One island to the east of Bali, Lombok has yet to be discovered
by the package tourist: the beaches and coastal villages are
comparatively undeveloped and the locals are relatively indifferent
to tourists, though friendly. Although it is inevitably compared
with its better-known neighbour, the island differs in many
respects - physically, culturally, linguistically and historically.
The indigenous Islamic Sasak people make up 90 percent of the
population, and although they appear to live amicably with the
Balinese minority there is occasional animosity, which is not
surprising given that a lot of the economic advantages of increased
tourism have eluded the native Sasak.
The mountainous north of the island is dominated by the
spectacular volcano of Mt Rinjani, at 12,221 feet (3,726m) the
third highest peak in Indonesia and a popular four-day trek for
locals and tourists alike. To the south are the central plains,
which contain the most productive agricultural areas as well as the
major conurbation on the west coast, an amalgamation of the towns
of Ampenan, Mataram, Cakranegara and Sweta. Further south again,
beyond a range of low inland hills, are the sweeping bays and pure
white sands of the southern beaches, all of which can be explored
from Kuta (not to be confused with Bali's Kuta), the main resort
town of southern Lombok and surfing Mecca of the island.
Several groups of islands lie off the Lombok northwest coast:
the best known are the three Gili Islands - Trawangan, Meno and Air
- which have been popular for many years with backpackers seeking a
simple lifestyle of sea, sun and sand. However, they are now
becoming more widely discovered and as a result more expensive.