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Most travelers who visiting Indonesia choose Bali or Java. The best thing is to combine several islands during your trip. Indonesia has so much more to offer. While Bali is often combined with the Gili Islands, which belong to the island of Lombok, a few people explore Lombok itself. In addition to Bali and the Gili Islands, we chose to stay a few days on Lombok. In addition to the fact that it is very easy to travel from Bali to Lombok, a visit to this close island of Bali is certainly worth it We tell you why!
OUR IMPRESSION OF LOMBOK
Lombok is a truly authentic Indonesian island. Unlike Bali, there is an Islamic culture on Lombok. You will not see any temples on your journey through Lombok. You will find an overwhelming nature where you can go on an adventure. Lombok is also a lot less touristy than Bali. That’s why it is great to stay here and to escape the tourism on Bali. During your tour on Lombok you will mainly be among the locals.
We have hardly seen any other tourists. This gives the advantage that you do not have to share all the beautiful places on the island with many other tourists. The disadvantage, as a tourist, you regularly come across unpleasant surprises. We noticed that locals tried to earn extra money from us in different ways. Examples of this are pushy taxi drivers who suddenly raise the pre-agreed price during the ride because they had to drive further than agreed. At Kuta Beach they asked money to be allowed to ‘park’ your scooter at the beach (this was not a parking space). And at certain viewpoints they asked for money to take photos (even quickly from the car). When visiting a waterfall, extra costs were charged for access to the waterfall. We already purchased an entrance ticket at the entrance. It wasn’t all about shocking amounts, yet this made our experience on the island less pleasant than Bali. The way how they asked for money was quite aggressive. We found this a pity. If you keep this in your mind, this does not have to be an obstacle to a wonderful experience of the island. We were mainly focused on the beautiful things on Lombok.
THE NATURE
The beautiful nature makes everything right. The second largest volcano in Indonesia, the impressive Rinjani, can be climbed. It takes you a few days to climb the volcano. If you have the time, it is definitely worth it. The nature around the Rinjani is beautiful. You can visit huge waterfalls in the middle of the jungles. Speaking of waterfalls, you’ll find the most beautiful one during a hike through the jungle. You should certainly not miss a visit to Tiu Kelep. Read an extensive article about this waterfall here .
On Lombok you can also find very beautiful white sandy beaches along the west coast. Often you have these beaches all to yourself.
FROM BALI TO LOMBOK
There are three options to go from Bali to Lombok. This can be done by ferry or speedboat or by plane.
From Sanur and Padang Bai ferries and speedboats leave to Lombok. The ferry takes about 5 to 8 hours and, just like the speedboat, makes stops on the three Gili islands before arriving at Senggigi on Lombok. The speedboat takes 2 hours from Bali to Gili. The advantage is that you can choose to first explore the Gili Islands after Bali before you go to Lombok. Within half an hour from Gili you can take the ferry to Senggigi on Lombok.
You can also choose to book a flight from Bali to Lombok. Depending on the date, this does not have to be much more expensive than by boat. For example, you can travel with Garuda for € 20.00 one way. You flight is from Denpasar to Praya. Praya International Airport on Lombok is a 1.5-hour drive from Senggigi and a 40-minute drive from Kuta.
We advise you to plan a scootertrip during your stay on Lombok. This way you can discover the most beautiful places at your own. In this way you it’s you with the locals and you’ll come to places where you do not come quickly with organized excursions. Much nicer and cheaper!