Lombok: Bali's Wilder, Grander, More Honest Neighbor
Lombok sits just 35km east of Bali, separated by a narrow strait, but the two islands exist in entirely different worlds. Where Bali is sophisticated and increasingly curated, Lombok is raw and revelatory. This is the island that rewards the traveler who looks beyond the obvious.
The presence of Mount Rinjani, an active volcano rising 3,726 meters, Indonesia's second-highest peak dominates the north of the island both physically and spiritually. The two-to-three-day trek to its summit is considered one of the greatest hikes in all of Asia, culminating in views over a crater lake of impossible blue called Segara Anak, with a younger volcanic cone, Gunung Baru, rising from its center.
Kuta Lombok, not to be confused with Kuta Bali, Kuta Lombok is a revelation. Set around a bay of extraordinary geometric beauty, flanked by hills of dry savannah and surrounded by a string of beaches, Mawun, Selong Belanak, Tanjung Aan, it represents Bali's Seminyak from 25 years ago: genuinely beautiful, gradually developing, still predominantly yours to discover.
The surf here, particularly at Desert Point on the southwestern tip, is legendary in the global surfing community, a left-hand barrel considered among the most perfect in the world. Gerupuk Bay and Ekas Bay offer gentler alternatives for learning.
Lombok is also the gateway to the Gili Islands, departing from Bangsal port in the north and you're at Gili T in 20 minutes. Combine a few days in Lombok with a Gili escape and you have the perfect Indonesian double act.