Discovering the Exotic Lombok Island – Indonesia

Lombok is known as one of the most beautiful islands in Indonesia. For the last 10 years, It is known for its gorgeous beaches, party island, the Gilis and the strong affinity for the arts. Recently, Lombok had been the chosen port for cruise ships such as Holland America, Princess Cruise, Costa and Celebrity Cruise exploring the Southeast Asian region.

Although not as popular as Bali, Lombok is gifted with incredible beauty, Bali will be crowded for the next couple years, now Lombok has to cover the tourist demand for summer vacation.

Part of its uniqueness is its undeveloped nature and beyond tourist expectation, coupled with a very relaxed and low key environment. Some travelers that make their way escape to Lombok are adventure-seeking souls who absolutely love being outdoors. These type of explorers are drawn to the island’s varied landscapes and activities such as surfing, hiking, snorkeling, and diving.

One of the highlights for many adventurous visitors coming to the Lombok region is trekking Mt. Rinjani, the most highest  active volcano in Lombok.

What about Domestic tourists? Now they prefer vacationing in Lombok than in Bali for a couple of reasons. But most of the main reason is perhaps the big difference in the overall travel costs.

In Lombok, accommodation, food and sightseeing tours are much cheaper. Let get closer to know about Lombok, local people still learn how to accept tourism as a culture, and yes, that a large part of it is not mass tourism-oriented. Large gated complexes and noisy bars have not taken over the beach scene until 2011.

If you want to truly experience classic Lombok, consider a homestay in farmhouses, mountainside villages or simple homes on the beachside even if you are in the most party part of Gili, they provide it.

Try to stay with a family, and get some bonuses advantages such as learning the authentic way of island living especially for the Sasak people, in the main Island or Bajau in Gili. You might join hosts to go for fishing, farming, hunting and even show you how to cook local dishes.

And about the dishes, Lombok is known for its red and green chilies hot spicy cuisine. This is quite understandable for a “Lombok” that literally means chili in the Bahasa Indonesia language. Find your adventure to taste local dishes and accompany it with the fiery condiment called sambal pelecing .

The beaches of Lombok are quite stunning and they do not get as crowded as Bali’s. If you long for seclusion and the surfing area, venture to the southwest section of the island. Lombok also was known by its sandy stretches that can muster up hollow speed waves.

A lot of surfing spots around the island, this is why the island receives a large number of surfers every year. Some of the most popular places to tackle the surfing breaks include Kuta Lombok, Gerupuk, Areguling, Senggigi, the tiny Gili Nanggu Island and Bangko-Bangko (Desert Point).

To get a taste of Lombok’s passion for the arts, organize some village visits either on your own or with a tour company. By doing so, you will not miss the opportunity to see how locals expertly dye fabrics using the old traditional technique called ikat. Some of the local artisans who can masterfully make and decorate pots.

Don’t forget to drop by the Sayang Sayang art market, and shop for excellent locally hand made crafts and products like pearl-decorated wooden boxes and baskets made of strong rattan.

Since the infrastructure getting better day by day, the best way to get around Lombok is to drive your own vehicle as public transport on the island is unreliable. You have the option to rent a car and a driver but you can also drive a motorcycle if you have enough experience driving one. The roads on the island are in fairly good condition even after the earthquake a few months ago, so it’s easy to drive around the coast, countryside and even the highlands.

Senggigi and Pemenang one of the most scenic areas you have to drive through is the coastal road between. Stretching 21 kilometers, this road highlights incredible views of beaches and inlets stop by and take pictures, do something beautiful here.