Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DIVING AND SNORKELLING IN SOUTHWEST LOMBOK
There's first-class snorkelling and diving in southwest Lombok, with famously pristine cor-
al and very few people to share it with. Of the many local sites,
Gili Layar
is great for
snorkelling and also for macro-photographers; it's frequented by turtles, has masses of fish
and very good coral. At
Gili Nanggu
there's very good snorkelling right from the beach.
Gili Rengit
is good for novice divers and has a lovely beach;
Medang
has coral stairs and
nudibranchs; and
Batu Gendang
, near Desert Point, rewards experienced divers with eagle
rays, sharks and Napoleon wrasse.
DIVE CENTRES
Snorkelling
can be arranged through any accommodation and with boat captains at any of
the village harbours. For
diving
, expect to pay from $74 for two dives. Centres can organ-
ize dive-and-stay packages and snorkelling trips. The best season is March to September;
the dive centres wind down activities from December to March when visibility is bad.
Oddysea Divers
Cocotinos
0819 0797 2401,
odysseadivers.com
.
An upmarket dive
centre.
Dive Zone
At
Desert Point Lodge
and opposite the
Sundancer resort
0813 3954 4998,
Pelangan
PELANGAN
, 2km west of Tembowong, 33km from Lembar and 13km from Bangko
Bangko, is the largest village in this part of the peninsula. The coast here is beautifully tran-
quil, with views to the nearby headland and across to Gili Gede, though in the wet season
swimming's not so great because of the rivers that empty into the bay.
Labuhan Poh and around
From Pelangan, the road skirts the dramatic, almost circular bay, enclosed by forested hills
and headlands, and takes in views of islands fringed with white sand. Accommodation is
strung out along a 2.5km stretch of road around the villages of
LABUHAN POH
and
Batu
Putih
, about 5km west of
Bola Bola
, less than 8km from Bangko Bangko. Just offshore is
pretty little
Gili Asahan
, which has a tiny fishing village, a pearl farm and accommodation.
Bangko Bangko and Desert Point
Beyond Batu Putih, the road continues 2km west through a protected forest to Selegong vil-
lage, where the sealed road ends. It's another 1km to an unsigned junction; the right fork
takes you to the fishing village of
BANGKO BANGKO
, 2.5km down the stony but passable
track. Continue through the village to a wild beach with views of Nusa Penida. The left fork
takes you via a much rougher 2km track to the
surf break
at
Desert Point
. From mid-May to
