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Senggigi Travel Guide

Senggigi is the tourist hub of Lombok mainland. But a tourist hub in Lombok is much different to a tourist hub in Bali. Here you will see so little tourists you will forget you are one yourself.

    

Location

Located on the Indonesian Island of Lombok, on the west coast. It takes about 1 hr and 15 minutes from the new International Airport on Lombok.

Senggigi

It may be the tourist hub on the mainland of Lombok, but Lombok itself remains fairly untouched. It has a range of accommodation options, beaches, and restaurants. There are not many tourist driven activities to do here. But you don’t come here to pack your day full of things to do. You come here to unwind. To feel like your away from it all. To escape. You can explore the town and surrounding areas. Use Senggigi as your base, take coastal drives, enjoy the beaches, snorkel, dive, surf, check out the capital Mataram, visit waterfall sights and even trek Mount Rinjani if your feeling active.

For us, Senggigi was blissful. It was exciting feeling like you had been somewhere a lot of people hadn’t or never will see. It’s refreshing and a perfect partner to the craziness that is Bali.

The Ugly Truth

  • If you want activities galore at your doorstep, this is not the place for you.
  • There are not as many developed areas, so you need to be willing to rough it a bit.

The Silver Lining

  • If you go with it, roughing it can be a source of natural, free, fun. And there are some pretty nice resorts to go back to at the end of the day. Or to spend your entire day if you want.
  • Sometimes on holidays, you can get so involved in the activities and sights and things to check off your list, that you forget to really just embrace the location and explore. Here you have no choice but to do this. It’s a nice wake up call.
  • The landscape is understated natural beauty.

What’s Nearby?

  • Mataram is about 20 minutes south
  • Kuta Lombok is about 1.5 hrs south
  • Lombok International Airport is about 1 hr and 15 minutes away
  • Gili Islands can be reached by public boat from Bangsal Harbour but we would recommend a 15 minute speedboat transfer from Teluk Kode/Nara, about 25 mins north of Senggigi.
  • Bali can be reached by speedboat (1hr 15 mins – 2 hrs 30 mins) or plane (approx. 30 minutes)

Things To Do

As mentioned, there are not a lot of organised activities to do here. But there are beautiful beaches and water sports. And Senggigi is a good base to see the rest of Lombok from, wether it be driving around the island, seeing sights, or climbing Mt Rinjani.

Best For…

  • Exploring Lombok
  • Beautiful Scenery
  • Beaches
  • Snorkelling
  • Swimming
  • Escaping
  • Relaxing

8 Comments

  1. Hey Mandy and Chris , great blog – we are in the process of planning a trip with our kids (2 and 5 years) to Lombok ( June) , need suggestions :
    a. Good resorts to stay
    b. Suggested iternary for a week in and around Lombok – we are flexible although would restrict too much movement with the kids
    c. Not too keen on spending too much time in Bali as we have done it earlier and really want to unwind (so a day or two enroute at most)
    Thanks guys

    1. Hi Rajat, How exciting, we love Lombok. We have a couple of versions of suggested family itineraries here: https://almostlanding-bali.com/lombok-family-itinerary/.
      As for good resorts to stay in, obviously, this will depend on where you choose to go, but there are some great family resorts in Senggigi, Katamaran has family rooms. In Kuta, Novotel Lombok is probably the most family friendly. Here are the links to the hotels:
      https://almostlanding-bali.com/katamaran-lombok
      https://almostlanding-bali.com/novotel-lombok
      Have a great time in Lombok :)

  2. Hi guys! We are spending a couple of weeks in Bali/Lombok!

    What company do you recommend for full day trips with a car and driver in Lombok?

    While in Ubud, how did you find out about live dance/cultural performances?

    While travelling from Padang Bai to Ubud, how can we arrange transport that will allow us to see the sights on the way into Ubud?

    Thank you!

    1. Hi Catrina,

      Sound like a great trip!

      With finding out about cultural performances in Ubud you can always ask your accommodation for what is happening when you are there (there are very often local ceremonies which you may be able to witness). If you are referring to The Kecak dance https://kecakdance.com/ is a great Kecak dance in Ubud. Even just visiting some temples during offerings is a great experience.

      When heading from Padang Bai to Ubud you could pre-book a 1/2 day or full day private driver to pick you up. This way you can plan with them a great route to Ubud and stop at some great places on the way.

      See when we have done this from Canggu to Ubud.
      https://almostlanding-bali.com/discover-a-different-side-to-bali-with-your-bali-private-driver/

      We actually have never done a day with a private driver in Lombok, if we come across or use a great one we will let you know.

      Hope this helps! Happy planning and have a great trip :)

  3. Hi guys! Great blog :) We’re going to Lombok for a week from Saturday – wondering if you know the rough cost of a taxi from the International airport to Sengeggi? Thanks in advance!

    1. Hi Keira, thanks so much!
      By tour operators, do you mean in terms of getting there? Or in terms of things to do once there? To get from Ubud to Senggigi, you can go by speed boat or plane. We went by speed boat through blue water express who we found to be great. Although I have read some concerning stories about boat trips when the swell is big, so make sure you look into which option you feel most comfortable with. Otherwise, I believe it’s about a 30-minute flight from Denpasar. Have a great trip and let us know if you have any other questions :)

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