Lombok and the Gili Islands

⚠️ Timetables, opening hours, prices and access conditions may change without notice, for reasons beyond our control (season, weather, decisions by operators, venues or local authorities). Before every trip, check the information with the relevant authorities and service providers. Entry requirements and local rules (reserves, quotas) are subject to the same caveat.

Lombok, Bali’s eastern neighbour across a strait some forty kilometres wide, shows a wilder side of Indonesia: rice terraces, Sasak villages, empty beaches in the south and, in the north, Mount Rinjani, a volcano rising to 3,726 m. Off its northwest coast, the three Gili Islands, Trawangan, Meno and Air, have no cars or motorbikes: you get around on foot, by bicycle or by cidomo, the local horse cart. Diving with turtles, trekking the volcano, surfing at Kuta and Sasak culture combine easily in a single trip. The best season runs from April to October.

Where are Lombok and the Gili Islands?

Lombok belongs to the Lesser Sunda Islands, just east of Bali, from which it is separated only by the Lombok Strait, around forty kilometres wide. This deep channel marks the Wallace Line, the biogeographical boundary between Asian and Australasian wildlife described by the naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace. To the east, the Alas Strait separates it from Sumbawa. Including its islets, Lombok covers about 4,600 km² and is home to more than four million people. Its main city, Mataram, is the capital of the province of West Nusa Tenggara.

The north is dominated by the Rinjani massif, Indonesia’s second-highest volcano, while the centre of the island is a plain of rice fields and the south lines up dry hills and white-sand bays around Kuta. The three Gili Islands, Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air, lie off the northwest coast, about half an hour by boat from the port of Bangsal; together they cover less than 7 km². Other, quieter “gilis” are scattered around the Sekotong peninsula in Lombok’s southwest.

History and culture: the land of the Sasak

Around 85% of Lombok’s inhabitants are Sasak, a people whose ancestors are thought to have come from Java more than two thousand years ago. Mostly Muslim, they have earned Lombok the nickname “island of a thousand mosques”. Some still follow Wetu Telu, a syncretic form of Islam found only on the island, blended with animism and Hindu influences, whose followers pray three times a day instead of five. The island’s name is said to come from the Sasak word lomboq, meaning “straight” or “honest”.

In the 18th century, the Balinese kings of Karangasem ruled western Lombok and left behind temples and royal gardens, such as Pura Lingsar, built in 1714, and Narmada park. The Dutch took control of Lombok in 1894 and held it until Indonesian independence. A large Hindu community of Balinese origin still lives around Mataram. In August 2018, a series of earthquakes, including one of magnitude close to 7 on 5 August, killed more than 550 people, mostly in the north; the island has since largely rebuilt.

What to see and do in Lombok and the Gilis

The island’s great challenge is climbing Mount Rinjani: over two to four days from Senaru or Sembalun, treks lead to the crater rim, to the caldera lake of Segara Anak and its hot springs, then, for the fittest, to the summit for sunrise. At the foot of the volcano, Senaru is home to the lovely Sendang Gile and Tiu Kelep waterfalls. In the south, the traditional village of Sade shows off its thatched Sasak houses and rice barns, while Sukarara keeps the art of weaving alive.

On the Gilis, diving rules: many dive centres spread across the three islands offer try dives, courses and freediving at sites where turtles are a near-daily sight. Gili Trawangan is the liveliest, with its night market and bars; Gili Meno, the quietest, hides a salt lake and a circle of 48 underwater statues; Gili Air strikes a peaceful balance. In Mataram, visit Pura Lingsar and the Islamic Center, and near Senggigi, the Batu Bolong sea temple, which faces the sunset over Bali.

Beaches, sea and nature

Southern Lombok has some of Indonesia’s finest beaches around Kuta and the Mandalika tourism zone: Tanjung Aan with its double bay, Mawun, sheltered between two headlands, and Selong Belanak, a long curve of sand that is ideal for learning to surf. Gerupuk Bay has several waves reached by boat, while Desert Point, in the far southwest, is strictly for experienced surfers. Above Tanjung Aan, Bukit Merese hill offers a superb panorama at sunset.

The Gili Islands are surrounded by coral reefs inside a marine protected area, where green and hawksbill turtles can be approached while snorkelling, especially around Gili Meno and along Gili Air’s east coast. The Gili Eco Trust, founded in 2000, works there on coral restoration and waste management. Inland, Mount Rinjani National Park, created in 1997, protects forests, waterfalls and the caldera, recognised as a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2018. Never touch coral or turtles, and choose a reef-safe sunscreen.

Getting to Lombok and the Gilis and getting around

There are no direct flights from Europe: first fly to Bali or Jakarta with a stopover, then take a domestic flight, about 40 minutes from Bali, to Lombok International Airport (LOP), near Praya, half an hour from Kuta. AirAsia also flies from Kuala Lumpur, and Scoot from Singapore. From Bali, fast boats (Eka Jaya, Bluewater Express, Gili Getaway…) leave Padang Bai or Serangan for the Gilis, Bangsal and Senggigi, taking roughly 1.5 to 2.5 hours; the public ferry from Padang Bai to Lembar takes four to six hours.

From Lombok, public boats link the port of Bangsal with the three Gilis in about thirty minutes, for a few tens of thousands of rupiah as a rough guide: buy your ticket at the official office and ignore touts. On the Gilis there are no cars or motorbikes: you walk, cycle or take a cidomo. On Lombok, by contrast, you can rent a car with or without a driver or a scooter, and DAMRI buses serve the airport. Schedules, fares and rules change often, so check with operators and authorities before you travel.

Best time to go, budget and entry requirements

The best time to visit is from April to October, during the dry season: calm seas for crossings, good underwater visibility and consistent swell for surfing in the south. July and August are the busiest months. From November to March, the rainy season brings showers and rougher seas, and Rinjani National Park closes every year from 1 January to 31 March. To trek, foreigners must go through a licensed operator, book via the eRinjani system, show a medical certificate and be insured.

The currency is the Indonesian rupiah (IDR); ATMs are plentiful on Lombok, fewer on the Gilis, and cash remains essential in warungs. French and most other EU citizens can get a visa on arrival, or an e-VOA online, valid for 30 days and extendable once, for 500,000 rupiah (about €25, as a guide); an increase has been announced. You need a passport valid for six months and must complete the free All Indonesia declaration within 72 hours before arrival; check the rules for your nationality. Bali’s 150,000-rupiah tourist levy does not apply to Lombok, but is due if you stay in Bali.

Essentials

Your questions answered

Nearby islands: Bali, Palawan, Koh Lanta and Phuket.

Photo : Laurent Bigué, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons