“The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore.” – Vincent Van Gogh
I planned everything very carefully. We only had just under one month to see a few highlights of Indonesia including five islands. It’s doable and a wonderful experience, but there is no way to get a real feel of Indonesia for one month. The country is so diverse and big that the only thing we could do was to get a little taste of a few places.
Lombok was my first stop on my Indonesian trip. I am honestly no authority here to write any guides for you I actually would not trust anyone, who thinks that in a position to tell others how to plan their trip based on a 3-day visit. I will tell you instead what it was like in Lombok, because, my dear friends, it is an island definitely worth visiting. My idea of Lombok had a lot to do with pretty beaches, colorful corals and relaxing calmness.
The trip started off in a hectic area of the airport. The place was small, but so lively that could mislead pretending to be much bigger. The Blue Bird taxi took us to Senggigi, where we would stay for the next few days. Once in the hotel, tired after two flights and many hours of total traveling, we quickly decided to be at mercy of a local driver to take us to some of the places in the island.
Day one consisted of visiting traditional villages, doing some pottery and discovering the first temples of our Indonesian trip. Day two was an idle day, this time we were taking Blue Bird taxis, which resulted to be quite complicated when we tried to get back to Senggigi from a hidden beach (and where the signal is weak). But what a day it was! Relying and trusting the tips from the locals, we discovered some beautiful beaches, where th Lombok life flows as if nothing outside existed. Observing the local fishermen, walking on sandy beaches, watching the most scenic sunset and meeting face to face with local buffalos, who apparently also enjoy beach walks.
The day was getting a perfect finish at the beach with a little Pina Colada, when the Earth started shaking. The alarms went on and avoiding falling roofs and other objects, everyone was evacuated through a jungle up a hill waiting for a tsunami to come. The perfectly idle place turned into chaos and fear. After the night party spent on a mountain, partly by sleeping on a parking lot, the island got sad and the grief was ever existing. Natural disasters are part of daily life in Indonesia, but it never gets easier. People of Lombok, perfect hosts, kind and helpful, the beauty of nature and the unspoiled charm stays in our hearts.
Favourite travel resources:
Hotels Combined for searching best prices on accommodation.
Discover Cars is a great website as they search both local and international car hire services, so you can choose the best deal for yourself. Make sure though, that the company has a good reputation and reviews.
Get Your Guide is my place to go for searching and booking tours and excursions, especially when I travel solo.
World Nomads travel insurance. I like them because they have quite extensive coverage of different activities.
Jack’s Flight Club is a service that can save you hundreds of dollars on flights, it works especially well in Europe.
Where to stay in Lombok
There is few popular places in Lombok that most people choose to stay in that include Senggigi, Mataram or Gili islands. I did lots of research before we finally booked a hotel as we wanted to stay in the most convenient, location wise, place. We only had three full days in Lombok, so being able to limit the commute time to all spots of the interest, Senggigi seemed perfect. If there is a hotel I could recommend you, it has to be Sheraton Beach Resort in Sengiggi. Not just because it is a great hotel, but because of the way the staff took care of all the guests during the earthquake and later tsunami alert. I would choose them every time in Lombok. They just made us feel safe and as if everything was under control. Trained staff and speedy reaction made such a difference with evacuation, securing the place or preparing all that was necessary in terms of food, water or sleeping.
Mindful moment Lombok is still unspoiled and undoubtedly beautiful. I’d Like to invite you to think about it on your trip. Respect the local culture and traditions and wherever you go and whatever you do, leave the place untouched. Nowadays with more and more people being able to travel, the places change so much. I noticed over just a few years after going back to some places what had happened to them. They not only got spoiled by people visiting, who do not realize that they leave their footprints behind, but also demand for everything available on demand caused the change. Breathtaking and secluded beaches became commercial markets, cities got so overcrowded that crossing a street seems like a challenge. The quality of products offered dropped down while the prices rose. In the end the places change so much.
