In terms of population, there are only two cities that most people would recognize as cities: the capital city of Mataram and Praya. These two cities provide the full array of retail shopping, wholesale business, and services (i.e., shipping, hospitals, banks, etc.)
Several other towns or areas are important because of specialized services they provide to travelers.
Located just east of Bali, Lombok has been promoted as "an unspoiled Bali" for quite some time, with beautiful beaches, enchanting waterfalls and the large, looming volcano of Mount Rinjani. The anticipated tourism boom has been halted on several occasions. In 2000, mobs of the ethnic Sasak people, ostensibly provoked by fundamentalist Muslim agitators from Maluku, looted and burned churches as well as homes and businesses owned by Hindus and ethnic Chinese (who profess to be Christians). The bombing of nightclubs in Bali in 2002 further exacerbated fear held by tourist. For many years many Embassies issued advisory travel warnings against the travel to Indonesia. The ensuing years have been peaceful, but tourists have yet to regain confidence that travel to Lombok is safe.
The Islamic culture in Lombok compared to the Hindu culture Bali may also explain why Lombok is less popular than Bali in terms of shopping, cuisine, nightlife, and a multiplicity of accommodations. Conversely, Lombok offers visitors a chance to see traditional cultures (such as local markets, traditional villages, and numerous traditional celebrations). Lombok is also becoming increasingly popular with tourist and honeymooners who want to relax in an inexpensive, tropical, uncrowded atmosphere, with many "hidden beaches" and majestic scenery. Nothing happens quickly in Lombok and visitors who are stressed from their daily lives back home find Lombok a delightful getaway.
Lombok's people are 85% '''Sasak''', culturally and linguistically closely related to the Balinese, but unlike Bali's Hindu they are Muslims. A notable non-orthodox Islamic group found only on Lombok are the '''Wektu Telu''' ("Three Prayers"), who as the name suggests pray only three times daily, instead of the five times required in the Quran.
The main local language is Sasak. Bahasa Indonesia is universally spoken and English is common in the resort areas.
Lombok's only airport is Mataram's '''Selaparang Airport''' (AMI), which occasionally also shows up in flight schedules as "Ampenan" (hence the seemingly odd airport code). There are frequent connections to Denpasar on Bali (20 min. flight time) and Surabaya (1 hour flight time) on Garuda, Merpati and Germania Trisakti ("GT Air"). Merpati has a reputation for canceling flights when the flights are not full. Often it is wise to use a travel agent at the airport and to wait until the last minute before you purchase your fights. Garuda flies daily to Jakarta. A flight offered from and to Yogyakarta (on Garuda) is currently not being scheduled anymore. Sometime flights to Sumbawa are scheduled.
For domestic flights, it is best to work with a travel agent to find the latest information regarding which airlines are flying to which locations and the price. Special deals are often offered at the last minute from places like Surabaya. Different airlines frequently change both their schedule and their routes depending upon consumer demand. Do not depend on information from the airlines either by telephone or on the Internet it is frequently outdated. Use a travel agent that you can see is actively working to find you the best airline for the cheapest price.
International flights are limited to Kuala Lumpur daily on Merpati (via Surabaya) and Singapore thrice weekly on Silk Air, with visas available on arrival. Lombok Network maintains a useful, mostly-updated [http://www.lombok-network.com/flight_schedule.htm flight schedule] listing all flights to the island.
If you're going to the Gili Islands, there are many speedboat services directly from Bali; see Gili Islands for details. A few services continue on towards mainland Lombok. At the moment, direct fast ferries from Benoa to Lembar have stopped running, but only searching on the Internet can give you the latest information on which companies are providing service to Lombok.
Ferries run from Labuhan Lombok on the east coast to Poto Tano on Sumbawa. Since arranging your own transport on both sides can be fiddly and expensive, it's cheaper to arrange this through any travel agent (see [http://www.it8it.com/agent_intro.asp?agent=3831] , many of whom offer fares numerous locations across Sumbawa and onward to Flores. Permata is one of the companies which provide bus transportion.
Some companies also offer direct cruises via Komodo/Rinca to Flores. The trip takes around 4 days, much of it across open water, costs around US$100, and the companies usually use boats with no navigation or safety equipment other than some lifejackets (i.e. no radio, flares or life rafts).
Exercise some caution if booking package tours. Apart from the journey itself being tortuously slow, hotels and agents will happily sell you tickets without even checking whether the ferries are running (they are sometimes suspended for days at a time for bad weather, especially if one has sunk recently), and the bus companies will happily drive you to the ferry terminal knowing that there are no ferries departing for the next 20+ hours. At this point, your travel company may suggest either a very expensive private boat or a suddenly very expensive ride back to the nearest town to get a hotel.
They also often have a surprise extra charge - levied ''after'' you've paid for the original ticket and the original ticket seller is long gone - for baggage over 10Kg, with the actual amount being random within the same company depending on who is demanding it (125,000 Rupiah is not unknown). This information is printed on the bus ticket you receive when you hand in the original sales receipt, so there's no way to know about it prior to purchase.
