General Information
Lombok is about three-quarters the size of Bali and is estimated to have, surprisingly, approximately 2.5 million inhabitants making it slightly more densely populated than Bali. As mentioned Lombok is only 70 kilometres from Bali and is separated by the ecologically significant Wallace Line (the Wallace Line is the demarcation line separating Equatorial Asia from Marsupial Australia that marks vast and immediately noticeable changes in the flora and fauna from Bali).
As well, Lombok lies only 8° (375km) south of the equator. As such the weather is tropical. Days are almost universally 12 hours long with sunrise is approximately 6:20 a.m.; sunset at 6:30 p.m. depending on the time of year. The daytime temperature averages between 27° C to 32° C ( 80° F to 90° F) along the western coastal area (the main tourist venue). Average temperature inland is 29° C to 34° C. And if you plan to trek Mt. Rinjani bring a sweater - at 3,726 metres it is Indonesia's second tallest mountain and gets surprisingly cold up there.
Lombok's tropical monsoon climate has two distinct seasons; dry (May to September) and wet (October to March). Monsoon refers to the wind, not the rain. However even in the wet monsoon the rain tends to be short lived and localized. Weather wise May, June are July are generally considered the best months.
Gilli Island
In the local dialect the word Gili means island. As such there are many islands using the word "Gili" that are found off the north, west, east, and south coasts of Lombok. In this exercise we will cover the three Gili Islands off the northwest coast of Lombok that are known as Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan. These are the most popular of all the islands that surround Lombok and have become tourist destinations in their own right.
As there are no natural basins for catching rain water on any of the three islands, fresh water has to be bought in from the mainland for cooking and drinking. Furthermore since no fresh water on the islands swimming pools and showers use salt water - kind of sticky the first day but everyone adjusts after a day or two. Note: a real advantage of the salt water is that the islands are, for the most part, mosquito-free since mosquitos do not breed in salt water.
You will need to take an outrigger from Bangsal Harbour. From Senggigi Beach to Bangsal Harbour takes about 40 minutes by car. There are many small transport companies that promote transport to all the Gili Islands. The posted fare includes transport to take you to Bangsal Harbour and as well as price for a public boat crossing. At the time this was written the total cost was usually Rp. 23,000.-/person. (Rp. 20,000-/person for the ride to Bangsal Habour and Rp. 3,000.-/person for the public boat crossing). For small groups you may be able to negotiate the Rp. 20,000.-/ per person price but not the Rp. 3,000.-/ for the boat which is fixed.
Unfortunately there are no public bemos going directly from Senggigi to Bangsal. Adventurous folks may wish to take a 2.5 hours bemo ride that passes through Ampenan, Gunung Sari and Pemenang before eventually ending up in Bangsal.
All vehicles - cars, buses and public bemos must stop a half kilometer from the harbour. This is an effort to spread the benefits of tourism amongst the cidomo drivers. The "correct" fare to ride the cidomo to the habour is Rp. 1,000.- / person. (Unfortunately the cidomo drivers try to take advantage of the situation and charge whatever they think you will pay). However if you don't have much luggage you can easily walk the remaining 500 metres to the harbour.
When you arrive at the entrance to the habour you will be set upon all manor of people trying to sell you passage to the islands. However the habour master is located in a large building back 100 meters to the left of the entrance. There you can find the current prices for all boats, "scheduled" departure times and other information as you may need.
Lombok is about three-quarters the size of Bali and is estimated to have, surprisingly, approximately 2.5 million inhabitants making it slightly more densely populated than Bali. As mentioned Lombok is only 70 kilometres from Bali and is separated by the ecologically significant Wallace Line (the Wallace Line is the demarcation line separating Equatorial Asia from Marsupial Australia that marks vast and immediately noticeable changes in the flora and fauna from Bali).
As well, Lombok lies only 8° (375km) south of the equator. As such the weather is tropical. Days are almost universally 12 hours long with sunrise is approximately 6:20 a.m.; sunset at 6:30 p.m. depending on the time of year. The daytime temperature averages between 27° C to 32° C ( 80° F to 90° F) along the western coastal area (the main tourist venue). Average temperature inland is 29° C to 34° C. And if you plan to trek Mt. Rinjani bring a sweater - at 3,726 metres it is Indonesia's second tallest mountain and gets surprisingly cold up there.
Lombok's tropical monsoon climate has two distinct seasons; dry (May to September) and wet (October to March). Monsoon refers to the wind, not the rain. However even in the wet monsoon the rain tends to be short lived and localized. Weather wise May, June are July are generally considered the best months.
Gilli IslandIn the local dialect the word Gili means island. As such there are many islands using the word "Gili" that are found off the north, west, east, and south coasts of Lombok. In this exercise we will cover the three Gili Islands off the northwest coast of Lombok that are known as Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan. These are the most popular of all the islands that surround Lombok and have become tourist destinations in their own right.
As there are no natural basins for catching rain water on any of the three islands, fresh water has to be bought in from the mainland for cooking and drinking. Furthermore since no fresh water on the islands swimming pools and showers use salt water - kind of sticky the first day but everyone adjusts after a day or two. Note: a real advantage of the salt water is that the islands are, for the most part, mosquito-free since mosquitos do not breed in salt water.
You will need to take an outrigger from Bangsal Harbour. From Senggigi Beach to Bangsal Harbour takes about 40 minutes by car. There are many small transport companies that promote transport to all the Gili Islands. The posted fare includes transport to take you to Bangsal Harbour and as well as price for a public boat crossing. At the time this was written the total cost was usually Rp. 23,000.-/person. (Rp. 20,000-/person for the ride to Bangsal Habour and Rp. 3,000.-/person for the public boat crossing). For small groups you may be able to negotiate the Rp. 20,000.-/ per person price but not the Rp. 3,000.-/ for the boat which is fixed.
Unfortunately there are no public bemos going directly from Senggigi to Bangsal. Adventurous folks may wish to take a 2.5 hours bemo ride that passes through Ampenan, Gunung Sari and Pemenang before eventually ending up in Bangsal.
All vehicles - cars, buses and public bemos must stop a half kilometer from the harbour. This is an effort to spread the benefits of tourism amongst the cidomo drivers. The "correct" fare to ride the cidomo to the habour is Rp. 1,000.- / person. (Unfortunately the cidomo drivers try to take advantage of the situation and charge whatever they think you will pay). However if you don't have much luggage you can easily walk the remaining 500 metres to the harbour.
When you arrive at the entrance to the habour you will be set upon all manor of people trying to sell you passage to the islands. However the habour master is located in a large building back 100 meters to the left of the entrance. There you can find the current prices for all boats, "scheduled" departure times and other information as you may need.
