Tanjung A'an, a beautiful area near the Kuta Beach. The sand is very unique that it looks like pepper. Beach guards are on the beach early. They prevent hawkers from hassling tourists, but normally the hawkers are mostly children and quiet villagers trying to make a living, and they are quite good natured. Often good quality sarongs and kalapa muda (young coconut) drinks are available from local people seeking business at this beach. They will open up the coconut for you of course and if you are lucky they might be able to supply a straw or glass to provide a refreshing drink whilst sitting at the beach.
Weaving process
Sukarare. See the local handicraft and weaving process in Desa (village) Sukarana. The price should be cheaper than in Sengigi shops.
Narmada water park (Taman Narmada). Located 10 km east of Mataram, this park was the relaxation place for the king during the time of feudalism. This park has a Hindu temple and swimming pool. It also has a fountain which is called "Youth Fountain", believed to give long life to a person that drinks its water. Entry fee for this park is Rp 4,000 and 'Foreigners' are sometimes charged a posted entrance fee of Rp 10,000. Despite this awkward entrance fee aberration the staff at Taman Narmada are pleasant and helpful and they often just overlook imposing this "Foreigner" fee just welcoming all people with equal enthusiasm and at the normal entrance fees. Despite the venue being a little run-down it has a feel of celebration about it especially on Sundays and is very popular with the people of Lombok who flock there to picnic and swim in a large swimming pool fed by fresh water forest springs. It is a great place to see Lombok people at play.
Air Terjun Sindang gila (En. Slightly crazy waterfalls). Located near Senaru on the slopes of Mount Rinjani this attraction is sadly dissimilar to the situation presented upon arriving at the Narmada water park. The sometimes sneering gate staff, annoying touts and self appointed guides frequently vigorously pester visitors for business. These individuals, along with various other opportunists and skimmers present at the locality often turn on a show of both overt racism and threatening abuse towards visiting tourists. This is most especially so if the visitor or person taking them there does not pay an exorbitant fee for a local guide. Certainly a guide is not needed to walk down the steps to the primary waterfall area and back up again. There is only the one pathway leading down from the entrance gate and the waterfall is rather obvious when you arrive at the bottom unless the visitor is likely to misunderstand the sight of water free-falling from a great height. The extra money extorted from 'foreigners' at the gate is clearly not being spent by the local community on any maintenance or improvement of the facilities such as providing rubbish receptacles. The waterfall surroundings are usually covered with litter discarded by uncaring visitors. In early 2011 the northern regional government tourism authority instituted an upgrading program and is attempting to improve amenities at the base of the waterfall. They are also developing some other waterfall visit sites in the region to provide an improved range of alternative waterfall sites for visitors. Sindang gila is a beautiful place and many local people and visitors alike have enjoyed the splendid falls and a refreshing swim. The 20 min trip down the long run of steps and trail to the fall and then climb back up again requires a bit of effort especially on a hot day. Sadly this naturally beautiful location has a dark side of bad attitude and neglect by the local custodians. Some may prefer to avoid it for those reasons and seek a more welcoming alternative venue.
Air Terjun Tiu Kelep. Senaru’s “2nd waterfall” Tiu Kelep is a further 1 hr walk, you might prefer to seek a reputable local guide if you don't already have a driver willing to show you the way. In order to get to the second waterfall you follow the path most of the way down the the first waterfall but then follow bush track upstream. Shoes are not recommended as you will have to wade through the river for 50 m or so. There is a deep pool at the top where you can swim and jump off rocks and a dark tunnel with a concrete shoot that can be used as a water slide.
Air Terjun Betara Lenjang. Senaru’s “3rd waterfall” Betara Lenjang requires some advance planning and is strictly for rock climbers with a suitable local guide and equipment.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Lombok
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Lombok Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
