During our last trip to Indonesia, we were lucky enough to enjoy one full week in Lombok and a few days in Gili Air. We were completely amazed by the beauty of the wild nature of Lombok and the incredible marine wildlife of Gili Air.
Lombok
Lombok is an island in West Nusa Tenggara province that you can reach by fast boat (2 hours) or local ferry (6 hours) from Bali. It is also called the Island of thousand mosques and it is said that anywhere you are on the island there will be a mosque within 500m of distance. The population of the island is predominately Muslim, however many animist beliefs still pervade the Sasak people (indigenous population of Lombok), the majority of whom believe in the existence of spirits or ghosts. They view food and prayer as essential when attempting to interact with spirits, particularly the ancestors, and ceremonial ancient traditions continue to be practiced.
Surf
Surfing in Lombok was one of our favorite activities as it has perfect waves for any level and it was way less crowded than Bali. We loved surfing at sunset in Tanjung Ann but there are a lot of other great surfing spots for any level, especially in the south of the island (Kuta area). Pantai Selong Blanak is a great spot for absolute beginners and is also nice to relax at the beach or go for a swim.
Sunset at Bukit Merese
Bukit Merese is a small hill and one of the best spots to see the sunset in the Kuta area. Unfortunately, we found a lot of trash in the area and we were a bit disappointed by the behavior of locals and tourists alike that disposed of their trash in this beautiful location.
Pink Beach
Pink Beach is located in a secluded part of Lombok’s east coast and is not easily accessible. It’s an off-the-beaten-path place and it is a little tricky to get there due to the unpaved bumpy road. It took us a bit more than two hours to reach it by motorbike from Kuta but when we arrived we were amazed by the beautiful crystal-clear water and the fact that we were almost alone at the beach.
The pink shade color of the sand comes from red corals but keep in mind that it won’t be as pink as you see in the pictures. We however enjoyed visiting this stunning beach and we didn’t mind the long drive as we drove through local villages and beautiful rice fields. We recommend avoiding driving there when it’s dark as there are a lot of bumps in the street that might not be visible at night.
Note: there is more than one pink beach in Lombok, the one we visited is the one close to Pantai Segui.
Local community
Local people in Lombok are among the kindest and most spontaneous people we ever met in our travels. People are genuinely kind and caring and love to interact with foreigners and teach them more about the island and their culture.
Mount Rinjani Hike
Mount Rinjani is Indonesia’s second-highest volcano. You can do a 2-days hike across the jungle to reach the volcano crater and enjoy sunrise at the top. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to hike the volcano but we will for sure add it to our itinerary the next time we will visit Lombok.
Waterfalls
There are a lot of beautiful waterfalls to explore in Lombok, especially in the northern part of the island. Two of the most popular ones are Les Waterfall and Benang Kelambu. As we stayed in Kuta, located in the South of Lombok we unfortunately didn’t do any waterfall hike during our stay but it is one of the most popular activities on the island.
Gili Air
Gili Air is one of three Gili Islands off Lombok’s coast together with Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan. Gili Air is the perfect island to enjoy relaxing laid-back vibes.
The special thing about the Gili Islands is that there are no cars but the island is so small that you can ride around the entire island in 30 minutes. Local transportation consists of bicycles, electric bicycles, and horse taxis. In general, it is not advisable to take a horse taxi because they are not treated very well.
Snorkeling
The main activity of Gili Air is snorkeling and diving. There are a lot of snorkeling tours but we simply swam from the beach and had one of the best snorkeling experiences of our lives. We met a lot of giant turtles, moray eels, colorful fishes, and beautiful healthy corals. Turtle Spot and Hans Reef are our favorite snorkeling spots on the North/East side of the island.
Day trip to Gili Meno
Gili Meno is only 15 min by boat from Gili Air. There is a famous diving and snorkeling spot where you can see underwater statues and countless fishes.
Walk or run around the island
One of the things we miss the most when travelling to South East Asia, especially Bali is walking and running as there are not many suitable running paths and often the pollution is quite high. Due to the lack of cars, Gili Air was the perfect spot to get back into our running and walking routines.
Sunsets and live music at the beach
There are several bars where you can enjoy the sunset and live music at the beach.
Enjoy a luxurious massage
After a few weeks of intense surfing, we decided to treat ourselves to a fancy massage. Slow Spa is the best spa on the island and we had one of the best massage experiences in our life. The prices are a bit more on the expensive side but the therapists were amazing and we felt it was totally worth the money.
Try local food
Indonesian food is one of our favorite in the world. The combination of salty, zingy, and fragrant flavors is like no other in the world. If you visit Lombok and the Gili Air you will be tempted by one of the many tourist restaurants offering any kind of Western cuisine but we strongly recommend trying the local food at warungs or street food vendors, for example, plecing kangkung, cold blanched water spinach topped with a special chili sauce.
General recommendations
Be respectful of local culture
The people of Lombok and Gili Island are mostly Muslims. Be respectful and only wear a bikini or walk around without a shirt when you are at the beach. We have heard other tourists complaining about the local calls to prayer, keep in mind that you are a guest and that you are visiting other people’s homes. We visited Lombok during the end of Ramadan and we were lucky enough to experience some beautiful ceremonies with local people. We were also given delicious special food to try on the occasion of Eid (the end of Ramadan).
Try to be sustainable
Unfortunately, we found a lot of plastic and garbage, especially in Lombok. It broke our hearts to see such beautiful places completely devastated and we would therefore invite anyone visiting to try to reduce their footprint as much as possible. Bring your own reusable bottle and refill it at your accommodation or one of the many restaurants offering water dispensers. Avoid plastic straws by bringing your own reusable ones or simply saying no when you buy a drink. We also like to take sustainable toiletries from home like solid shampoo and soap bars, reusable cotton swabs, and make-up paddings.