Lombok and the Gili Islands Travel Guide

Lombok’s beaches have powdery white sand and clear turquoise water. Some of the nicest have very little infrastructure and few visitors, particularly along the southern coast. Do not go to Bali expecting empty, pristine white-sand beaches.

Lombok is perfect for outdoor enthusiasts, and North and Central Lombok are magnificent with rice terraces, forests and lush valleys. Senaru and Sembalun, at the foot of Rinjani, are gateway towns for trekking, and you can arrange a climb there yourself.

Take the public ferry from Bali’s Padang Bai harbor to Lombok’s Lembar port (around 4 to 5 hours), or a 30-minute flight from Denpasar to Lombok International Airport in Praya. A side trip from Bali is easy to arrange.

All commercial flights now land at the new Lombok International Airport, which handles frequent flights from Indonesian cities such as Surabaya, Makassar and Jakarta, as well as Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

The airport is in South Lombok, so expect more roads and infrastructure there. The region has some of the island’s most beautiful beaches, and the coastal town of Kuta is popular for its proximity to the airport, beaches and decent tourist infrastructure. We recommend staying here for at least a couple of days.

Buses run only between main towns, are very cheap, but are hard to navigate if you do not speak Bahasa Indonesia. For freedom, rent a car or motorcycle. Rented motorcycles typically cannot be taken out of their region unless you ask the owner’s permission.

Many roads are zig-zags carved around valleys, so be extra careful on a motorcycle. Driving a car is less stressful, as most roads are well paved. The road between the northern towns (Sembalun, Senaru) and the south is tricky, so we hired an experienced local driver through our hotel.

The Gili Islands are so close that they are often clustered with Lombok as one destination. Most travelers spend a couple of days there for fun in the sun and a few wild nights.

That is the dry season. The rainy season runs from about October to March. Christmas and New Year are busier, with higher rates. During Ramadan, most restaurants in the capital Mataram close in the daytime, but Kuta and the southern coast still have restaurants open.

Lombok is less touristy and less convenient than Bali, but traveling on your own, without a travel agent, is very possible and can save you a lot of money.