Lombok - Travel to Tropical Islands

Lombok, part of the Lesser Sunda Islands, is east of Bali in Indonesia.  For ecology buffs, the Wallace Line is here at the Lombok Straits, separating the Indomalayan biome at Bali and the start of the Australasian biome from Lombok.  An active volcano, Mount Rinjani, the third highest mountain in Indonesia, dominates the Lombok skyline and is a National Park.  Gili Trawang and its two tranquil sister islands are off the northern tip of Lombok Island. 

Lombok offers jungle trekking, beaches, scuba diving, surfing, snorkeling and some historical sight seeing.  

Sengigi beach is just north of Mataram, en route to Gili Trawangan.  Sengigi beach has four focus areas namely Mangsit with its long and tranquil beach, Kerangdangan Bay, Sengigi town and the Batu Bolong hotels.  Kute beach on the southern end of Lombok is an area popular with surfers for its clean beaches and high waves.  A well hidden surfers gem is Desert Point. You can even hop off Lombok to GIli Trawangan or Sumbawa for a get away from it all feel.

For sightseeing you can go see the Tanjung A'an beach to see its unique pepper shaped sand, Sukarare to watch local artisans at work on handicrafts or for a spirit of adventure, trek up Mount Rinjani to see its beautiful lake crater. Narmada park and Brahma's Throne offers some historical insights and the many waterfalls offer cooling dips from the tropical heat of Lombok.

The video by bali0range shows what Lombok has to offer.

Diving in the Gili Islands

Indonesia is host to 25% of the world’s reefs with 3,500 marine species living in its seas and reefs.  The Gili islands offer a good sampling of sea fauna such as sharks, manta rays, cuttlefish, eels, crabs, turtles and fish.  There are 15 to 17 dive spots around the Gili Islands.

The Gili Air Wall is covered with soft coral, and shines yellow orange in the sun.  The coral block at 22 meters is surrounded by shrimps, pipefish, glass fishes and in the deeper parts, white tip sharks.   

Shark Point at Gili Trawangan has different levels at 24, 20 and 18 meters.  It is home to the Hawksbill and Green turtles and a wide variety of marine life such as Napoleon fish, White Tip sharks, manta rays and eels.  There is an undersea 'golf course', the ‘Volker Golf Course’, so called because of its green color, east of Shark Point. This dive is best tackled by the pros for its very strong currents.

Another dive for the pros is the 20 meter long Japanese wreck south of Gili Air, sitting upright on the sandy bottom at 45 meters.  It is home to huge frogfish, lionfish, scorpion fish and much more. And don’t forget to check out the Biorocks, the manmade reefs by the dive schools at Gili.

This video by cacchionegiovanni  shows of the wonders of the waters around the Gili Islands.

Gili Islands - Ibiza of the East

Fancy going to a place where there are no cars and motorcycles? Just laze on the beach, go snorkelling or scuba diving and then later just party and forget the weight of today?  There is a name for such a dream; the Gili Islands in Indonesia.

The Gili Islands are just off the northwest point of Lombok Island, east of Bali. There are three islands in the group, Trawangan, Meno and Air.  Trawangan is the happening island, with white beaches, dive schools, resorts and a party scene complete with throbbing beach bars and an Irish pub.  Meno and Air are rather laid back, for sun bathing, snorkeling and diving.

Once catering just for backpackers, the Gili now beckon the hip and wealthy too. There are no motorized vehicles on these tiny islands.  Only bicycles, horse carts and your own two feet to get around.  And the boats to travel to the other islands and civilization. 

There are six dive centers, with great dives to see sharks, turtles and seahorses with the stunning coral.  Powdery white beaches, clear waters and a brilliant sun with the unpolluted air clean of fumes give one a feel of a tropical paradise.

This video by mariekevangameren showcases a relaxing day at the Gili Islands.

And this video by sir0 gives a glimpse of a beach party.