Lombok Hotels

Lombok has gotten more popular over the past few years. People who think Bali is too crowded but are essentialy looking for the same things Bali offers, head for Lombok. The island has tranquil countryside, one urban area ( Mataram), great beaches, a spectacular volcano and one established holiday resort Senggigi. Gunung Rinjani is great for trekking with or without a guide (it takes a day to get up to the rim of the volcano where you can camp for the night ready for a 3-4 hour push for the rocky eastern summit on Day 2 of your trek. Take bottled water with you! You need a degree of stamina for this quite tough trek but the flora and fauna - including monkeys - are memorable.), the gili islands offer some of the best snorkeling in Indonesia. Lobok's Kuta beach has big waves and good surfing. Add all of these elements together and you have a pretty good holiday destination. Not as crowded as Bali but with the same fun, sun and action. It is easy to get to and from Lombok to neighbouring islands by ferry boat or inexpensive air connections. This is an island where Ghekko lizards, with their characteristic loud call, are very common. Lombok is the most popular destination in Nusa Tenggara, with the fabled Gili Islands drawing visitors for action both in and out of the water, mighty Gunung Rinjani luring trekkers, and the big breaks on the south coast a magnet for surfers. Matram, Lombok's capital, is a good spot for day trips to the surrounding areas, and nearby Senggigi is superbly positioned along a stretch or sweeping bays. In east Lombok, the very scenic Sumbawa offers low key tourism and some good surf breaks.The island of Lombok shapes up at about 80km from east to west and about the same from north to south, with lush evergreen landscapes and parts which are chronically dry. Droughts, particularly in the south and east, can last for months, causing crop failure and famine – though recent improvements in water management have made life in Lombok less precarious.Rice is an important crop, though yields are lower here than on neighbouring islands. Tobacco, coconuts, coffee, kapok and cotton are also important crops, while cloves, vanilla, pineapple and pepper have also been introduced. The indigenous Sasak (around 90% of the population) are Muslims but have a culture and language unique to Lombok. There's also a significant Hindu Balinese minority – a legacy of the time when Bali controlled Lombok