Lombok island is located east of Bali Indonesia and can be easily accessed by air or sea. Lombok is one of the popular tourist destinations in Indonesia and attracts travellers from all across the globe.
Lombok, an integral part of the Lesser Sunda Islands is situated in the province of West Nusa Tenggara an a series of small islands in the Indonesian archipelago. West Nusa Tenggara spread into two islands Lombok and Sumbawa. Lombok spans 90km from north to south and 80km from east to west.
It boasts untouched, pristine beaches, a bigger volcano, Mount Rinjani, and a huge variety of different landscapes and sceneries. The island of Lombok offers the most complete escape from the hustle and the bustle of towns. Tourist activity is confined to Senggigi, Kuta Lombok, and Gili islands, but even these places are low key compared with most part of Bali. The rest of the island is ripe for exploration.
The Lombok Peoples and Religion
The Sasaks are the largest ethnic group in Lombok, with their own language and traditions. Unlike Balinese, but in common with the majority of Indonesian's, they are Muslims.
Sasak is native indigenous inhabitants of Lombok (West Nusa Tenggara) was followed a belief in animism. Numbering about two million, they are thought to be descendents of a hill tribe in northern India and Myanmar (Burma). After the 16th century, Islam separated from Java and crossed the kingdoms to the Islands of Lombok and Sumbawa. Nowadays almost 90% of Lombok people are Muslim. In the 17th century the Balinese came to the west coast of Lombok Island. Within several decades a kingdom was established, extending the territory of the kingdom of Karang Asem, East of Bali. The Hindu Religion began to settle up on that times. In the beginning of the 18th century, the Dutch colonized the eastern part of Indonesia, including lesser Sunda (Bali, Lombok across to Timor). Belonging to the Dutch administration of the area they promoted Christian missions. The island in habitants are 85% are Sasak, 10 - 15% Balinese, with small reminder being Chinese, Arab, Javanese and Sumbawanese.
Lombok Geography
The Lombok strait marks the passage of the biologeographical division between the fauna of the Indomalayan ecozone and the distinctly different fauna of Australia that is known as the Wallace Line, for Alfred Russel Wallace. who first remaked upon the distinction between these two major biomes. The island's topography is dominated by the centrally-located stratovolcano Mount Rinjani, which rises 3,726 m - 12,224ft, making it the second highest mount in Indonesia. There are no recorded in history about when the first Rinjani erupted. The most recent eruption of Rinjani - Mount Baru (Rinjani Son) was in June - July 1994 and in year 2004. The volcano, and its sacred crater lake Segara Anak (child of the sea), are protected by a National Park established in 1997.
Lombok Climate
The are is two main season on Lombok. Dry season - from June to September - the heat can be scorching. At night, particularly at higher elevations, the temperature can drop so much a sweater and light jacket are necessary. The wet season extends from October and January – the wettest months.
Lombok Weather
The weather in Lombok is actually drier than Bali during the October to pebruary rainy season. And while it does rain during this time the sky generally opens up for only few hours and then you should experience plenty of sun.
Year round the island, which is located about 200 miles south of the equator, is tropical… meaning hot and humid. Being so close to the equator days are typically 12 hours long with sunrise around 6:30am and sunsets around 6:30pm. As a result it is hard to know what time of the year it is without looking at the climate.
The Lombok “dry season” begins in May and lasts through October. On the beach the temperatures are in the high 80s to the low 90s throughout much of the year during daylight hours, and a bit cooler in the evening. In the interior temperatures can actually heat up quite a bit. The exception is Mt. Rinjani, which at more than a mile high can get quite chilly.
The “wet season,” which again isn’t that wet has pretty much the same weather. The climate is often described as monsoon, but this in fact refers to the wind, not the rain. Thus the winter months are when the breezes pick up. And while the tourist season is from May to September, there is really no bad time to head to Lombok.
Lombok Flora and Fauna
The fictive ”Wallace Line” which separates Asia from Australia runs north-south between the island of Bali and Lombok. From the island of Lombok eastward, land becomes drier and less fertile. Also, the flora and fauna changes from the rest of Asia. Forests in west Nusa Tenggara are found mostly in mountain areas. Large parts of the Lombok mainland are coastal wetlands, irrigated fields and other wetlands. Extensive dry land areas are found on the island of Sumbawa. Species of plants growing in West Nusa Tenggara have specific importance for the life of the people. Species of plants found in the forests are Kesambi, Bungur, Sonokeling, Mahoni (Mahogani), Teak, Kelicung, Pala, Ipil and Bamboo Tutul. The island has the flower Dysspyros macrophylla as its symbol. Wild animals found on the island include wild pigs, small deer, deer, iguanas, porcupines, turtles and many kinds of poisonous snakes. Many kinds of bird are found here including Pring, Parrots, Bering, Koak Kaok, Cucak Rawa.
Health and Medical Information
Most hotels have on call doctors. For what it is known by Australian as "Bali Belly", Lomotil and Imodium eliminate Symptoms, but not infections. A fever along with the symptoms requires doctor prescribed antibiotics. Drink as much as liquid as possible. For discomfort, diarrhea, and cramping, drink strong, hot tea; avoid fruits and spicy food. Drink only bottled water or boiled water (air putih).
Peel the fruit before eating; avoid raw vegetables except at reputable restaurants. Ice in restaurants is safe. Protect yourself from the intense equatorial sun. Use sun block and hat. Sexually transmitted diseases are increasing in Indonesia. Local sex workers have multiple partners from all over the world. Act responsibly and use condoms, available over the counter at pharmacies.
Business Hours
Indonesian work in the morning to avoid the heat of the day. If you need to visit a government office, arrive between 08 AM and 11:30 AM. This also apply to banks and private businesses. Government offices close early on Fridays and Saturdays. Generally offices are open 07:30AM - 3 PM Monday - Thursday, 07:00AM - noon on Friday, banks are closed on Saturday and Sunday.
Cell Phone
Cellular phone in Indonesia is GSM. If you have brought your cellular hand phone, you can purchase prepaid calling cards to make outgoing calls at lower cost than calling on your home SIM. Shops which sell these cards are prolific. Major service providers are: Telkomsel, Satelindo and XL Ritel. Look for signs and banners with those markings.
Lombok Tourism Information 2008 to the Present
The years leading up to 2010 has seen a rapid revival and promotion of tourism recovery in the tourism industry. The number of visitors has far surpassed the pre-2000 levels. All signs indicate the long-term trend will see a steady increase in the number of visitor arrivals. Both the local government and many residents recognize that tourism and services related to tourism will continue to be the major source of income for the island. The island's natural beauty and the customary hospitality of its residents make it an obvious tourist destination. Lombok retains the allure of an undeveloped and natural environment. Tourism visits to this tropical island are increasing again as both international and local tourists are re-discovering the charms of Lombok. With this new interest comes the development of a number of boutique resorts on the island providing quality accommodation, food and drinks in near proximity to an relatively unspoiled countryside. The Indonesian government is actively promoting both Lombok and neighboring Sumbawa as Indonesia's number two tourism destination after Bali. The President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the Ministry of Cultural and Tourism and the regional Governor have made public statements supporting the development of Lombok as a tourism destination and setting a goal of 1 million visitors annually by the year 2012 for the combined destination of Lombok and Sumbawa. This has seen infrastructure improvements to the island including road upgrades and the construction of a much delayed new International airport in the islands south.
