Travel Guide

Places To See

Taman Narmada

Laid out as a miniature replica of the summit of Gunung Rinjani and its crater lake, Taman Narmada takes its name from a sacred Indian river. Its temple, Pura Kalasa, is still used and the Balinese Pujawali celebration is held here annually. This is a beautiful place to spend a few hours, but it tends to get crowded on weekends.

Museum Negeri Nusa Tenggara Barat

This modern museum has exhibits on the geology, history and culture of Lombok and Sumbawa, and is worth a look if you have a free hour or so. If you intend buying any antiques or handicrafts, have a look at the kris (daggers), songket (silver or gold-threaded cloth), basketware and masks for a starting point.

Pura Lingsar

This large temple complex, built in 1714, is the holiest place on Lombok. The temple combines the Balinese Hindu and Wektu Telu religions in one complex. The Hindu temple in the northern section is higher than the Wektu Telu temple in the southern section. It's an especially fascinating place for those interested in Wektu Telu, Lombok's indigenous religion.

The Wektu Telu temple is noted for its small enclosed pond devoted to Lord Vishnu, and the holy eels which can be enticed from their hiding places with hard-boiled eggs (available at stalls outside). You will be expected to rent a sash and/or sarong (or bring your own) to enter the temple, but not to enter the outer buildings.

A huge ritual battle, Perang Topat, is held here every year here in mid-December. After a costumed parade, Hindus and Wektu pelt each other with ketupat (sticky rice in coconut leaves).

Pre-Departure Information

When to go?

The wet season (October to March) is humid but generally fine for travelling, though note that many hiking trails (including the Gunung Rinjani trek) are not accessible during these months. Towards the end of the dry season (April to September) the landscape can get very arid and dusty.

Weather Information

Lombok's weather is tropical - 12 hour days, 28°C - 34°C (83°F - 93°F) average temperatures throughout the year and two main seasons, the wet (October to March) and the dry (May to September).

History and Culture

Pre-20th Centure History

The earliest recorded society on Lombok was the relatively small kingdom of the Sasak. The Sasak people were agriculturalists and animists who practised ancestor and spirit worship. The original Sasak are believed to have come overland from northwestern India or Myanmar (Burma) in waves of migration that predated most Indonesian ethnic groups. Only a few archaeological relics remain from the old animist kingdoms, but animism has left its mark on the culture, although the majority of Sasak people today are Muslim. Not much is known about Lombok before the 17th century, at which time it was split into numerous, frequently squabbling states, each presided over by a Sasak 'prince' - a disunity exploited by the neighbouring Balinese. Balinese princes ruled Lombok from the mid-18th century until the 1890s, when the Dutch sided with the Sasaks and defeated the Balinese in bloody battles. Under Dutch rule, the eastern islands of Indonesia were grouped together as the Lesser Sunda Islands, administered from Singaraja, Bali. Taxes resulted in the impoverishment of the majority of peasants and the creation of a new stratum of Chinese middlemen.

Modern History

When Soekarno proclaimed Indonesian independence on 17 August 1945, the Lesser Sunda Islands were formed into the single province of Nusa Tenggara, which means 'Islands of the Southeast'. This proved far too unwieldy to govern and in 1958 the province was divided into three separate regions - Bali, Nusa Tenggara Barat (West Nusa Tenggara) and Nusa Tenggara Timur (East Nusa Tenggara). In the wake of the attempted coup and Soekarno's downfall in 1965, Lombok experienced mass killings of communists, sympathisers and ethnic Chinese, as did Bali and other parts of Indonesia. Under President Soeharto's 'New Order', Lombok enjoyed stability and some growth, until crop failures led to famine in 1966 and to severe food shortages in 1973. Many moved away from Lombok under the transmigrasi (transmigration) programme. Tourist development started around 1980, when Lombok attracted attention as an 'unspoilt' alternative to Bali. While low budget bungalows proliferated at places like the Gili islands and Lombok's south coast, big businesses from outside Lombok became interested and speculation on beachfront land became epidemic. Lombok's tourism planning was dominated by the national government in Jakarta, and many traditional landholders were displaced as outside business interests moved in.

The political turmoil, economic crisis and civil unrest that beset Indonesia in the late 1990s did not spare Lombok. Students in Mataram and Praya staged protests over the general economic situation as early as 1997, and the local economy was hit hard by the general downturn in Indonesian tourism.

Recent History

The riots of 17 January 2000 were a surprise and a shock to most local people. A public community meeting in Mataram was roused to burn churches and ransack Christians' houses and businesses. Evidence suggests that this apparently spontaneous incident was actually well planned by groups from outside Lombok. Anti-Christian propaganda had been circulated before the meeting, there were planted provocateurs in the crowd and the rioters were directed to a well-identified series of targets. A high proportion of Lombok's Christians are ethnic Chinese, and though the violence was consistently described as anti-Christian, many observers consider that an anti-Chinese element was at least a contributory factor. The effect on the tourist industry was immediate. The incident caused grave damage to Lombok's reputation and economy, and despite efforts to promote the island as a safe destination, the bombings of 2002 and 2005 in neighbouring Bali only compounded the negative perceptions. Senggigi, the island's main resort, has suffered particularly badly, as tour operators have cancelled bookings; however, the Gili islands have remained popular with independent travellers.