What to see in Lombok
As a tropical island Lombok is no different when it comes to idle places. We know though that Indonesia is not a place for someone As I said earlier, I cannot provide a reliable information and adequate guidance for Lombok for two reasons: our stay for extremely short and it was interrupted by destructive earthquake that made huge damages all over the island causing grief and impossibility to move around (and lack of will to do so seeing all the sadness around). I would like in this section mention what we had planned to see if we could. We only managed to visit some of these places, but despite all the disruptions Lombok was still breathtaking.
- Beleq village – a traditional village from the 14th century to get a peak into sassak culture and way of life.
- Senggigi beach itself is not as nice as we imagined, but if you walk a little bit farther, the whole view changes for much prettier.
- Tangsi beach – pink sand beach.
- Sukarara village– it’s a village in the south part of the island known for textile industry.
- Mangku Sakti waterfall
- Mount Rinjani– it is the second largest active volcano in Indonesia and probably the main reason most people visit Lombok. It is very popular to make a long trekking trip to the volcano. Last summer the area was closed due to the earthquakes, so check before your trip as you might get disappointed.
- Selong Benalak beach– the beach is located in the south of Lombok in the area where you can find most charming beaches.
- Pink beach- as the name indicates it is a pink sand beach. It is located on the far southeast point of the island around 3-hour drive from Senggigi.
- Narmada Water Park– built in 1727.
- Taman Narmada– a beautiful temple inside the water park.
- Kuta Lombok– a small town with beaches, best to go by bike or scooter.
- Air Kalak- hot springs located at the foot of Mount Rinjani.
- Gunung Tunak National Park– maybe it is not the prettiest place to see in Lombok, but if you fancy a coastal walk, this might be a good choice.
- Semeti beach– famous for volcanic formations.
- Pura Batu Bolong– hindu temple on a rocky cliff overlooking the sea.
- Mery Temple.
- Mawun Beach.
- Gunung Pengsong temple– entrance fee 50000.
- Banyumuluk– a village known for pottery, where you can try your talent (one thing I can say: my pots are a bit wobbly).
If you have done some research already on Lombok you probably know that one of the biggest attractions are the Gili islands, especially Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili Layar. Initially these island were also in our plan, however after talking to the locals, we were convinced to visit the gilis in the south part of the island and skip the ones mentioned above. I’d like to recommend you one restaurant that we enjoyed very much. It’s called Ashtari and it’s located in Kuta. They serve tasty traditional dishes that you can enjoy while soaking breathtaking views. See also: How to to see Balinese culture, tradition and beauty of nature in one day in Ubud 
How to get to Lombok
Indonesia is a huge country made of thousands of islands.It makes traveling around a little bit more complicated, however the main islands are quite well connected. The cheapest way to go to Lombok is by boat. I personally do not recommend it as I believe that it is unnecessary waste of time, especially if you have limited time. The main reason however why I did not choose to go there by boat is that it seemed unsafe. Many boats are in bad shape, basic security is underrated (which I experienced in Flores, but that’s for another post), often overloaded and accidents are common. The fastest and the most comfortable way is by plane. The prices vary depending on the airline you choose. Experience taught me that when it comes to safety and health it is better not to be mean with money and pay a little extra, especially in countries where tourism is still developing and many rules and regulations are not yet in place. I choose Garuda Indonesia during my whole trip in Indonesia to travel between the islands. I took in total 8 flights and none of them had any delays or complications even during the chaotic times after natural disasters.
Get travel insurance
I always recommend having a travel insurance, but in some countries it is even more crucial than in others. Indonesia is lovely, but without a travel insurance you might have troubles getting fast help. Road, water accidents or illnesses caused by mosquito bites or by consuming unsafe food or water: all this can happen. Luckily I only had to go to emergency once during my travels, but having a good travel insurance saved me a lot of money and trouble. If you are confused what kind of insurance to get, try World Nomads, you probably heard of them. I would like to let you know that this article can be now downloaded on GPSmycity app, so you can use it later offline. So if you find it useful for your future trips, I recommend it. See also: Hot air balloon flight over Cappadocia. An experience to remember. 
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