Off the Beaten Path in Indonesia

April 28, 2023 on Selong Belanak Beach in Lombok, Indonesia

The tourism campaign reads "Wonderful Indonesia", which you see printed in various places as you travel around, but I have to say, I don't know if wonderful even does it justice. I thought Java couldn't be beat, but it turns out Indonesia continued to be full of pleasant surprises. We only used Bali as a waypoint between Java and Lombok this time around because we had both been there before and were running short on time (you may remember the panic-buy of our exit flight that was required for us to get into Indonesia) and we wanted to make sure we had time to explore some new places. As much as we loved Bali, it does seem to get all the attention from most tourists, so it was nice to still feel a bit off the beaten path in selecting from the many non-Bali Indonesian options. 

We did manage a stopover in Ubud, Bali, one of our favorite spots from our February 2020 trip. It was a nice reset to eat all the good food we've been missing, as well as some favorites of Johnny from last time (smoothie bowls and raw chocolate he's been chasing ever since). It was also gluten-free heaven for me. After a few nights in Bali to stuff our faces and say hi to friends, we were off to the Gili Islands. 

There are three main Gili Islands off the coast of Lombok, and we opted for the busiest of the three, Gili Trawangan, also referred to as Gili T. It was definitely a younger crowd, but we had fun enjoying the beach party vibe. The highlight for me was absolutely turtle beach, where I snorkeled with multiple green sea turtles. They were seriously just chilling there. I had to swim to get out of their way, that's how unbothered they were by me hanging out right next to them. I could have spent several days with my sea turtle friends, but it was another quick stop and off to Lombok. 

If Java was a hidden treasure in Indonesia, then Lombok was a treasure trove. I had never even heard of Lombok before researching for this trip, but it kept coming up as a place you needed to go before it "blew up". It's sometimes referenced as what Bali was 10 years ago, but it felt more like 20+ years ago. We rode motorbikes around the whole island, about 7 hours of driving, and maybe passed two other Westerners on the whole loop. 

The variety of beaches was incredible. One of my favorites was Pink Beach. Not only did we have it completely to ourselves most of the time, but just a few feet from shore was a shockingly biodiverse coral reef. Luckily I travel with my own snorkel gear (a very cheap purchase in Koh Lanta Thailand that's more than paid for itself). Unluckily for Johnny, he does not have any natural buoyancy and it was a very shallow, very wide reef with nowhere to take a rest if needed, so I really had it all to myself.

Other highlights included Bukit Merese Lombok where you watch the sunset over rolling green hills, and Selong Belanak beach with some gnarly waves. It was also great to just cruise around on the motorbikes and see how life operates on the island. Most people dress in a mixture of Western and traditional clothing, and there is a lot of farming and agriculture on the island. I felt a lot of curious eyes on me from older women walking from the market, balancing baskets on their heads, but everyone was kind, and it was so cool to get a glimpse into a different way of life.

With all the seemingly endless beauty, I have to say that the real crown jewel of the island had to be the Sendang Gile waterfall. We've seen some pretty epic waterfalls on this trip so far, and this one ranks right up there near the top. It was a 3-hour ride along the West coast of the island and another 3.5-hour ride back down the East side, but it was totally worth the trip. Not to mention the cool spots to see along the way, including Mt. Rinjani.

We had originally also wanted to hit Komodo, but its remoteness would not make it possible on this trip. With that said, I think we are both firmly set on wanting to return to Lombok, as well as check out some of the other islands in Indonesia. Before this trip, Indonesia was really just Bali in my mind, but after visiting Java and Lombok, it really opened my eyes as to what else Indonesia has to offer. I feel so strongly that the world needs to know about the other places in Indonesia, I made a little video to show what my merger words don't capture. (or if that Insta link doesn't work, here it is on youtube)

We're now off to country number 6, the Philippines, and although every place has been special and amazing in its own way, I have to say there is something especially wonderful about Indonesia.