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The Indonesian island Lombok doesn’t have such a big tourist invasion like its neighbor Bali, hence you will find many dreamlike (and sometimes even lonely) beaches that doesn’t have mass tourism. YET! Because with increased regularity I read or hear about big investors that buy land and are planning to build huge resorts and hotels.

My personal beach favorites on Lombok

In this little beach guide you find a choice of my personal favorite beaches on Lombok. Some of them may even be affected by this in the next years. So go and see them as long as they are not covered with the big hotels. They are really worth a visit!


How to get to Lombok

Accommodation in Lombok – our hotel tips

Garden and the Qozy Rooms with a garden view at Qunci Villas hotel in Lombok

Lombok: Tours and tickets


1. Tanjung Aan

Crystal clear turquoise water and really fine white sand. Almost Caribbean-like! A huge long bay where you surely will find a lonely spot. Moreover, there is a second bay on the other side where you can also have a nice swim.

From the hill that separates both bays from each other you can have a gorgeous view at the surroundings. Really amazing! I’ve been here already many times and every time I’m impressed again and again. 😉

Tanjung Aan, Lombok, Indonesia

Tanjung Aan, Lombok, Indonesia

View from the hill over Tanjung Aan and its surroundings
View from the hill over Tanjung Aan and its surroundings
Marcel at the bay of Tanjung Aan
View from the hill on the 2nd bay of Tanjung Aan (towards Gerupuk)

Some may feel annoyed by the beach vendors (kids or women with Sarongs), but hey, this is Southeast Asia. People are just trying to make a living – especially here in the south of Lombok where you hardly have tourism. But I absolutely recommend you the fresh coconuts that you can buy here.

How do I get to Tanjung Aan?

Tanjung Aan is located near Kuta/Kuta Beach and is accessible within 15 minutes by motorbike from there. All you have to do is just follow the beach road towards the Novotel Resort and at the very first roundabout you just go straight (instead of right, which would be the way to the Novotel). Or simply ask locals, they will tell you the way. But be careful, as the road just before Tanjung Aan might not be the best and a little bit bumpy. Now and then you will encounter some local kids here trying to fill the holes in the road with sand. So if you have some small change available you can stop and give it to them, they will be really happy about it. There are a lot of places to park but you have to pay a small fee, just like at almost every beach on Lombok.

2. Selong Belanak

Further west of Kuta, there is another beautiful beach that is also very popular with surfers: Selong Belanak. But it’s not only for surfing. You can also perfectly take a bath, swim or relax at the beach. The bay is really huge and has a super gently sloping beach with finest sand.

It’s a little bit more going on here and you can find some shops, restaurants, corn and ice vendors. And obviously surfboard rentals. On Sundays and holidays this beach can get really crowded since many locals tend to come here on these days.

A little insider’s tip that I can give you here in addition: There’s a viewpoint that’s only a few kilometers northeast away from the beach (not even 10 minutes with motorbike). It’s free and from there you can have a gorgeous view at the bay of Selong Belanak and the surrounding mountains and hills.

Selong Belanak, Lombok

Selong Belanak, Lombok

Selong Belanak, Lombok

How do I get to Selong Belanak?

The scooter drive from Kuta takes a little bit longer and is not so easy to explain here. Basically, there are only 3 directions where you can go to from Kuta. To the north where you go to Praya, to the east to Tanjung Aan and to the west, where we wanna go. Passing the Kuta Indah hotel, you only have to follow the road that will later go up and down and can also get very curvy. But you can enjoy amazing views at Kuta Beach. Always drive carefully! After roughly 18 kilometers the main road (as I would call it now) will make a sharp bend to the right to Praya in the north. At this very fork you have to go straight, instead of following the street. Then you go to the left and turn the corner and you’re almost there. 😉 There are many parking lots (fee required) so you will definitely find a place for parking your bike, if it’s not a holiday and half the island wants to make a trip to the beach.

If you wanna pay a visit to the viewpoint, you just have to take the road to the north at the fork I mentioned before and simply follow it (instead of going back to Kuta). After some minutes of driving uphill and after a slight curve you will see a hill on the left-hand side with a steep sand road. Just go up this road and you are there.

3. Mawun Beach

Mawun is a very special beach and somehow simply “different”. Depending on the time of day, you will have to share this bay with only a handful of people. It means that there is not really much going on at this beach (especially in the morning) and there are barely beach vendors. This is a true beach pearl and I fell in love with it on my first visit. 😉

The waves in the middle of the bay can be very strong but at the outer parts of the bay you can perfectly bath and swim.

Mawun Beach, Lombok

Mawun Beach, Lombok

Marcel at the beach of Mawun Beach, Lombok

How do I get to Mawun Beach?

See Selong Belanak, the only difference is when you’re coming from Kuta you turn left already after about 8 kilometers and follow the sand road directly to the beach. You will see a sign labeled with Mawun Beach. You can also park here easily.

By the way, for those who stay in Senggigi or Mataram: It is definitely worth it to stay some days in Kuta and explore the 3 beaches I mentioned before from there with a motorbike. Since they are very far away from Senggigi, you would have to take a driver and make a day trip to one of the beaches (or all 3). But then you would have not too much time. From Kuta you are obviously more flexible and you can easily find many cheap accommodations/homestays there (or if you can afford it, stay at the Novotel). 😉

4. Pandanan Beach

North of Senggigi you can find some more beautiful and calmer beaches than Senggigi itself – one of them is Pantai Pandanan. Hardly you will find tourists here, most of the time you meet only locals that usually come to this beach at late afternoon or just before sunset.

