The sights
Senggigi beach
A broad curve of sand, grey-gold rather than white, split by a small headland with a reef that gives sheltered swimming at high tide and a gentle surf break in season. Local families fill the beach on Sunday afternoons; grilled corn and satay sellers work the shade.
ℹ️ Free; small parking fee. Best late afternoon. Swim between the flags if they are up — the shore break can be strong.
Pura Batu Bolong
A small Balinese Hindu temple built on a black volcanic outcrop with a natural hole through it (batu bolong means “hollow rock”). Shrines step up the rock above the surf, facing Mount Agung across the strait. At sunset it is the most atmospheric spot on the coast.
ℹ️ About 2 km south of central Senggigi. Open in daylight; entry by donation, with a sash provided. Dress modestly. Allow 30 minutes.
Malimbu and Nipah viewpoints
North of Senggigi the road climbs over headlands to lay-bys where the whole view opens out: crescent bays below, the three Gilis in a row and Bali on the horizon. Stalls sell coconuts and coffee. Nipah, in the bay beneath, is known for simple grilled-fish warungs on the sand.
ℹ️ Free. 15–25 minutes’ drive north of Senggigi. Clearest in the morning; most dramatic at sunset.
Bangsal harbour
The public port for the Gilis: a ticket office, a quay, wooden boats loading on the beach. Vehicles stop at a barrier several hundred metres short of the water, which is where the touts gather. Walk to the official ticket office on the seafront, buy there, and it is all perfectly simple.
ℹ️ Public boats run roughly 8 am to late afternoon and leave when full; speedboats run to a timetable. A small harbour or entry fee may be charged in cash. Our Getting There guide has the full routine.
Teluk Nara and Teluk Kodek
Two calm, mangrove-edged bays a few kilometres south of Bangsal, lined with private jetties. Pre-booked speedboats, dive-centre boats and resort launches leave from here. There is no public ticket office and nothing to see as such — which is rather the point.
ℹ️ Access by arrangement with your boat operator or hotel. Crossing to the Gilis takes 10–15 minutes.
Pusuk pass and its monkeys
The inland road from Mataram to Bangsal winds over a forested ridge where troops of long-tailed macaques sit along the roadside waiting for passing cars. The forest is cool and green and the views back to the coast are fine.
ℹ️ Free. Keep windows up and bags closed; do not feed the monkeys by hand. The pass saves time over the coast road from Mataram and the airport.
Mataram: the Islamic Center and Mayura
Lombok is called the island of a thousand mosques, and the largest is the Islamic Center in Mataram, with its gold-and-green domes and a minaret you can ascend for a view over the city. Nearby Mayura, an eighteenth-century Balinese royal water garden, recalls the era when Bali’s kings ruled western Lombok.
ℹ️ Islamic Center: visitors welcome outside prayer times, modest dress required, small fee for the tower. Mayura: small entry fee. Allow 1.5 hours for both.
Narmada and Pura Lingsar
Narmada is a terraced water palace built by a Balinese king in the eighteenth century as a symbolic miniature of Rinjani and its crater lake. A few kilometres away, Pura Lingsar is unique: a temple complex shared by Balinese Hindus and Lombok’s Wetu Telu Muslims, who meet once a year for a good-natured battle with rice cakes.
ℹ️ About 10–15 km east of Mataram. Small entry fees or donations; sash required at Lingsar. Allow 2 hours for both.
