Lombok Beckons Tourists

The island of Lombok is located to the east of Bali. Although its tourism is not as developed as that of neighbouring Bali it is the perfect alternative. You can visit picturesque mountainside landscapes or the white sandy beaches of the Gili Islands or even ride around the island on a motorbike.

It has a population of 2 million inhabitants and has an exceptional combination of unspoiled scenery, wonderful beaches and exotic mosaic of Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu and Christian cultures What I like about the island is that it is not cluttered by resort, fast-food chains, malls or traffic jams.

Lombok also has the third largest volcano in all of Indonesia, Mount Rinjani, with a height of 3,726 meters high with a crater lake called Segara Anak. The best time to come is in the month of May when the weather is just perfect. Bali accounts for nearly three-quarters of Indonesia's earnings from tourism expected to exceed $6 billion US this year. But tourist arrivals plunged after the terrorist bombings in 2002 and last year. The traditional hordes of sun worshippers, scuba divers and surfers have been slow to return. The downturn in Bali did not echo much in next door Lombok which had a very good year in 2005.

Lombok is a great place to visit and for me I preferred the east of the island and far away from the tourist scene. The Sasak people are beautiful and a trip to any of their villages is delightful. If you are getting tired of the usual humdrum of Bali then get over to Lombok, you will not regret it.