#Indonesia - 8 reasons to visit Lombok and the Gili Islands

If you’re looking for a laid-back escape with an adventure or two, it would be hard to beat Lombok and the Gili Islands. You can choose to relax on endless white sand beaches, dive remote coral reefs or hike to see panoramic views.

Devastated by the series of earthquakes in 2018, these destinations are bouncing back and hungry for tourists. So pack your bags this coming dry season and go explore paradise.

1. Hike Mount Rinjani National Park

Lombok's Mount Rinjani National Park is unbeatable for spectacular views and challenging trails. While most of the hiking trails on Mt. Rinjani were damaged in the 2018 earthquakes, one trail has reopened.

Located in Aik Berik village, the trail is lesser known among the mountain's more popular trails, but offers a similar experience for adventurous travelers in search of epic views.

2. Hop around Gili Islands

For a relaxing break from daily life, consider going island-hopping around the stunning Gili Islands. These islands are known for scuba diving cruises and offers a chance to truly get away from it all.

If you can bear to tear yourself away from the white sand beaches and turquoise ocean vistas, you’ll find vibrant coral reefs teeming with life under the waters.

The Shark Point dive site offers a chance to dive with sharks and manta rays, while Deep Turbo offers overhangs and underwater caves for experienced divers to explore. You might even see a whale shark or two.

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3. Experience Bangkang bat cave

A trip to Goa Bangkang will take your breath away with stalactites and bursts of sunlight through the cave's ceiling. Tucked underground on Lombok, it is a cave like no other.

Descending the stairs into Bangkang, your senses will be struck by the sound and smell of thousands of bats. If you stay in the area until sunset, you can watch the bats exit the cave, covering the sky as they begin their nightly hunt for food.

4. Swim with sea turtles

If you’re a fan of sea turtles (who isn’t?), be sure to check out the sea turtle conservation initiatives at the Gili Islands.

Green sea turtles, which are classified as endangered, are well cared for at Gili Meno, thanks to Bolong, the local man who set up the Gili Meno Turtle Sanctuary. The sanctuary saves turtle eggs from predators to help release the precious hatchlings into the sea.

The sanctuary is fascinating, and your visit will support turtle conservation, as it depends entirely on donations from visitors.

You can swim with sea turtles at various spots around the Gili Islands. Gili Air is especially known for green sea turtles at Han Rock.

5. Slow down, enjoy the silence

No motorized vehicles are allowed on Gili Trawangan, meaning you can escape the noise of the neighboring destinations and rejuvenate in peace and quiet.

The best way to explore the charms of Gili Trawangan is by foot or on a bicycle. Stop off at beach bars, do some yoga, or just walk the endless sands to reconnect with yourself, one day at a time.

6. Enjoy epic views from Gili Trawangan

There’s only one lookout point on the Gili Islands, at the top of Gili Trawangan. Head off on a hike at sunrise, and you’ll start your day off right.

At the peak is a shrine and Muslim burial site, plus the remains of a World War II Japanese bunker to investigate, though the view is the real highlight.

Resting at the top, you can look across the ocean to Mt. Rinjani and capture panoramic views of the other Gili Islands, plus Lombok and Bali.

7. Learn to dive at Sekotong

If you’ve always wanted to try scuba diving but were too nervous to take the plunge, Sekotong in Lombok is a great place to start. The beautiful reefs there offer easy, sheltered dives, perfect for beginners.

It will be well worth the effort, as you’re likely to spot sea turtles. You can even try spotting the tiny pygmy seahorses.

8. Watch the sunset at Semeti Beach

Another Lombok highlight are the rock formations on Semeti Beach, which are not to be missed. These striking pyramid-shaped rocks jut impressively out of the ocean, providing the perfect backdrop to a sunset.

Semeti Beach is an ideal place to end a day of island-hopping, to see the best view of the sun setting that you’re ever likely to see.

The author is a diver and writer for LiveAboard.com

Source - TheJakartaPost

Strong 5.9-magnitude quake jolts Indonesia's #Lombok

Mataram, Indonesia - A strong aftershock struck Indonesia's Lombok on Thursday, causing panic among evacuees sheltering after a devastating earthquake killed more than 160 on the holiday island four days earlier.

The 5.9-magnitude quake Thursday struck at a shallow depth in the northwest of the island, the US Geological Survey said, even as relief agencies raced to find survivors among wreckage from Sunday's quake.

    "The quake was felt strongly. There have been 355 aftershocks since Sunday," national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.

    Evacuees at a shelter in northern Lombok's Tanjung district ran out onto the road crying and screaming, an AFP reporter at the scene said.

    Motorcycles parked on the street toppled over and the walls of some nearby buildings collapsed.

    A woman wearing a motorbike helmet was seen crying with her two daughters in her arms.

    "We were stuck in the traffic while delivering aid, suddenly it felt like our car was hit from behind, it was so strong," witness Sri Laksmi told AFP.

 

 "People in the street began to panic and got out of their cars, they ran in different directions in the middle of the traffic."

     The aftershock comes after Sunday's devastating 6.9-magnitude earthquake, which relief agencies said had wiped out entire villages in the worst-hit regions of northern and western Lombok.

    A total of 164 people have been confirmed killed in Sunday's quake, national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told AFP, with a further 1,400 seriously injured and more than 150,000 displaced.

    Relief efforts had yet to reach parts of the island even before Thursday's aftershock, Indonesian authorities said, with hopes fading of finding further survivors among the wreckage.

    "The earthquake does not have any tsunami potential," Hary Tirto Djatmiko, spokesman for Indonesia's meteorology, climatology and geophysics agency (BMKG), said of Thursday's aftershock.

