While we don’t think our Lombok Loop will get ever as popular as the Ha Giang Loop (and honestly, we hope it won’t), here is the best way to travel around the island of Lombok and experience everything it has to offer.
Table of Contents
How to Get There
You can get to Lombok via plane or boat. We recommend arriving via ferry from Bali, since it is quicker and significantly cheaper. Ferry tickets from Padbangi Port (Bali) to Bangsal Port (Lombok), can be purchased online from 12go Asia. You can choose from speedboats (which get you there in under an hour) or ferries (which take around three). There is also the option to leave from Benoa or Sanur Ports (in Bali), and tickets can also be purchased from 12go Asia, however we have no experience with this journey.
⚠ Warning: Both the Padbangi and Benoa/Sanur Ports are significantly outside of the main cities on Bali, so make sure you leave adequate time (and money) for a Grab or Gojek ride through the traffic.
When departing from Padbangi, your Grab or Gojek driver will need to drop you off outside of the entrance to the port, since there is a local taxi mafia that will extract a hefty fee from outside drivers. Once inside the port, Google Maps is your friend to find the office of your chosen ferry company. When arriving back to Padbangi, the taxi mafia will try to scam you into hoping in one of their overpriced cars back to Denpasar, saying things like “the shuttle bus will take four hours” or “you have to walk sixteen kilometers to the Grab pickup point”. Do not fall for this - take your bags, exit the port, and walk to the nearby tourist police station, where you can then order a Grab or Gojek, and will not be hassled… hopefully.
If you choose to arrive via plane, flights will arrive at Lombok’s only airport: Lombok International Airport in the Praya District. Flights can be expensive due to the small airport size. If you do end up flying, you can pay an additional fee to have your motorbike brought to/from the airport, and then can start your loop from there.
❕ Tip: If flying, start your loop at the airport, head down to Koeta, and then go counter-clockwise, ending up at the airport again to catch your flight out.
How to Get Around
The best way to get around Lombok is via motorbike - they are fuel efficient, go at a decent speed, and let you enjoy the scenery while on the move. We took a ferry to and from Lombok, arriving at the Bangsal Port. There are a bunch of motorbike rental places nearby:
We rented from Bangsal Rent Car + Scooter and had a great experience. The owner was willing to hold on to our bags for us, was flexible when our plans changed on the last day, and even arranged our ferry back at a discount from the price online. We had no mechanical trouble with the Honda Vario we received, and it was powerful enough to get around the entire island while also being good on fuel.
❕ Tip: Roads throughout Lombok were good quality, except for the road going down to the Semeti Hills.
How Many Days
The amount of time you spend on the Lombok Loop is very flexible, with only a minimum requirement of days. We recommend spending 3 nights, 4 days at a minimum traveling around Lombok. However, you can add more depending on how many days your itinerary allows, and what activities you want to do.
While we spent one night in each of the major spots listed on our route, we think these locations could definitely do with some more time:
- Senggigi - stay here longer if you want to do any of the 7 peaks on Lombok
- Mt. Rinjani - the famous mountain on Lombok, hiking to the top can take anywhere from 2-4 days
- Tetebatu - many waterfalls and hikes to explore nearby, plus a pleasant village atmosphere
- Koeta/Kuta - the party area of Lombok, also a well known spot for surfing and beautiful beaches
- Praya - many beaches nearby, with a more laid-back atmosphere
There are also 26 Gillies around Lombok. The most famous are Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno, and Gili Air, which can be visited on your way to or from Lombok, when ferrying from Bali. We unfortunately did not have enough time to go to ANY Gilis, so we cannot give a personal recommendation. However, had we gone, we would have most likely gone to the the Secrete Gilis instead, which are a group of islands on the East coast of Lombok, located in Sekotong Bay or to the Gilis in the Southeast, by Pink Beach.
Where to Stay
Staying in homestays while on your loop gives you the best opportunity to visit the more rural parts of Lombok, learn from the locals, and in most cases, experience great company and food! Here are the places we stayed while on our loop:
- de Travelodge Homestay, near Desa Anjar, a perfect stop on your first night
- Tetebatu Sunrise Homestay, in Tetebatu, delicous food and close to multiple waterfalls
If you are staying a night (or more) in Koeta, homestays are no longer your best option due to the large number of tourists. We opted for the quiet Puri Rinjani resort, minutes away from the beach, with a pool and buffet breakfast.
What to Bring
- Motorbike
- Helmet: make sure it fits well
- Clothes: take items that layer
- Rain Jacket: it can get wet at any time
- Towel
- Bathing Suit
- Toiletries
- Sunscreen: even if it’s cloudy
- Charger(s): don’t forget this
- Power Bank: you will need it if using your phone for GPS
- Water Bottle with Filter: optional, but handy
- First Aid Kit
The Route
Day 1
- Pick up your bike from Bangsal or the airport
- Jawirem Beach
- Free
- Black sand beach
- Many locals bathing and fishing nearby
- Sedang Gile Waterfall
- 20,000 IDR per person
- No need for a guide, the monkeys are not that scary
- Tiu Kelep Waterfall
- Continue on to this waterfall from Sedan Gile
- Stay overnight in Desa Anjar
Day 2
- Hike up Pergasingan Hill
- 25,000 IDR per person
- No need for a guide, find the route on AllTrails
- 1-2 hours
- Beautiful views of farmland and Mt. Rinjani volcano
- We planned to do this activity, but were unable to due to some poorly timed injuries
- Tetebatu Waterfall
- 20,000 IDR per person
- No need for a guide, follow (Will’s) directions on Google Maps
- Enjoy the picturesque walk through the rice fields before cooling off in the falls
- Sarang Walet Waterfall
- No entrance fee, follow directions on Google Maps
- 5,000 IDR for parking
- A unique waterfall inside of a cave, wading through water is necessary to access
- Stay overnight in Tetebatu
❕ Tip: You may also consider splitting this day up or adding additional days near Mt. Rinjani if you plan on doing an overnight trek of any of the Seven Peaks on Lombok.
Day 3
Get up early to visit the first waterfalls uninterrupted, and get a head start on the long drive down south!
- Benang Stokel and Benang Kelambu Waterfalls
- 160,000 IDR per person (for four waterfalls)
- Guide is mandatory, though not necessary
- Do not pay for parking the first time, just head straight to the ticket booth on your bike
- Lots of opportunities to swim and get amazing pictures
- Tanjung Aan Beach
- Free
- Popular beach for swimming, with beautiful sand
- Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit
- Free
- Open on non-race days to the public
- Home of the MotoGP
- Stay overnight in busy Koeta/Kuta
- Theres lots of Western and Indonesian restaurants, we were intrigued by the “Mexican Pizza” at the Cantina Mexicana Kuta Lombok
❕ Tip: If you like the beach or want to try surfing, Koeta is another great place to spend a couple of nights.
Day 4
Get up early (again), so you have enough time to visit all the sights and drive back to the port up north!
- Lancing Beach
- Free
- Beautiful, peaceful beach, great for swimming
- Semeti Hills
- Free, but some enterprising locals might try to charge you
- Difficult road to traverse, but slowly you can make it down!
- Cool cliffs nearby that can be climbed over
- Selong Belanak Beach
- Free
- Peaceful beach with little to no people
- Nambung Beach
- Free
- Another beautiful, peaceful beach
- Far on the right of the beach, there is a “waterfall” created by the incoming tide
- Head back up to Bangsal to catch your ferry back, or to the airport
Hope this guide gives you the inspiration to book that Lombok trip! Thanks for reading, and as always, this is based on our personal experiences and observations. Feel free to message us on Instagram if you have any questions or comments!