Here are countless ideas for things to do in Lombok.
Snorkelling trip to the 3 Gili Islands
The three Gili Islands, as they are called, are small islands located off the northwest coast of Lombok, called Air, Meno, and Trawangan. They are probably the most famous tourist destination in Lombok, so I was very curious to visit them.
I booked a day trip to the Gili Islands on a private boat with Jonny Tour Guide, who gave us a good price for our group of 7. A driver picked us up from the hotel in Senggigi where we were staying, which was about 30 minutes from the small pier where we boarded the boat. From there we made our first stop at Gili Air, then Gili Meno, and finally Gili Trawangan, where we had lunch and spent the afternoon on the beach. I found the snorkelling stop at Gili Meno to be quite crowded and the least interesting for snorkelling. Here are the famous statues commissioned by the eco-resort BASK to artist Jason deCaires Taylor, as part of the “Nest” project, which aimed not only to create an underwater exhibition but also to create a home for corals and thus create a reef.
The highlight for me was undoubtedly Gili T island, where we saw the much-awaited turtles. And we even got videos from our snorkelling guide who filmed underwater and made it available to us at the end of the tour.
On the way back to Senggigi we encountered a small storm, and it rained heavily the whole way. I must admit I was a bit scared, but our boat captain navigated us safely back to shore.
You can find many more excursion suggestions to the Gili Islands at Get Your Guide.
Snorkeling Tour to the 5 Southern Gili Islands
This snorkelling tour was one of the best we’ve ever experienced (only beaten by the Maldives in 2015), with a huge variety of fish, corals, turtles, and even seahorses.
We did the tour with Authentic Lombok Tours, who picked us up from our hotel in Selong Belanak (more about the hotel here), and despite the one and half hour drive to the pier where we boarded the boat, the day was well worth it. Chris, who owns Authentic Lombok Tours with his wife, is not the type of host who tries to please the customer. No, it was up to us to please him, because if we didn’t do what he wanted and how he wanted, he would scold us! Haha When I first contacted him, I was thinking of doing the Pink Beach trip, and it was he who suggested we do the tour of the 5 Gili islands instead. I’m glad he did as the day was truly spectacular.
I did ask for the names of the islands where we stopped at for snorkelling, but Chris didn’t know, and it really didn’t matter! I know one of islands was Gili Asahan because we stopped here for lunch.
Our snorkelling guide was also tirelessly looking for turtles and fish to show us; I highly recommend this tour for those who enjoy snorkelling.
Explore the beaches on Lombok Island
As I mentioned in the Hotel in Lombok post in the Sempiak Villas – Selong Belanak section, we enjoyed Selong Belanak beach so much that we didn’t even get to visit other beaches. However, if you have the time and interest to explore other beaches, you can always hire a guide with a car to take you to Tanjung Aan Beach or Mawun Beach for example.
Selong Belanak beach was quite clean, but the problem of plastic on the beaches is unfortunately common in this part of Southeast Asia. So, be prepared to for rubbish on these beaches.
If you’re in the northern part of Lombok, in Senggigi, you can also visit Nipah Beach, where there´s a community turtle conservation centre worth visiting. For more information, click here or check out their Instagram account here.
In the photos above you can see a sand dollar, which belongs to the family of starfish, that we discovered while walking on the beach. The one on the right in Maria Rita’s hand is already dead and dries up like that.
Surf
Lombok isn’t as well known for surfing as its neighbour Bali, but there are still some very popular spots such as Desert Point, which is highly sought after by surfing experts.
The beach at Selong Belanak, where we stayed, is also very popular with beginners and ideal for those who want to take their first lesson. You can read more about this beach in the post Hotel in Lombok – Sempiak Villas, Selong Belanak.
You’ll find several surf schools on most of Lombok’s beaches, for example in Kuta or Mawi. Many of them also offer boat trips to take you out in search of better waves.
Indonesian Cooking Class
Chris, who took us on the snorkelling trip to the 5 Gili islands, also offers cooking classes at his home, which is also a local accommodation. You can find out more here. The Portuguese who went on the snorkelling trip with us had also taken a cooking class at his home and enjoyed it very much.
And here is another suggestion for a cooking class further south in the Kuta area.
Pink Beach
Indonesia has two famous pink beaches, one in Komodo and one in Lombok. The one in Lombok is about a 2 hour drive from where we were staying. We decided not to “lose” that time on car trips, as we had already travelled quite a bit for the 5 Gil snorkelling trip, which made more sense to us.
If you’re interested, here are some tour suggestions on Get Your Guide.
Exploring Nature and Culture in Lombok (tour ideas)
(Normally, hotels have contacts for drivers/guides who can take you on these tours).
Mount Rinjani
For the more adventurous and fit (which is not my case), you may consider trekking to the summit of Mount Rinjani, the second highest volcano in Indonesia. This climb usually takes two days and involves spending the night on the mountain, camping in a tent. The views are said to be spectacular!
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