Island hopping (Part 2: Lombok)

As I was waiting for my delayed flight to Lombok, I was still pondering over where to stay between Kuta Lombok or Sengigi. Kuta Lombok that is located in the southern part of the Island looks more promising with some beautiful & well-populated beaches. But in the other hand, it also more deserted compared to Senggigi.

But I trust Trip Advisor more who gives the southern beaches better rating than Senggigi so I decided to take the challenge and stay in Kuta.

After the 2 hours delay and 25 minutes flight, I finally arrive in Lombok international airport at around 7 PM. The first thing that I check is whether Uber, Grab, or GoJek are available here. Turns out, they’re not.

So I was thinking to take Damri bus, but they don’t have any route to Kuta (perfect!). And I have no idea in that time that there were Blue Bird & Express group service here in Lombok so I agree when Damri operator offer me 150k for a private car to Kuta.

Turns out, it was only took me 30 minutes to get there (I was fooled, yeah..). But I have not much option either, since I was alone and know no one in Lombok, it was dark already and the road to Kuta was so deserted. Travelling to Lombok is more challenging than Bali since the place is still quite undeveloped. But that is exactly the beauty of it.

I found it more peaceful & natural here. But it also comes with the price of safety. I recommend you to research and plan ahead if you want to come here. This article might help you to set expectation & get some advises to keep you safe during your travel in Lombok.

I end up stay in a bungalow close to Kuta beach. Accomodations in Kuta are ranging from a low-cost bungalow, to a sea-side resort. I saw plenty tourists use motor bike here so I guess it’s a common thing here just like in Bali.

Kuta beach Lombok

The next morning, I walk to Kuta beach to see the sunrise. The beach was pretty ordinary, I must say. But the sand is so unique beacause it has rounded shape like pepper.

The tide was still low, so I just walk around and took some photos of the beach and dogs around there before go back to my homestay to eat breakfast.

Selong Belanak beach

I told my guide to definitely put this on our tour list. I was longing for this beach ever since I read the review in Trip Advisor. And my instinct was totally right. 45 minutes drive from Kuta was totally worth because this is a wonderful beach!

With its white sand, turquoise water, and sloping contour, this beach is a perfect place for swimming. The gentle waves of the beach is also the reason why many tourists comes here to learn to surf. Too bad that I don’t have much time, so I should content myself with 15 minutes swimming on this beach. But boy, this beach is totally win my heart.

Mawun beach

The beach is only 15 minutes from Selong Belanak. And the look of both were pretty much same. Except that Mawun beach is more sandy. I like to swim in Selong Belanak more than here. For me, it’s a perfect beach for relaxation because not so many people come here.

Seger beach

Not have enough more time to visit Tanjung Aan beach, the guide then took me here. Seger beach is super close to Kuta (less than 10 minutes drive), so it’s super easy to get here. And just like its name (Seger mean refreshing in Bahasa Indonesia), this beach is totally refreshing!

It was high tide when I got there and the waves are pretty wild compare to the other beaches that I was visited before. But the view is da best! There is a small hill we can climb to get to see a breathtaking view from the top of the hill.

I need to make the most of my half day tour around the southern side of Lombok because I need to rush to catch the last boat to Gili Air in the same afternoon.

But I finally get to explore the food and the culture of Lombok on my last day when I got back from Gili Air. So fast forward, I took a private car run by the local from Bngsal harbour to the airport. The driver is never stop babble about Lombok’s history along the way (like literally along the way!). I said I was so sleepy and wanted to sleep but he laugh and told me “you will never ever able to sleep in my car!”. He was right, btw.

In the end, I can’t thank him enough to took me to the souvenir shop (even he offer me to visit 3 shops for fox’s sake!), gem’s central (I refuse, several times btw), culinary spot in Mataram (I finally get to eat the authentic ayam taliwang in Lombok. Nyam!), and Sukarare village (known as the craft center for woven fabric) in Lombok.

He even told me the history of an old city in Lombok called Ampenan, the story of Putri Mandalika, and the tradition of Sasak tribe to kidnap a girl before they got married.

And if I splurge my money on food in Bali, in Lombok I need to spend more money for transportation. For the transportation alone, I need to spend 150k from Airport to Kuta (yes, I know it’s a scam), 150k for bike and the guide in Kuta, 200k from Kuta to Bangsal harbour, and another 200k from Bangsal to the airport.

But the view here was totally worth the price. I super recommend you to go in group for the sake of price and safety.

I still have one last story from Gili Air island in the next post so, see you around! (;