Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Lembar
The main port for Bali is the huge natural harbour of LEMBAR , 22km south of Mataram.
The port has a reputation for hassle , with new arrivals being intimidated by transport touts
loitering in the car park, so many tourists find it easier to prebook through-transport from
Bali , buying tickets that include the ferry and then a shuttle bus to Senggigi, Kuta or else-
where. The town is industrial and swarms with traffic; there is no reason to linger.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: LEMBAR
Ignore the car-park transport touts and simply walk straight on through the car park (where
theres a BRI ATM), turning right after 300m at the T-junction for the bemo and taxi ranks.
By boat Ferries to and from Padang Bai operate round the clock. If you're buying a ferry
ticket for Bali, do so at the checkpoint booths, not from anyone else. Tickets for Pelni ferries
can be bought on the day of departure from the port, or in advance from the Pelni office in
Mataram (Jl Industri 1, Ampenan; Mon-Fri 9am-4pm, Sat 9am-noon;
0370 637212,
pelni.co.id ) .
By shuttle bus Perama and other shuttle-bus operators wait for prebooked guests in the port
car park.
By bemo Public bemos run from the bemo rank just beyond the car park to Mataram's Man-
dalika terminal (most frequently from 6-11am; 30min; Rp20,000) and Sekotong (regularly
from 6am-5pm; 1hr; Rp30,000). For other destinations in the southwest you'll probably have
to charter: about Rp200,000 to Tawun or Rp350,000 to Bangko Bangko
Destinations Mataram (Mandalika; 30min); Sekotong (1hr).
By taxi Taxis, whether prebooked (Express 0370 635968, expressgroup.co.id ; Blue Bird
0370 627000, bluebirdgroup.com ) or for hire, must wait at the rank 300m outside the
port, near the Tidar hotel. A taxi to Senggigi should cost about Rp200,000, to Kuta about
Rp250,000.
ACCCOMMODATION
Tidar 0370 681022. If you get stranded, opt for the basic accommodation here in a row
of quirky bungalows, and the small restaurant (daily 8am-10pm), 60 0m from the ferry jetty,
down the main road. Staff are used to travellers arriving at all hours. Rp100,000
The southwest peninsula
Remote and beautiful, with an attractive shoreline and a scattering of picture-perfect white-
sand islets just offshore, the southwest peninsula - often simply referred to as Sekotong ,
after one of the main settlements - is still little visited. But the snorkelling is exceptional,
with arguably the most pristine coral in Lombok, and there's excellent diving and famously
world-class surfing at Bangko Bangko's Desert Point. Accommodation is widely dispersed,
and most visitors come simply for a day's snorkelling, but there are rooms for every budget
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