# Lombok: map, what to do and when to go Southern beaches, the Rinjani volcano and the three Gili islands, east of Bali. Canonical: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lombok/ Language: en. Extended author commentary and itinerary notes may remain in Portuguese. Dates below belong to individual sources; this is not live availability. ## Direct answer - **Lombok: how do I get from the airport to Kuta or Senggigi?** Lombok International Airport (LOP), opened in 2011, lies inland in the south, near Praya: about 18 km and 25 minutes by taxi to Kuta, and about 50 km and over an hour to Senggigi. - **Lombok: do I need a visa to enter?** Visa rules depend on nationality; before your flight, check them on the Indonesian immigration site (allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id), where you also fill out the electronic arrival declaration. - **Lombok: how do I get there from Bali?** Lombok International Airport receives flights from Bali, about 40 minutes by air. ## Kuta, Tanjung Aan and sunset at Bukit Merese From the airport, take a taxi or car with a driver to Kuta, about 18 km and 25 minutes, and drop your bags. - Pantai Tanjung Aan - Bukit Merese - Gerupuk ## Selong Belanak, Mataram and sunset at Batu Bolong Leave Kuta early for Pantai Mawun, about 8 km west, and continue to Pantai Selong Belanak, about 17 km west of Kuta, to swim or take a surf lesson in the morning. - Pantai Selong Belanak - Pantai Mawun - Pura Meru - Taman Mayura - Pura Batu Bolong ## Lingsar, the Mataram mosque and the crossing to Gili Air In the morning, go from Senggigi to Pura Lingsar, about 6 km east of Mataram, and see the Hindu temple and the Wetu Telu shrine. - Gili Air - Islamic Center NTB - Pura Lingsar ## Nest on Gili Meno and sunset on Gili Trawangan Early, take the inter-island boat from Gili Air to Gili Meno (buy the ticket at the harbor window) or book a snorkel tour that stops at all three islands. - Gili Trawangan - Gili Meno ## Senaru and the Rinjani waterfalls Take one of the first public boats from Gili Trawangan to Bangsal, about 45 minutes. - Gunung Rinjani - Air Terjun Sendang Gile - Air Terjun Tiu Kelep ## Gunung Rinjani https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lombok/#g-lugar-gunung-rinjani Half a day or more The 3,726-meter volcano, the second highest in Indonesia, fills the north of Lombok and is sacred to Sasaks and Balinese. Inside the caldera, about 6 by 8.5 km, lies Lake Segara Anak, at about 2,000 meters, with hot springs and the young cone of Gunung Barujari. The climb is a multi-day trek with camping on the caldera rim, from Senaru or Sembalun, and it demands preparation: the national park closes the trails from January 1 to March 31, sells tickets and controls the daily quota through the eRinjani app, asks for a recent health certificate and a safety briefing, and requires an experienced guide for beginners, at one guide per five people. The fee for foreigners, since November 3, 2025, is Rp 250,000 per person per day on the main trails (Sembalun, Senaru and Torean) and Rp 200,000 on the alternative ones (Timbanuh, Tetebatu and Aik Berik). Fire and rain close trails outside the calendar: check in the app which ones are open before locking in dates. Check access ## Gili Trawangan https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lombok/#g-lugar-gili-trawangan Gili Indah · Half a day or more The largest of the three Gilis and the busiest. There are no cars or motorbikes: you get around on foot, by bicycle, by cidomo (the horse-drawn cart) or by electric scooter. The east coast concentrates hotels, dive schools and bars; the west side is the sunset spot, facing Bali. The hill in the south, the islands' only significant elevation (about 30 meters), gives a view of the three Gilis and Lombok and holds the remains of a Japanese World War II observation post. The island has had a party reputation since the late 1980s, and the most-cited dive sites, such as Shark Point, are a few minutes away by boat. Check access ## Gili Meno https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lombok/#g-lugar-gili-meno Gili Indah · One to two hours The quietest of the three. Off the west coast is Nest, a circle of 48 life-size sculptures by the artist Jason deCaires Taylor, installed in 2017 at about 4 meters deep, visited with mask and snorkel and serving as a base for coral. The island also has a turtle sanctuary and a bird park. It is the choice for anyone who wants a beach and quiet, with little nightlife. Check access ## Gili Air https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lombok/#g-lugar-gili-air Gili Indah · Half a day or more The Gili closest to Lombok, about 15 minutes by public boat from Bangsal. It sits between the bustle of Trawangan and the silence of Meno: it has beach restaurants and open-air cinemas, but the nights are calmer. Turtles