Bemos (converted passenger-carrying minivans) are the main means of long-distance transport on Lombok. They can be hailed down on all larger streets, and will happily take you even short hops around Senggigi. Fares are cheap: for example, as of November 2005 the official fare from Mataram to Senggigi is Rp. 1500/person, but tourists tend to get charged a bit extra and empty bemos will expect you to charter them for a higher price yet. Travel agents can also get you on semi-regular shuttle services, which connect Senggigi, the airport, and the harbors of Lembar (for Bali) and Bangsal (for the Gilis).
Metered taxis are a fairly new development on Lombok, but they have become quite common in Mataram and Senggigi. The largest operator is Blue Bird, although there are a few other companies competing for your custom. As of November 2005, flag fall is Rp3,850 and the meter ticks up a few hundred rupiah for every hundred meters past 2 km. Figure on Rp10,000 for hops around town and around Rp30,000 from Senggigi to Mataram.
Renting a car is also an option and there are several places in Senggigi and Mataram to rent from. Expect to pay Rp.150,000 (low end Suzuki mini jeep) to Rp.400,000 (Toyota 4x4). Petrol (gasoline) is currently set at a fixed price of Rp.4,500 per liter.(April 2009).
Driving yourself around Lombok is not for the uninitiated. Trucks, motorcycles and other vehicles frequently do not follow the standard Rules of the Road - so your chances of an accident are much higher than driving in your home country. Driving requires an International Driver's License. Insurance is not provided by the car rental places, so you are responsible for any damage. If you do hit a local person, either on foot, on motorcycle, or in a car, you can expect to pay a very large sum of money to make restitution. Finally, street signs are infrequent and ambiguous. If you are not familiar with the road system, you may spend more time looking for an attractions than actually spending time enjoying it.
A good alternative to renting a car is to rent a car with a driver. The daily price is about Rp.350,000 per day (all inclusive). A good driver can take you effortlessly to all the local attractions, plus some places that are not even shown on the guide book. As the driver, he takes full responsibility for whatever happens during the trip. Drivers are happy to accommodate your traveling schedule. If you want to take a two or three day trip around the island, the driver will accompany you, eat low priced meals, and find low price places to stay at night so he is prepared to continue the trip in the morning. (You must pay the modest cost for his room and board.)
Horse-pulled carts known in Indonesia as ''cidomo'' and in Lombok as "dokar", are very common on Lombok. Are a good method of transportation for short distances e.g, from your hotel to a restaurant. Make sure agree on the price before the journey - Rp10,000 is the maximum price to pay. In the Gilis there are no cars, so horse cart or bicycle is the best way to get around.
Traditional fishing boats known as ''perahu'' ply the waters around Lombok, and are instantly recognizable due to their outriggers, two logs attached by bars on both sides like a catamaran, for greater stability in heavy swells. They can also be chartered, either directly from owners (in which case some knowledge of Bahasa will come in handy) or via any travel agent, who will of course take their cut.
Traffic is relatively light throughout the island so travel by bicycle is quite possible, and provides a very different cultural experience to other means of transport. You should bring your own touring bike, as local bikes are of a very basic quality although there is one biking tour operator (Lombok Biking)that has decent bikes and guides.
Generally the least expensive and most popular item on the menu is ''nasi campur'' or mixed rice. This dish is a complete meal served on a single plate, usually consisting of rice, vegetable, and meat. As the name suggests, the meal can be a mixture of many different items: sometimes small portions of chicken, beef, fried egg, or other "no name" foods. A dab of spicy red paste called sambal (basically stone ground red peppers) is placed somewhere near the side of the plate. Sambal is the universal condiment served on Lombok and is extremely hot to the palate of most tourists, so use with care.
The price of food varies dramatically depending on the location on Lombok. The restaurants in the popular tourist destinations of Senggigi and the Gili Islands command the highest prices but also offer the largest variety of international foods such as banana pancakes, pizza, beef steak and other backpacker favorites. In most other areas of the island numerous small restaurants, called ''warung'', cater primarily to the local population. The savvy traveler will discover these small restaurants serve a variety of delicious local food at a very low price.
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The island's most touristic city, Senggigi, has numerous bars and clubs with the usual international favorites. The local favorite, though, is ''tuak'', a red or white fermented palm wine with 2-5% volume.
Many of Lombok's better-quality accommodation can be found in the Northwest coastal areal of Senggigi and Mangsit. The Gili Islands have become increasingly popular with the younger crowd and now offer a full range of accommodations. Kuta is popular with surfers and eco-travelers seeking the more serene, traditional village environment.
Note: Detailed information about accommodations in each of these respective areas can be found by following the links listed above.
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Although Lombok is a safe and stable place, these tips may help you along the way: