LOMBOK ISLAND Overview

Beyond Bali, Lombok is a still undiscovered paradise with lush tropical greenery, which will attract every heart with fascination. The island's topography is dominated by the centrally-located stratovolcano Mount Rinjani, which rises to 3,726 m (12,224 ft), making it the third-largest in Indonesia. The most recent eruption of Rinjani was in June-July, 1994. The volcano, and its sacred crater lake, are protected by a National Park established in 1997. The southern part of the island is a fertile plain where corn, rice, coffee, tobacco, and cotton are grown. The island's inhabitants are 85% Sasak (a people, closely related to the Balinese, but mostly practising Islam), 10-15% Balinese, with the small remainder being Chinese, Arab, Javanese, and Sumbawanese. The Dutch first visited Lombok in 1674 and settled the eastern part of the island, leaving the western half to be ruled by a Hindu dynasty from Bali. The Sasaks chafed under Balinese rule, and a revolt in 1891 ended in 1894 with the annexation of the entire island to the Netherlands East Indies. Lombok has much in common with nearby Bali, but less well-known and less-visited by foreigners. It has been working to increase its visibility to tourists in recent years, promoting itself as an "unspoiled Bali". The most-developed center of tourism is Senggigi, spread in a 10-kilometer strip along the coastal road north of Mataram, while backpackers congregate in the Gili Islands off the west coast. However, in early 2000 thousands fled from religious and ethnic violence that swept over the island, and tensions remain. Some travel websites warn that tourists sometimes provoke anger in this economically depressed region Some describe the island as the only holiday resort where visitors may relax and recover. Plenty of glistening white sandy beaches are found on almost all of the entire island boundaries, and most are rare of tropical-tan seekers. But this is not all that it offers, the smaller islands to the north namely Gili Air, Gili Meno, Gili Terawangan, and to the south-west namely Gili Nanggu, Gili Gede, Gili Genting, Gili Layar and many others which only some are inhabited, provide a tropical island holiday featuring sun-sand-sea and marine beauty. The activities of swimming, snorkeling and diving would be the best, or fishing? You get the idea... Whatever your plans, whether just relaxing on a beach or exploring the countryside.

Lombok island tour

CITY TOUR 4 hours Price : USD 37.00/person Mayura: The Royal floating Palace of the former Balinese Kingdom was builr in 1744. It is located in Cakranegara, close to the Pura Meru Temple built in 1720 Bertais Market: The biggest market on Lombok where you can buy delicious fresh fruit, vegetables, herbs, spices, rice, fish, local artifacts and colorful Indonesian sarongs. Narmada: The summer Palace of the former Balinese King Anak Agung Gede Ngurah from Karang Asem Bali, built in 1727. The name “Narmada” was derived from the name of a holy river in India. It also means “tear” or “unknown water”. Narmada was built for worshipping the Hindu God, SIWA. Lingsar: Pura Lingsar was built in 1714. It is the oldest and holiest temple in Lombok, owned by both Hindus and Moslem Waktu Telu.

KUTA TOUR Sasak Traditional Village tour (8 hours) Price : USD 45.00/person Banyumulek: One of the many pottery villages, where clay pots for every day use, simple in design and primitive in style are produced. Sukarara: Traditional songket cloth is handwoven with gold and silver thread on simple looms. Rambitan: A typical Sasak village where the houses (Bale Balaq) and rice storage buildings (Alang-alang/Lumbung) are still constructed with wood, bamboo and thatch roof. Kuta Beach/Tanjung Ann: Both are located on the southern coast of Lombok, just 5 km apart. This white sandy beaches with clear turquoise water a perfect for surfing, wind surfing and swimming.

GILI AIR TOUR The Wonder of the Sea (8 hours) Price : USD 65.00/person The tour starts at Lendang Bajur market where you can buy fruit for the journey. Traveling through the lust mountainous interior of the island we take the Pusuk pass, some 400 meters above sea level. Wild monkeys play by the roadside on the way to Bangsal Harbor, where the boat takes you to Gili Air. This flat, sandy island is fringed with dazzling white beaches and coral reefs where you can sunbath against a back drop of the volcanoes of Lombok and snorkel, or dive in the spectacular coral gardens.

BASKET VILLAGES TOUR Local Craft Tours (8 hours) Price : USD 50.00/person Tete Batu: One of the mountain resorts located just below Mt. Rinjani, an idyllic place to stop for refreshments. Kota Raja (Loyok): The rural area situated on the eastern part of Lombok, where the inhabitants make handcrafts from plaited bamboo for daily use. Basket wallets and bags can be purchased here. Beleke: A small village, situated in central Lombok where the people make rattan handcrafts. Tanjung Luar: The biggest fishing village on the island, located southeast Lombok. You can see the village inhabitants in their daily life catching fish from traditional boats and selling them for the market. Narmada: The summer Palace of the former Balinese King Anak Agung Gede Ngurah from Karang Asem Bali, built in 1805. The name “Narmada” was derived from the name of a holy river in India. It also means “tear” or “unknown water”. Narmada was built for worshipping the Hindu God, SIWA. Lingsar: Pura Lingsar was built in 1714. It is the oldest and holiest temple in Lombok, owned by both Hindus and Moslem Waktu Telu.

NATURAL AQURIUM TOUR (Gili Trawangan, Meno, Air-8 hours) Price : USD 70.00/person First, we go North by boat to Gili Trawangan, the best place for snorkeling. Here we will find clear, shallow water where you can snorkel over colorful coral reef and see hundreds of variety of tropical fish in their natural habitat. Our next stop is the blue coral island of Gili Meno. On the last stop is Gili Air, where the snorkeling is also excellent and visit an interesting fishing settlement.