often show up on the reef off the east coast. Tap water is brackish and not drinkable; many shops refill bottles. Check access ## Air Terjun Sendang Gile https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lombok/#g-lugar-air-terjun-sendang-gile Up to half an hour The easiest waterfall to reach in Senaru, on Rinjani's north slope, surrounded by forest and fed by springs from the mountain. The ticket is paid at the entrance; the men who approach tourists near the ticket office are usually not official guides, and accredited ones are in the small shops by the entrance. Check access ## Air Terjun Tiu Kelep https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lombok/#g-lugar-air-terjun-tiu-kelep Senaru · One to two hours About a 50-minute walk uphill past Sendang Gile, with a swimming pool at the foot of the fall. The trail is steep and calls for a guide; long-tailed macaques and, more rarely, lutungs appear along the way. Check access ## Pantai Tanjung Aan https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lombok/#g-lugar-pantai-tanjung-aan One to two hours The best-known beach in the south, near Kuta: a pale-sand bay ringed by hills, good for snorkeling and with a beach wave for people who have never surfed, preferably in the morning. The sand, with coarse grains that resemble black pepper, differs from that of the neighboring beaches, and the Bukit Merese headland next door gives a view of the bay from above. Check access ## Bukit Merese https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lombok/#g-lugar-bukit-merese Up to half an hour A grassy headland above Tanjung Aan, reached by a short, slightly steep climb. The view takes in the bays of Tanjung Aan and Gerupuk and is most sought after at sunrise and sunset. A small entrance fee is charged. Check access ## Pantai Selong Belanak https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lombok/#g-lugar-pantai-selong-belanak One to two hours A wide bay of pale sand about 17 km west of Kuta, after a steep hill road. It is the most developed beach on the southwest coast, with a busy surf beach right next to it, and some stalls charge for sun loungers. Check access ## Pantai Mawun https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lombok/#g-lugar-pantai-mawun One to two hours A half-moon bay about 8 km west of Kuta, secluded, with calm water for swimming and a few drink stalls. Bring water and whatever you plan to eat. Check access ## Gerupuk https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lombok/#g-lugar-gerupuk One to two hours A surf village about 7 km east of Kuta. The waves break far from the sand, and you need to hire a boatman to reach them; boards are rented in the village. Check access ## Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lombok/#g-lugar-pertamina-mandalika Lombok · Up to half an hour A street circuit opened in 2021 inside the Mandalika tourist zone, east of Kuta, which hosts the Indonesian round of MotoGP. In 2026 the race ran from October 9 to 11. Outside race weeks, the track matters little to a visit. Check access ## Desa Sade https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lombok/#g-lugar-desa-sade Up to half an hour A Sasak village in Rembitan, in the center-south of the island, declared a conservation village by the province in 1989, with houses of bamboo, wood, clay and thatched roofs, and weaving done on hand looms. On the night of August 22, 2026 a fire destroyed about 120 houses, according to the provincial disaster agency, with no deaths. Before you go, confirm whether visits have resumed and how the village is receiving visitors; when a visit is possible, buying cloth directly helps the residents. Check access ## Pura Meru https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lombok/#g-lugar-pura-meru Cakranegara · Up to half an hour Lombok's largest Hindu temple, built in 1720 in Cakranegara, a district of Mataram, and dedicated to the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The inner courtyard has 33 small shrines and three meru, the towers with tiered roofs: the central one, with 11 tiers, is Shiva's; the side ones, with nine, are Vishnu's and Brahma's. The caretaker lends a sash and sarong to those who arrive without them. Check access ## Taman Mayura https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lombok/#g-lugar-taman-mayura Mayura · Up to half an hour An 18th-century garden and water palace, from the time when Balinese kings ruled Lombok from Mataram. A large pond with a pavilion in the middle, Hindu shrines and lawns, a few blocks from Pura Meru, in Cakranegara. Check access ## Islamic Center NTB https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lombok/#g-lugar-islamic-center-ntb Mataram · Up to half an hour Mataram's great mosque, with green and gold domes and Sasak-motif decoration, lit up at night. According to Lonely