About Lombok

LOMBOK, AN UNDISCOVERED PARADISE

Lombok, although only 70 miles to the east of Bali, feels as if it’s almost another country in another time. Lombok’s beautiful landscapes are some of the finest in the Indonesian archipelago, with only a fraction of the hustle and bustle of its neighbors, Bali and Java.

Villagers commute unhurriedly via cidomos (horse drawn carts) through small family farms from town to town. There are also a diverse selection of hotels to stay in on Lombok, giving you more choice and better value! The time in Lombok is GMT + 8 hours.

Lombok Island is truly an undiscovered paradise. Lombok and Sumbawa, the two main Islands of West Nusa Tenggara, and other small islands known as The Gilis, invite you with their charming variety of landscapes, places of interest, and exciting outdoor activities for tourists.

Exotic tropical islands and coastlines lined with pristine beaches, a wonderful climate, and the natural beauty of this island combine to create a truly unique tropical paradise that everyone should visit at least once. In addition, Lombok also has ideal waters for all underwater activities (such as swimming, sunbathing, sailing, diving, surfing, fishing and much more). Finish your trek off with a relaxing swim in the ocean, or try any of the exciting water sports we have on offer here!

LOCATION

Lombok is situated between 115°45 and 119°10 east and to the south of the equator between 8°52 and 9°52 south. As such, this island is perfectly located within the “golden triangle” that contains many of Indonesia’s best-kept secrets: East Nusa Tenggara (Komodo Island), Bali (the Island of Gods), and Toraja Tribal Island in Sulawesi.

It comprises of an area of 20,153 km2. For the entire part, it is mountainous and hilly with Low and High Plains from the western part until the eastern end of Sumbawa Island.

It’s Length from west to east 80 km. Sumbawa is 300 km from west to east and of 100 km from north to south its coastline extends 2500 km and territorial waters of 29,000 km2 inclusive 137 islands of which 70 are inhabited. Sumbawa with 75 % of the land area owns only 25% of total population, even though it is opposite to Lombok which owns only 75% of the population.

CLIMATE

The climate on Lombok is generally similar to other areas with a tropical climate in Indonesia. The temperature ranges from 21° to 33° Celsius. There are two seasons – namely the wet and dry seasons. Here on Lombok, the wet season runs from October to March and the dry season runs from April to September. January in particular can be very rainy and windy, reaching its peak in February.

ENVIRONMENT

Marine Ecology has played an important role in forming beautiful coral reefs with sea grasses and seaweed vegetation, where the majority of reefs are found in Nusa Tenggara Region. In the future, these areas could potentially accelerate the development of tourism, fisheries, and pharmaceutical products.

With the seasonal nature of the monsoon, the vegetation on Nusa Tenggara is influenced by the distribution of rainfall throughout the year, rather than by the total annual rainfall.

FLORA & FAUNA

Flora and fauna in Lombok are based on the well-known “Wallace Line” that separates flora and fauna in Asia from Australia, which runs north to south between the islands of Lombok and Bali.

Forests here are found mostly in mountain areas. Huge parts of Lombok are coastal wetlands, irrigated fields and other wetlands – while extensive dry land areas can be found on the island of Sumbawa. Many species of plants growing here have specific importance that influences the life of our people (such as kesambi, bungur, sonokeling, mahogany, teak, kelicung, pala, ipil, bamboo, and tutul). There are also several types animals spread over the area according to climate and natural conditions (such as wild pigs, small deer, deer, iguanas, porcupines, turtles, and many kinds of snakes and birds).

RELIGION

The original inhabitants of Lombok formerly followed an animistic belief system. The Sasak, a local tribe of Lombok, is believed to have come from northwest India or Myanmar.

Nowadays, the people of Lombok are 90% Muslim but people of other religions can also be found, including Balinese Hindus (who mostly live in the western part), Christians, and Buddhists.

It’s fascinating to see such varied forms of religious life with different worship places and practices coexisting with mutual respect for one another – it’s one of the beautiful things about our culture here on Lombok.

PEOPLE & CULTURE

Lombok’s ethnic groups have their own respective costumes and traditions, which are still alive today. The marriage custom ceremonies are the most dominant ones, and the time-honored tradition of catching sea worms (nyale) usually takes place on the southern coast of Lombok (which is comprised of Seger Desa Beach, Kuta, Selong Blanak, Mawun and Kaliantan Beach)

GOVERNMENT

As a province, this autonomous region is governed by a Governor of the 1st Level Regional Administration, who is elected for a term of 5 years by the Regional Parliament and confirmed by The President of Republic of Indonesia. The Governor plays an important role for conducting administration, coordinating, planning, and developing and promoting all aspects of social life.

There are seven regencies and two municipalities on Lombok:

1. West Lombok Regency with its capital in Gerung
2. Central Lombok Regency with its capital in Praya
3. East Lombok Regency with its capital in Selong
4. West Sumbawa Regency with its capital in Taliwang
5. Sumbawa Regency with its capital in Sumbawa Besar
6. Dompu Regency with its capital in Dompu
7. Bima Regency with its capital in Bima

In addition, there are two municipalities: Mataram and Bima City.