Lombok, Indonesia

Lombok is an island in West Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. It forms part of the chain of the Lesser Sunda Islands, with the Lombok Strait separating it from Bali to the west and the Alas Strait between it and Sumbawa to the east. The provincial capital and largest city on the island is Mataram.

Lombok is known as "an unspoiled Bali". With beautiful beaches, enchanting waterfalls, the large, looming volcano of Mount Rinjani combined with relatively few tourists. Most of Lombok’s sights and attractions, such as temples, palaces and villages, are concentrated in the western district of the island, within a nine-mile radius of the capital, Mataram. Members of Lombok's polyglot population - Sasak, Balinese, Chinese and Arab - continue their traditional ways.

The western part of the almost circular island is well irrigated by mountain streams and artesian springs. Here Balinese and Sasaks have sculpted handsome rice terraces; Hindu temples vie for attention with glistening white mosques rising from picturesque rural villages. More dramatic is the southern coast with beautiful sandy bays set between rocky outcrops.

Things to See & Do

* Tanjung A’an – beautiful area near the Kuta beach
* Local handicarfts and weaving at Sukarare
* Narmada Park (Taman Narmada) – park 10km from Mataram
* Air Terjun Sindang gila (Waterfalls)
* Temples, palaces and traditional villages

General information

Cruise Season – Jan - Dec
Currency – Rupiah (IDR)
Language – Indonesian
Electricity – 2 round pins European style
Population - 3,166,685 approx.
Land Area – 4.725 km²
Time - GMT plus hours seven hours
International Country Telephone Code – +62

Port Location – The city of Mataram is serviced by the port of Tanjung Lembar in the south west of Lombok. It is located 22km south of Mataram.

Travel Links – There are slow public ferries to Lembar from Padang Bai (Bali) every hour. The trip normally takes four hours. Shuttle bus services and bemos are available to Mataram. Ferries run from Labuhan Lombok on the east coast to Poto Tano on Sumbawa.

Selaparang Airport is located in Ampenan on the western side of Mataram. There are daily connections to Bali and Java. International flights are currently limited to direct services from Singapore SIN three times per week and daily from Kuala Lumpur KUL in Malaysia with a technical stop in Surabaya in East Java.