Planet, the tallest minaret reaches 114 meters and has a view over the city. Visitors who arrive in shorts are given suitable clothing; avoid prayer times unless entry is permitted. Check access ## Pura Lingsar https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lombok/#g-lugar-pura-lingsar Lingsar · Up to half an hour A temple complex about 6 km east of Mataram, built in 1714 among rice fields and considered the island's most sacred. It combines a Balinese Hindu temple, Pura Gaduh, with shrines facing Rinjani and Gunung Agung, and the Kemaliq, a shrine of Wetu Telu followers, with springs, a lily pond and sacred eels. The annual Perang Topat ceremony takes place here. A sash or sarong can be rented at the entrance. Check access ## Taman Narmada https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lombok/#g-lugar-taman-narmada Narmada · Up to half an hour An 18th-century royal garden about 10 km east of Mataram, designed to evoke Rinjani, with ponds, a Hindu temple and a sacred spring. It gets crowded on weekends. Check access ## Kota Tua Ampenan https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lombok/#g-lugar-kota-tua-ampenan Ampenan · One to two hours The old Dutch-era port on Mataram's waterfront, with commercial buildings that carry the mark of the Arab, Chinese and European communities. It is worth one to two hours on foot in the late afternoon. Check access ## Pura Batu Bolong https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lombok/#g-lugar-pura-batu-bolong Up to half an hour A small Hindu temple on a holed rock (batu bolong means rock with a hole) that juts into the sea, about 2 km south of Senggigi. Offerings are left every day, and it gets busier in the late afternoon, when residents and visitors gather for the sunset facing Bali. Entry is by donation; go with your legs covered or rent a sarong. Check access **Lombok: how do I get from the airport to Kuta or Senggigi?** Lombok International Airport (LOP), opened in 2011, lies inland in the south, near Praya: about 18 km and 25 minutes by taxi to Kuta, and about 50 km and over an hour to Senggigi. DAMRI buses link the airport to Mataram, Senggigi and other towns and take cash; metered taxis, such as Bluebird's, and apps such as Grab and Gojek also operate at the airport. Be wary of anyone offering unmarked private transport in the terminal. **Lombok: do I need a visa to enter?** Visa rules depend on nationality; before your flight, check them on the Indonesian immigration site (allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id), where you also fill out the electronic arrival declaration. **Lombok: how do I get there from Bali?** Lombok International Airport receives flights from Bali, about 40 minutes by air. Besides flying, there is the slow ferry from Padang Bai to Lembar, the port in southwest Lombok, in four to six hours, and the fast boats that leave from Padang Bai, Serangan and Amed directly for the Gilis and Lombok, in about an hour and a half to two and a half hours depending on the port. Safety standards on the fast boats vary: do not board if the sea or the boat look bad. **Lombok: how do I get to the Gili Islands?** The Gilis are reached through the port of Bangsal, on the northwest coast, on the public boats of the local cooperative, which leave when full and only during the day: about 15 minutes to Gili Air, 30 to Meno and 45 to Trawangan. In June 2024, the fare from Gili Air to Lombok was Rp 18,000. From Teluk Nare, also on the northwest coast, chartered fast boats leave in 15 to 30 minutes. Between the islands there are infrequent public boats, with the ticket bought at each island's ticket window. Anyone who lands at night and booked the first night on the Gilis reaches Bangsal after the last public boat. **Lombok: how many days should I stay?** I would spend five days on Lombok, changing base by region: one night in Kuta for the southern beaches, one in Senggigi after Mataram, two on the Gilis and the last in Senaru, on the slope of Rinjani. Changing base keeps you from going back along the same road, because the airport is in the south and the Gili harbor in the northwest. With four days, I would cut Senaru and go from the Gilis straight back to the airport. The Rinjani trek is a different trip: it adds several days and only makes sense for someone who is prepared and arrives outside the January to March closure, preferably in the dry season. **Lombok: which of the Gili Islands should I stay on?** Gili Trawangan suits those who want diving, nightlife and the Gilis' biggest choice of hotels and restaurants; the drawback is the noise from bars along part of the east coast and the fullest island of the three. Gili Air is for those who want the Gilis with infrastructure but calm nights, and the shortest crossing to Lombok, about 15 minutes by boat from Bangsal. Gili Meno is the quietest of the three, for those who want quiet and snorkeling at the door, with Nest and the turtle sanctuary nearby; the restaurant choice is smaller, and boats to the other islands are infrequent. **Lombok: what do I need to climb Rinjani?