At just under 5300 sq kilometers, Lombok is just a fraction smaller than the more glamorous Bali just across the Strait. Although the island has good infrastructure, tourism development has been slow but steady, which is good news for the visitor seeking a quiet and peaceful holiday. The pace here is unhurried and pretty laid-back. That might mean waiting a bit longer for your food in a restaurant, but maybe that’s not such a bad thing!!
Having said that, mainland Lombok does have world class hotels such as Oberoi, and Tugu in the west, Sheraton, the Senggigi Beach and the recently renovated Sentosa in Senggigi, and Novotel in the southwest. There are two golf courses on Lombok, one with mountain views and one on the beach adjacent to the Oberoi and Tugu hotels. By the way, this is one of the best kept secrets on the island !!
West Lombok is lush and green with numerous white sand beaches and picturesque bays. The north of the island is a heavily forested mountain range of mostly old growth, and comprising thirteen peaks, including Indonesia’s second tallest volcano, Mt Rinjani. The Rinjani National Park has won numerous eco-tourism awards and the mountains offer a kalidescope of waterfalls, rivers, and jungle vegetation, all perfect for trekking or mountain biking. While the south is quite dry, it has some of the best surfing spots in the world, and some of its most exciting dive sites.
Lombok does have world class hotels such as Oberoi, and Tugu in the west, Sheraton, the Senggigi Beach and the recently renovated Sentosa in Senggigi, and Novotel in the southwest. There are also a number of excellent private villa complexes for those seeking privacy: Qunci Villas, The Anadita and Verve Villas.
Modern Lombok tourism was spearheaded by the construction of Hotel Senggigi Beach in the early 1980’sby Aerowisata, the hotel arm of Garuda Airways . From that initial beachhead the resultant development radiated out in both directions .
The most beautiful of Lombok hotels are further west from Senggigi, opposite the Gili Islands. The Oberoi Hotel built in the ‘90’s, was designed by Australian architect Peter Muller, the man we thank for the tropical grandeur of Oberoi Bali and the Amandari. It is the most beautiful hotel on the island, and perhaps the most secluded. The nearby Hotel Tugu is surely the most eclectic with its glorious antiques and the ambiance of a by-gone and fading traditional culture.
The government is championing tourism in South Lombok at Kuta Beach. The Novotel there is very comfortable, as one would expect from a French hospitality group. The new international airport nearby is scheduled for completion in 2010, but the heralded touriesm development has been delayed by the global financial crisis.
Yet, when all is said and done, the Gilis remain the premier destination in Lombok for tourism
Lombok is an emerging tourism destination in Indonesia. It’s unsurpassed natural beauty and lack of tourism development make for exciting adventure.
Diving. The diving in Lombok is excellent, particularly around the Gili islands. There are many dive operators in Senggigi and the larger ones have branches on Gili Trawangan as well. There is a new dive destination in the south
Trekking. The major trekking destination is the two day trek to Mt Rinjani which is not too strenuous. While it can be done without any special equipment, guides are recommended.
Elsewhere, there are a number of spectacular waterfalls that offer worthwhile walks: Sedang Gile in the north; Air jeruk Manis near tetebatu; and Benang Stokel in central Lombok.
Surfing. The south coast of Lombok is a world-renown surfing destination. Only the most experienced are found on the desolate SW tip called Desert Point by the surfies, and Deadman‘s Point by the locals!! Most surfers hang-out on Kuta Beach where good waves are regularly found.
Here big swells from the Southern Ocean break onto the reefs and white sand beaches of Lombok to form a classic wave. To the east, try the breaks at Tanjung A’an and Gerupuk; to the west Mawun beach, Mawi and Selong Blanak.
Biking. Lombok Biking Tour is a company based in Senggig which organizes guided biking tours through-out Lombok. - www.lombokbiking.com . It is a great way to experience the natural beauty, the ancient Balinese cultural relics and the fascinating daily life of the local people.
Golf. There are two magnificent golf courses on Lombok, one on the coast adjacent to the Oberoi hotel and the other up in the hills.
For more information about Lombok Golf Kosaido Country Club, download the detailed information here.
Sixty million years ago, tectonic movements in the earth’s crust resulted in uplifting of volcanic islands which are now known as the Indonesian archipelago. These islands, strung over five thousand kilometers of the equatorial seas, are a series of extinct and still active volcanoes. Vulcanologists have identified 500 volcanoes, of which 128 are still active.
One of the most impressive dormant volcanos is Indonesia’s second highest mountain, Gunung Rinjani in Lombok. It is located in center of the island and exhibits an impressive caldera with and east-west diameter of eight kilometers and a north-south axis of five kilometers. In the caldera basin is a beautiful crater lake and on the eastern edges rises towering Gunung Rinjani. Reaching at a height of 3,726 m, it is Indonesia’s highest mountain outside of Papua.
The huge, kidney-shaped crater lake, called Segara Anak, is located 200m down from the rim. Its high sulphur and mineral content gives it an eerie, artificial aqua hue. Across the lake are sheer cliffs 500m in height which drop dramatically in a sheer fall to the lake’s edge. On the eastern side, Gunung Bahru, a 415m high smoking volcanic cone, and a lava flow dating from the last eruption in 1900, jut ominously into the lake.
The two day ascent to the rim of the caldera is a lesson in bio-geography, as dramatic changes in terrain and vegetation occur with increasing altitude. Starting from the end of the asphalt road in village of Senaro, the footpath traverses open grassland devoid of any shade. Relief is keenly felt when the track enters a forest of towering teak and mahogany trees. Within its depths the air is damp and cool, with a micro-climate that supports a panoply of huge tree ferns, exotic fern species and proliferating multi-hued fungi. As the track begins to ascend, wild raspberry bushes abound.
During the second day of trekking the rain forest thins out and carpets of colourful moss and lichen cover boulders lining the path. The terrain morphs yet again to sheel where tufts of hardy grasses abound. Further along, pine trees attest to the cooler temperatures where an alpine flora flourish. The last effort to the caldera rim is arduous but ever so exhilarating as the trekker is rewarded with the magical vista of Segara Anak unfolding below.
A collaborative effort between the New Zealand government and the Indonesian Forestry Department have resulted in an award winning management program for the Rinjani National Park.