for Nusa Penida.
By plane: Lombok has an international airport in the southern half of the island, so you can also opt for a flight.
Where to stay in Lombok
Lombok is a big island and due to the mountains in the middle and roads which are not always in great condition, getting around can take some time. So I recommend staying at different places during your stay so you have more time to enjoy the sights instead of trying to find one base and driving for hours getting to places.
For beaches and surfing, Kuta is the best place to stay. For waterfalls and hiking Mount Rinjani, Senaru. And if you just want to stay kind of in the middle, we really loved Diva Lombok Resort in the Sengigi area. It’s really good value for money and it was the perfect place to just chill between our Rinjani tour and our 4-day boat trip to Flores.
How to get around on Lombok
By far the best way to get around Lombok is by scooter. You won’t have any difficulties finding a scooter to rent. There are many agencies around and many accommodations offer rentals too.
What is the best time of year to visit Lombok?
Lombok has the best weather from April through September when it’s the dry season. July and August can get very busy due to the European summer holidays. This is when prices for accommodation (and occasionally tours and transport) rise. In the rainy season, prices are generally lower, and it’s not so busy. Do note that besides frequent downpours, the weather is also generally hotter and humid compared to the dry season making it less pleasant. So in my opinion, the best time of year to visit is from May-June or September. Then you have the best chances of nice weather and you avoid the summer holiday crowds and prices.
How many days is enough for Lombok?
If you want to explore the whole island, I recommend staying at least one week in Lombok. This gives you enough time to enjoy the beaches, waterfalls, hiking, and surfing if you’re into that. But if you have limited time, you could also pick either the north for waterfalls and hiking or the south for surfing and spend 3 or 4 days on Lombok.
5 great things to do in Lombok
1. Spend the day relaxing at a beautiful beach
Lombok has some beautiful beaches that are worth a visit. The nicest beaches are in the south, Tanjung Aan is a really beautiful white sand beach in the south, which has some warungs where you can get drinks, food and shade. If you’re looking for a more natural beach, Selong Belanak is a great option and only a short walk from the surfer’s beach Pantai Mawi. If you’re limited on time and don’t want to go all the way south, you can also find some nice beaches in the Serengeti area.
The Gili’s – If nice beaches are what you’re after, you should definitely check out the Gili Islands, just off the coast of Lombok, too. They have the most beautiful beaches in this part of Indonesia and offer amazing snorkeling. You can easily spend one week in the Gili Islands just enjoying the beach, snorkeling with turtles, and enjoying some of the best sunsets. But if you are limited on time, you can also limit your visit to one island. Just make sure to do your research on what is the best Gili Island to stay on for you.
2. Go surfing
Surfing is the most popular activity in Lombok and Kuta (or Koeta) is Lombok’s surf capital. Well, capital with a small c, because Kuta is actually just a small town in Lombok’s south. It’s the most touristic part of the island, so it’s also the best place to meet fellow travelers and just chill for a while. The town offers everything you might need, from scooter rentals to souvenir shops, to tour agencies and of course plenty of bars, restaurants, and accommodation.
3. Hike to beautiful waterfalls
Tiu Kelep and Sendang Gile are the most famous waterfalls in Lombok. They are easily visited from Senaru, which is a really nice town to stay at for a night or two too. It’s a lot more authentic compared to the South, which had a huge Western influence. Here you’ll find homestays, local warungs and stalls, and small shops selling the basics rather than restaurants serving European food and supermarkets. Do note that Senaru lies in the mountains, so it gets chilly at night and it receives more rain than the south.
Both Tiu Kelep and Sendang Gile waterfalls are within walking distance from town, they actually have the same entrance. The guys at the entrance will tell you that you need a guide for Tiu Kelep, but we did it on our own and it was perfectly fine.
The way to Sendang Gile is very easy and straightforward but does involve a lot of stairs. We got there quite late and didn’t know if we’d have the time and if it would start raining, so we only decided that we wanted to visit Tiu Kelep when we were already down. But the path was clear and we had an offline map so we decided to just see how far we got. Turns out, the route is really easy. You just need to cross the river a couple of times, making it a little more tricky but definitely doable.
4. Hike Mount Rinjani
Senaru is also the starting point of the Mount Rinjani tour. Now this one is not for the faint-hearted or those of you who just want to have a relaxing stay. Hiking Mount Rinjani is hard, but it’s rewarding. Getting to the peak means hiking up to 3,726 meters, and if you’ve spent most of your time at sea level, that’s a big change for your body. But for those who love hiking, Mount Rinjani is beautiful.
You can opt for a 2 or 3-day tour. The 2-day tour goes back the same way you come up. The 3-day tour goes down to the lake, where you can enjoy some hot springs, and takes another route back, normally arriving directly at the town of Senaru. So note that the 3-day tour is not just spreading the hike over an extra day, it adds some extra kilometers, and altitude as from the lake, you have to climb back up before going down. Unless you are like our group, where we all basically begged our guide if we could go down some other way meaning we did not have to go back up again. 😂
Our experience – I got unlucky hiking Mount Rinjani, because of a blister and a cloudy sunrise. But I still think the hike is really beautiful and if you like hiking in general, I’d say it’s worth it. Do keep in mind it is a tough hike though, and you might be unlucky and get a cloudy sunrise. The cheapest agency we found was Rinjani Trekking Care. They are located in Bangsal, you can pop in to talk to them or send a message via Whatsapp. If you want to read more about my experience hiking Rinjani, you read it here.
5. Extend your visa
With so much to see and do, 30 days is barely enough to explore Indonesia. Luckily it’s possible to extend your visa once for another 30 days and Lombok is the perfect place to do so. In this article, I’ll tell you everything you need about how to extend your visa for Indonesia in Lombok.
This was 5 great things to do in Lombok
If you’re wondering about where to head next after Lombok, you should consider Flores. It was our favorite Indonesian Island, and really surprised us with how green and beautiful it is. In next week’s post, I’ll give you a 10-day road trip itinerary with the best things to do in Flores, Indonesia.
