Indonesia - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 284

TRIPS TO SUMBAWA, KOMODO AND FLORES
Travel agencies on Lombok and the Gili Islands advertise boat trips to Flores via Sumbawa,
Komodo and Rinca, including snorkelling, trekking, sightseeing and a visit to see the Komodo
dragons, with some including diving. Conditions on board can be pretty basic and comforts
limited. Prices vary, starting at around Rp2,750,000 per person for a three- to five-day trip. Be
clear where the trip ends and how you'll move on (air transport out of Labuanbajo on Flores
can be di cult to arrange). Tour operators include Perama ( W peramatour.com; contact any
o ce) and Kencana Adventure ( T 0370 693432, W kencanaadventure.com) - widely available
through agents in Senggigi and the Gili Islands. Dive centres in Senggigi (see below) also run
live-aboard trips that call in at Sumbawa, Komodo and Flores.

DIVE OPERATORS
Fun dives cost around $65, while PADI Open Water courses
will set you back around $370. Most operators also have
o ces in the Gili Islands, and offer diving instructor and
live-aboard trips.
Blue Marlin Holiday Resort Hotel T 0370 693719, W blue
marlindive.com.
Dive Zone Bidy Tours next to Senggigi Jaya Supermarket
T 0370 660 3205, W divezone-lombok.com.
Dream Divers Jl Raya Senggigi Kau T 0370 693738,
W dreamdivers.com.

to its west, which is full of locals on dates,
food stalls and splashing children.
Proximity to the airport makes it an ideal
first- or last-night destination but it is
also a good base from which to explore
the island. here are, however, plenty of
hawkers in the central areas - keeping
your cool and getting to know them is
the best approach.
Plenty of operators cater for people who
want to dive in the Gili Islands, and
operators also take snorkellers on trips
(around Rp200,000 per half day), though
if you plan to travel to the Gilis you'd be
better off saving your diving for then
when you won't have to pay for transport.
Tour operators along the main strip
also offer cycling tours (from around
Rp400,000 per day) that take you to
the picturesque Sekotong Beach and
Pengsong Hill.

4

ACCOMMODATION
Noise from local mosques and bars is an issue in central
Senggigi, so bring earplugs.

SOUTH SENGGIGI
★

Sunset House Beachfront T 0370 692020, W sunset
house-lombok.com. Pretty, well-maintained cottages set
in an ornamental garden right on the beachfront. Break-
fast is delive red directly to your private balcony/veranda.
Rp450,000

ARRIVAL, DEPARTURE AND GETTING
AROUND
By plane From the airport, a metered taxi will cost about
Rp200,000-250,000. A DAMRI airport bus departs every
90min from outside the Art Market on Jl Raya Senggigi
(3am-8pm).
By bemo Bemos to and from Ampenan run throughout
the day (every 15-20min) along the main road as far as
Lendang Luar.
By boat The speedboats from Bali to the Gili Islands
drop passengers at Teluk Nara, north of Senggigi, but the
majority of companies include a shuttle-bus service to
central Senggigi in the price. If not, note that there's a taxi
desk by the jetty where you can buy a voucher for a share
taxi to central Sengiggi. Perama has an o ce in central
Senggigi (daily 6am-10pm; T 0370 693007, W perama
tour.com) which operates a daily boat to Gili Trawangan
at 10am (1hr 30min; Rp200,000), which then goes on
directly to Padang Bai (Rp400,000), from where there are
connections to destinations across Bali.

CENTRAL SENGGIGI
★

Beach Club Jl Raya Senggigi T 0370 693637, W the
beachclublombok.com. Australian-run beachside resort with
excellent-value en-suite “backpacker rooms” close to the
pool, with a common room for lounging and watching DV Ds.
Also much smarter bungalows (Rp650,000). Rp185,000

TREAT YOURSELF
Windy Beach Resort Mangsit, 5km
north of central Senggigi T 0370 693191,
W windybeach.com. Several standards of
well-furnished bungalows in a great
garden with a stunning beachside pool
(Rp20,000 for non-residents). All rooms
have hot water and a/c, and there's a
restaurant. There are a couple of good
spots for sno rkelling n earby (you can rent
equipment). Rp550,000

★