** The climb is a multi-day trek with camping on the caldera rim, from Senaru or Sembalun, and it demands preparation: the national park closes the trails from January 1 to March 31, sells tickets and controls the daily quota through the eRinjani app, asks for a recent health certificate and a safety briefing, and requires an experienced guide for beginners, at one guide per five people. The fee for foreigners, since November 3, 2025, is Rp 250,000 per person per day on the main trails (Sembalun, Senaru and Torean) and Rp 200,000 on the alternative ones (Timbanuh, Tetebatu and Aik Berik). The porter, whom the park fee does not cover, used to cost Rp 175,000 to Rp 250,000 per day in October 2025, depending on the agreement with the trekker. Hire an accredited operator, with guide and porters. Fire and rain close trails outside the calendar: check in the app which ones are open before locking in dates. **Lombok: when is the best time to go?** From May to September, the dry season, with calmer seas on the Gilis, dry roads in the south and the Rinjani trails open; May to August is also high season, with fuller hotels. The rainy season runs from October or November to April, usually in showers of an hour or two, and is when Rinjani is closed, from January 1 to March 31; the beaches remain visitable, with more green and fewer people. Jellyfish are common on the Gilis in July and August. **Lombok: can I rent a motorbike or drive on the island?** To drive a car or motorbike you need a license from your home country and an International Driving Permit, and the police check; a helmet is mandatory. When renting a motorbike, also have the bike's registration (STNK) and do not leave your passport as a deposit with the rental shop; in Kuta there is no insurance for rented motorbikes. On the roads, avoid driving at night and watch for potholes and animals on the road. **Lombok: do I need to carry cash?** Much of what you pay for day to day is in cash: the DAMRI airport bus, the public boats at Bangsal, the horse carts, the beach stalls and temple donations. Carry rupiah in small bills for the Gilis and for the roads of the south. For horse carts and chartered boats, agree on the price before getting on. **Lombok: what changes during Ramadan?** The fasting month changes the routine of the Muslim island: many restaurants outside tourist areas close until sunset, and eating, drinking and smoking in public outside tourist areas is frowned upon. The month follows the Islamic lunar calendar and starts about 11 days earlier each year; check the dates for the year of your trip. **Lombok: what safety and health precautions should I take?** Lombok is a relaxed destination for visitors, and the main risks come from roads, sea, mountains and health. On the roads, avoid driving at night, wear a helmet and watch for potholes and animals on the road; thefts of motorbikes and of belongings left on the beach have been reported in the south, and it is common to pay a local to watch your motorbike while you surf. At sea, do not swim between the Gilis, where currents are strong, and watch out for the small jellyfish, common on the Gilis in July and August; Portuguese man-of-war jellyfish, rarer, give a more serious sting. On the Gilis, do not leave your drink alone at the bar and avoid arak, the local spirit, which can contain methanol; hallucinogenic mushrooms are openly advertised, but Indonesia's drug law provides penalties that reach death for trafficking. Rinjani is a serious mountain: in 2025 two foreign trekkers died in falls, in May and in June, and the park began requiring a health certificate, a briefing and a guide for beginners; go with an accredited operator and respect the time your guide sets for the summit. The island lies in a seismic zone, as the 2018 earthquakes showed. Dengue exists: use repellent and see a doctor if you have a fever. The US CDC lists malaria risk in the rural areas of Lombok, and not on the Gilis; if your route includes rural areas, such as Senaru, Tetebatu or the Rinjani trek, talk to a travel medicine service about prevention. There is no international hospital on the island; the main ones are in Mataram, and the nearest referral hospital outside it is in Denpasar, Bali. Tap water is not drinkable. ## In the Nilo app - Plan these 4 days on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/guide/lombok/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-itinerary - Mark your hotel on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/map/lombok/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-stay ## Full editorial guide (Portuguese) https://nilopelomundo.com/llm/lombok.md