{"id":1669,"date":"2018-10-22T08:13:13","date_gmt":"2018-10-22T08:13:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.travelwithanda.com\/?p=1669"},"modified":"2018-10-24T13:42:07","modified_gmt":"2018-10-24T13:42:07","slug":"5-things-to-see-in-lombok","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelwithanda.com\/index.php\/2018\/10\/22\/5-things-to-see-in-lombok\/","title":{"rendered":"5 things to see in Lombok"},"content":{"rendered":"

Want to visit Bali but you are afraid you will end up on a crowded beach or taking a selfie in a rice field full of tourists? Then consider visiting less commercialized Lombok instead. It is just 2 hours\u2019 ferry ride away from Bali. Or just fly in directly from Singapore, Jakarta or Kuala Lumpur. Lombok can offer you stunning beaches, very clean seas, lush green inland, lively waterfalls, friendly monkeys and an impressive Mt Rinjani \u2013 an active volcano with breathtaking views of the lake inside its crater. We visited Lombok in September<\/a>, only a month after the terrible earthquakes<\/a>, so a lot of places we wanted to see were closed or had limited access. Which was actually just fine because we only had 9 days to enjoy the island, and we didn\u2019t want to spend them running around like mad, wanting to become famous on Instagram. So, if you want to combine easy going beach vacation with some short trips to make your vacation memorable, here are 5 things to see in Lombok<\/strong> (limited to the South and West part of the island).\"Image<\/p>\n

South Lombok: Kuta, Pink Beach and Tanjug Ringgit <\/strong><\/p>\n

Our plan for the first few days was to rest and make a few short motorbike trips across Ekas peninsula.<\/strong> We rented a motorbike from Jeeva Beloam<\/a> camp staff and drove to see the famous Pink beach,<\/strong> which is actually not so pink anymore (the locals told us that red corals, which reflect the pink color, are slowly disappearing). While the place itself is well worth visiting, especially the view from the near viewpoint is fantastic, keep in mind that the road is really rough, so be ready for quite a journey. There are also some snorkeling opportunities among the coral reefs, but not nearly as good as in Gili islands (which we didn\u2019t visit, as they were closed). Just a few minutes\u2019 drive away you can see the cliffs of<\/strong> Tanjung Ringgit<\/strong> \u2013 rough ocean waves hitting the cliffs in the 50 shades of blue.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, we didn\u2019t have time nor the strength (my bf hurt his knee badly, playing hero among the giant waves of Timor sea) to visit Kuta<\/strong>, which is supposed to be the pearl of the south Lombok. But from what I heard this area has become the second tourist hotspot on Lombok and we are really not interested in massive tourism (although Lombok Kuta is still NOTHING compared to the overcrowded Kuta in Bali). There are however some dream beaches<\/strong> around Kuta area, which are worth visiting: Mawun beach, Selong Belanak and Tajnung Aan.\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

West Lombok: Senggigi, Mangsit and Nipah beach <\/strong><\/p>\n

Senggigi <\/strong>with its long sandy beach, covered with hotels, bars, restaurants and tour operators, is the center of Lombok tourism. If you like day and night hustle and bustle, this is the place to be. For us it was actually the only way to get some decent food because in Mangsit<\/strong> (where we stayed at Jeeva Santai villas<\/a>) nothing was open. A taxi from Mangsit to Senggigi costed only 1$, but we decided to rent a motorbike to be even more flexible. We kept returning to Senggigi every day for dining and fantastic massages<\/strong> for less than 5$ at Orchid day\u2019s spa! Plus, we found awesome cappuccino and fresh bread (which is impossible to get anywhere else) at Temptations caf\u00e9 and bakery.<\/p>\n