Also you should definitely try the cheap and delicious grilled fish from my favorite fish seller (see photo)!

Pandanan Beach, Lombok

Kids at the beach of Pandanan

View on Gili Trawangan and Gili Meno from Pandanan Beach
From Pandanan Beach you have a nice view on Gili Trawangan and Gili Meno
Pandanan Beach, Lombok
Here you can get the best fish of the beach – grilled on coconut shells 😉
Grilled fish at Pandanan Beach, Lombok
For me personally, this is a must each time I visit this beach

How do I get to Pandanan Beach?

From Senggigi you can reach Pandanan Beach within 15 minutes with car or motorbike. I would recommend you anyway to drive up the coast road north from Senggigi with a motorbike! You can enjoy amazing views at the beaches, the bays, the Gili Islands and – when the weather is good enough – also at the Mount Agung volcano on Bali. And for such a tour a visit at Pandanan Beach is just the right thing to do!

The bay where Pandanan Beach is located comes directly after Malimbu 2 or Nipah. There, after a bend, you will find a slightly steep sand road directly down to the beach on the left-hand side. There are parking areas as well, however not in abundance.

5. Pink Beach

Apart from the beautiful and turquoise clear water, there’s one thing that makes this beach so interesting: at some places the sand is a bit pink colored (which apparently comes from some kind of seaweed). Also, the “Pantai Pink” – that’s how the locals like to call it – is a true insiders’ tip and not many tourists come here.

Similar to Tanjung Aan, there is a hill or rock that you can climb up and have an amazing view at the 2 adjoining bays and beaches. Especially from up there you can see the pink color of the beach very good.

Pink Beach in the southeast of Lombok

Pink Beach in the southeast of Lombok

Sunset at the Pink Beach

Unfortunately, I have my own pictures only at or after sunset, thanks to Budi Tarjo who supplied me with some of his pictures. Additionally, he gave me the clue that there is not only ONE Pink Beach but overall THREE of them! The other ones are simply called Pink Beach 2 and 3. They are located about 30 minutes by boat from the actual Pink Beach. I personally haven’t been there yet. But when I see the following photo, I know what I have to do next time… 😉

Pink Beach 3, Lombok

How do I get to the Pink Beach?

Pink Beach is situated in the utmost southeast of Lombok – more exactly at a peninsula where by the way you can find Tanjung Ringgit, a cape with an awesome view. The drive to Pink Beach is not easy at all and you shouldn’t go there on your own since the closer you get to the beach, the worse the roads will get! So my advice is: rent a driver or a tour in a tourist office. It will be worth the money! 😉

6. The Gili Islands

Almost everybody who travels or wants to travel to Lombok (or Bali) probably won’t miss the 3 famous islands Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air. Most of the tourists even go there directly WITHOUT a stay on Lombok. Well, these islands are the highlight in every travel guide. No surprise, they are indeed a little paradise that attracts more and more tourists every year. In my opinion, way too much in the high season! Nevertheless, you will find there many beautiful beaches – especially on Gili Meno – and I’m always happy to come back there.

Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan
Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan in the background

But only the fewest know that around Lombok there are many more Gili Islands and some of them are even totally unspoiled! Especially in the southwest of Lombok but also in the east. Most of the islands are located near the peninsula of Sekotong, which by the way also has nice beaches to offer. One of these Gili Islands is for example Gili Nanggu. And there are also Gili Sudak, Gili Kedis, Gili Kondo, Gili Gede and many more around Lombok.

So that’s what you get: the dreamlike beaches and the beautiful underwater world of the famous Gilis, but barely or even no tourists at all. Couldn’t be better, right?! 😉 The only disadvantage is that not all of those islands offer accommodations and some of them are not easily accessible.

Gili Nanggu and Gili Tangkong, Lombok, Indonesia
Gili Nanggu and Gili Tangkong in the background

How do I get to the Gili Islands?

There are many ways to get to the 3 famous Gilis: by public boat, chartered boat, speed boat and even with a helicopter. More information about that, e.g. how you can get there from Bali, you can read in our article. All the other Gili Islands, however, are only accessible via charter boat.


By the way, here are some more beaches on Lombok that you can check out:

  • Sire Beach in the north
  • Malimbu and Nipah Beach north of Senggigi
  • Batu Bolong Beach next to Senggigi
  • Putri Nyale Beach/Mandalika Beach and Novotel Beach at the Novotel Kuta
  • Seger Beach and Mawi Beach near Kuta
  • Surga Beach (Heaven Beach), Kaliantan Beach, Cemara Beach in the southeast of Lombok
  • Tanjung Bloam – also located on the southeast peninsula of Tanjung Ringgit. By now it’s private property and you can only reach it when you stay in the “Jeeva Beloam” luxury resort.

Plan your trip to Lombok now

More hotel recommendations for Lombok:


What’s your favorite beach on Lombok or which one you would like to visit most? Are there even beaches that I have forgotten and that totally belong here? If so, please let us know in the comments!

Marcel

Hi, I'm Marcel! Blogger, author, web & graphic designer and digital nomad. I love traveling in Southeast Asia and exploring wonderful beaches and trying delicious food. My home base is Koh Phangan, Thailand. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.