Source - TheNation

 

#Indonesia in rescue bid for 500 hikers stranded after quake

Mataram, Indonesia - Indonesia mounted a rescue operation Monday to reach more than 500 hikers and guides stranded by landslides on an active volcano on Lombok, a day after a powerful earthquake struck the holiday island.

    Helicopters and search teams have been deployed to scour the slopes of Mount Rinjani, which is crisscrossed with hiking routes popular with tourists, while rescuers have made airdrops of food supplies to those stranded.

    Tonnes of rock and mud were dislodged on the mountain in the 6.4-magnitude quake, which struck early Sunday and was followed by scores of aftershocks, leaving hikers with no easy way down to safety.

    "There are still 560 people trapped," said the head of Rinjani national park Sudiyono, who goes by one name.

    Those believed to be stranded include citizens from the United States, France, the Netherlands, Thailand and Germany, as well as many other countries, search and rescue officials said.

    Hundreds of other hikers managed to get off the mountain on Sunday, according to officials.

    At least 16 people were killed in the earthquake across affected areas of Lombok, while hundreds of buildings were destroyed including a health clinic.

 The quake created panic on the holiday island and sent locals and tourists running outside their homes and hotels.

 

    The rescue operation on Mount Rinjani is likely to run until at least Tuesday and a military helicopter has dropped supplies at several spots on the mountain.

    "For supplies, they can still survive for another one to two days," Agus Hendra Sanjaya, spokesman for Mataram's search and rescue agency, told AFP.

    Rising some 3,726 metres (12,224 feet) above sea level, Rinjani is the second-tallest volcano in Indonesia and a favourite among sightseers keen to take in its expansive views.

    Hiking trails on the mountain were closed following the quake due to fear of further landslides.

    Thailand's embassy in Jakarta said 239 of its citizens were stuck in the area surrounding the mountain.

    Thai national Thanapon Worawutchainan, who was at the summit when the earthquake occurred, posted a video on Facebook showing people stumbling down the slopes in the aftermath.

    He said the ground shook violently and people lay down until the tremors stopped.

    "It looked like the mountain in front of me was going to collapse," another stranded Thai, Funknathee Prapasawat, said on Facebook. "Some people were injured by rocks falling off the mountain".

 - Thousands in shelters -

 

        The epicentre of the earthquake was 50 km (30 miles) northeast of Lombok's main city Mataram, the United States Geological Survey said, far from the main tourist spots on the south and west of the island.

    The initial tremor was followed by two strong secondary quakes and more than 100 aftershocks.

    The jolt was felt some 100 km (60 miles) away on the bustling resort island of Bali, although there were no reports of damage there.

    Some 160 people were injured in Lombok as a result of the quake, said Mohammad Rum, head of West Nusa Tenggara disaster agency.

    A Malaysian was among the dead, with another six citizens injured, the foreign ministry in Kuala Lumpur said.

    A total of 5,141 people are staying in temporary shelters and in need of clean water, Indonesian disaster mitigation agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told MetroTV.

    President Joko Widodo visited affected areas on Monday and promised financial support for those who have lost their homes.

    "We must be aware that our country is in the Ring of Fire, so people need to be prepared to face any disaster," Widodo said.

 Indonesia, one of the most disaster-prone nations on earth, straddles the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire", where tectonic plates collide and a large portion of the world's volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur.

 

    In 2004 a tsunami triggered by a magnitude 9.3 undersea earthquake off the coast of Sumatra in western Indonesia killed 220,000 people in countries around the Indian Ocean, including 168,000 in Indonesia.//AFP

Source - TheNation

 

#Indonesia - Lombok records increase in tourist visits ahead of Nyepi

The number of domestic and foreign tourists in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), has significantly increased ahead of Nyepi, the Day of Silence in Bali, which falls on Saturday.

“Since yesterday [Wednesday], we’ve seen an increase in the flow of foreign tourists to Lombok. 

They want to spend the holiday in a relaxed atmosphere, as Bali and Lombok have really different atmospheres during Nyepi,” said the chairman of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association's (PHRI) NTB chapter, Lalu Abdul Hadi Faisal, in Mataram on Thursday.

He said the trend could be seen in the spike in occupancy rates of hotels in Lombok.

Currently, the average occupancy rate stands at 60 to 65 percent in Mataram and its surrounding areas and it can reach up to 75 percent in tourist resort areas such as Gili Trawangan in North Lombok and Senggigi, West Lombok.

Apart from Nyepi in Bali, Hadi said, the increase in visitors to Lombok also had to do with a string of conferences and research activities that would be conducted in the area over the weekend.

“Around 300 students of Muhammadiyah University from Sidoarjo, East Java, for example, will come to Lombok. Because of Nyepi in Bali, they have decided to stay in hotels in Lombok for their meeting,” he said.

Lombok International Airport (LIA) general manager I Gusti Ngurah Ardita said that on Nyepi, eight flights from Ngurah Rai International Airport to LIA and vice versa would be halted until Sunday.

 

Source - TheJakartaPost

#Indonesia - Mandalika on its way to become new Bali

Tourist attraction: This picture shows the serene view of Kuta Beach, part of Mandalika tourist area, in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo inaugurated on Friday the Mandalika Special Economic Zone (SEZ), designated to be developed specifically as a tourist destination 

For a long time, foreign tourists have adored Indonesia’s top resort island Bali, famous for beautiful tropical beaches and majestic temples. However, that may soon change as the government’s plan to create 10 emerging tourism destinations, popularly known as “new Bali’s,” begins to take shape with Mandalika in neighboring island, Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara  

Source - TheJakartaPost

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