LOMBOK ISLAND

The tropical island of Lombok - The little sister of Bali - just about 40Km east of Bali, is still almost untouched by tourism, here you can find the original world of Indonesia with its rich cultural and traditional life.

A terrific scenerie with green rice fields and the long untouched sandy beaches, mountains, coralls, palms and tradional villages as well as a almost 4000M high volcano. There is so much to see in Lombok - come and explore it with us.

History, Geographic:

Lombok is about three-quarters the size of Bali and is estimated to have surprisingly, approx. 2.5Million inhabitants, making it slightly more densely populated than Bali. Lombok lies only 375Km south of the equator. The weather is tropical with days 12hours long all the year. Temperatures between 27C and 32C the whole year. There is a dry season from May to September and a wet season from October to March. The best time to travel is - weather wise - May until August.

Today the majority of the people are Moslems, but there Hindus and a minority of Christians. The Balinese built their temples and palaces and participate in ceremonies and rituals with as much devotion as in the neighboring island of Bali. All the religions live in respecting coexistence. Lombok is where you can find almost every day of the year some form of traditional ceremony going on.

HOW TO GET THERE:

By airplane there are Domestic flights from Jakarta, Yogyakarta and Surabaya every day. (Garuda Airlines). From Denpasar Bali five times every day (Merpati Airlines). International Flights

4times a week from Singapore to Mataram Lombok (Silk Air, daughter of Singapore Airlines). By Seaway: Fast boats leaving from Benoa Harbour Bali, or by Ferry (Car, Passenger) leaving from PadangBai Bali.

MONEY:

You can easily exchange most currencies (cash or travelers checks) into the local currency, the Indonesian Rupiah. Exchanges you find at Money Changers in Senggigi or Mataram and all Banks. Only if you intend to visit east or south lombok it's better to change your money first.

TIPPING:

All tipping is entirely optional. Especially in Hotels the staff hopes getting tipped because of low salary. So if your happy with , services provided, the following guidelines may be useful:

Porters: Up to 5,000Rp per luggage
Driver : Up to 25,000Rp per day Tour
Guide : Up to 25,000Rp per Tour
Room Boy: 10,000Rp. per Day in Hotel

HEALTH:

Make sure your vaccinations for common diseases are up-to-date. There are cases of Malaria so discuss with your doctor for taking prophylactic drugs especially for long term visitors (more than 1Month).

DRIVING INFORMATIONS, RENT CAR:

Rent car and Motorbike is easy in Lombok. You need a international Driving permit and strong nerves to drive a vehicle in Lombok. However its recommended to hire a driver to explore the island. Rent our full AC car for only US$ 20.--/12 hrs incl. driver and guide, excl. fuel to discover the island.