Basics - The Rough Guide to Bali and Lombok - page 63

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OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
The sea and the mountains are the two great focuses of outdoor activities in Bali and
Lombok. Bali in particular is renowned for its world-class surf breaks, and both islands
offer excellent diving as well as several spectacular volcano hikes.
Surfing
Bali's volcanic reef-fringed coastline has made the island one of the world's great surfing
centres, with a reputation for producing an unusually high number of perfect and consistent
tubes and waves that regularly top 5m. There are also plenty of gentler beach breaks, which
are ideal for beginners.
From April to October, the southeast trade winds blow offshore, fanning the waves off
Bali is southwest coast and off Nusa Lembongan. This is both the best time of year for surf
and the pleasantest, as it's also the dry season. The most famous and challenging of the
southwestern breaks are around Uluwatu on the Bukit Peninsula - at Balangan , Dream-
land , Bingin , Padang Padang and Suluban . These are tough, world-class breaks and get
very crowded, particularly from June to August; small, surfer-oriented resorts have grown
up around each one. Nusa Lembongan 's breaks can be less busy but are also challenging.
Novice and less confident surfers generally start with the breaks around Kuta , Canggu and
Medewi . From November to March, the winds blow from the northwest, bringing rain to
Bali's main beach breaks, though the lesser breaks off eastern Bali, around Sanur and Nusa
Dua , are still surfable at this time of year.
On Lombok , Bangko Bangko's Desert Point is rated as one of the world's top breaks, but
there are plenty of other good breaks for all levels of experience around Kuta on the south
coast, including at Gerupuk , Mawi , Ekas and Selong Blanak .
Bali and Lombok have so many different breaks that it's worth doing your homework and
being selective if you're a novice; even pros find the tougher breaks very challenging.
Equipment, lessons and information
The main surf centres are Kuta, Bali and Kuta, Lombok. In both these resorts you'll find
shops that rent boards from around Rp50,000 per day, sell new boards and international-
brand equipment, and repair boards. Some also run surf schools , offering lessons from
around $50 per half-day, and even kitesurfing lessons; there is also a women-only luxury
surf camp, Surf Goddess Retreats ( surfgoddessretreats.com ), in Seminyak. For detailed re-
views of surf breaks, see the book Indo Surf and Lingo , available from indosurf.com.au
and from surfshops and bookshops in Bali; the Bali Waves website ( baliwaves.com ) is also
useful.