Lombok in 5 Days: A Two-Region Itinerary (2026)
By Alex Marlowe · Updated 2026-05-17 · 13 min read
An hour-by-hour itinerary that pairs three Senggigi-and-Gili nights with two Kuta-Lombok-and-Selong-Belanak nights — the snorkel day, the Selong Belanak surf morning, the Sasak village lunch, and four serious dinners.
Day 1
Arrival, Senggigi orientation, the Bali-view sunset, a Tugu Lombok dinner
- Mid-morning (10:00–13:00) — Arrival into Lombok International (LOP) and the slow-start lunch
Most Bali-to-Lombok flights land between 8am and noon at Praya; the airport is a 75-min…
Most Bali-to-Lombok flights land between 8am and noon at Praya; the airport is a 75-minute drive north to Senggigi or 100 minutes to Tanjung. Book the hotel transfer in advance (€25–€40) — the Praya taxi queue is unregulated and the metered cars are scarce. If you are flying in from Singapore or Jakarta and arriving early, the Sundancer Restaurant on the Senggigi south road serves an excellent in-bay grilled-fish lunch from noon and is the textbook decompression stop before checking in. Otherwise eat the in-hotel arrival lunch and reset.
- Afternoon (14:00–16:30) — The Senggigi orientation walk and Cafe Alberto coffee
The first orientation half-day is the cliff-and-bay walk along the Senggigi south road…
The first orientation half-day is the cliff-and-bay walk along the Senggigi south road — start at the Senggigi public beach, walk south for thirty minutes along the coast road past the warungs and the Sundancer headland, and back along the inland route to Cafe Alberto for an iced espresso and the textbook expat-bar people-watching. Two hours is the right amount of time. The walk is the trip's first geography lesson — the reef-protected calm of the Senggigi bay, the Bali silhouette across the Lombok Strait, and the lack of cruise-ship infrastructure that defines the west coast.
- Late afternoon (16:30–17:30) — Hotel pool reset
Resist the urge to add a second activity on Day 1; a 90-minute pool window at the Qunci…
Resist the urge to add a second activity on Day 1; a 90-minute pool window at the Qunci Villas, Katamaran or Tugu pool is the right play before sunset. Change into evening clothes; the better Senggigi dinners are smart-casual.
- Sunset (17:45–18:30) — The Malimbu cliff viewpoint
Drive ten minutes north of Senggigi to the Malimbu cliff lay-by — the textbook west-Lom…
Drive ten minutes north of Senggigi to the Malimbu cliff lay-by — the textbook west-Lombok sunset position with the Bali silhouette as the backdrop. The road shoulder fits four or five cars; arrive by 5:45pm to claim a parking slot, watch the sun drop behind Mount Agung across the strait, and budget twenty minutes for the photographs. The lay-by has no facilities — buy a cold Bintang from the Senggigi minimart on the way up if you want the textbook sunset prop.
- Dinner (19:30) — Tugu Lombok at Sire Beach
The Tugu Lombok hotel restaurant on the Sire peninsula north of Senggigi is the single…
The Tugu Lombok hotel restaurant on the Sire peninsula north of Senggigi is the single most atmospheric first-night dinner on the island — the open-pavilion antique-filled dining room, the heritage-Indonesian tasting menu, the Mount Rinjani silhouette as the backdrop on a clear night. Two-and-a-half hours, €60–€95 a head with wine. Reserve four weeks ahead in shoulder season. The drive from Senggigi is 45 minutes; if you are based in Senggigi rather than Tanjung, factor the round-trip into the evening. The strong substitute closer to Senggigi is Asmara at the Senggigi south end (the German-Indonesian bistro, €30–€50 a head, walk-in friendly).
Day 2
The Gili Islands day-trip, snorkel-and-lunch rotation, an Asmara dinner
- Sunrise (06:30–08:30) — Hotel breakfast and the Bangsal speedboat brief
The day's logistics start at Bangsal harbour, a 25-minute drive north of Senggigi or fi…
The day's logistics start at Bangsal harbour, a 25-minute drive north of Senggigi or fifteen minutes from Tanjung. The public-boat fast-ferry to Gili Trawangan leaves on demand from 8am once the boat fills; the private-charter speedboat through Bluewater Express or Eka Jaya runs at fixed times (8:30am, 10:30am) and is more comfortable. Book the private speedboat the night before (€30–€45 per person round-trip).
- Late morning (09:30–12:00) — Snorkel circuit off Gili Meno or Gili Air
Once at the Gilis, the right Day-2 play is a half-day snorkel circuit by glass-bottom b…
Once at the Gilis, the right Day-2 play is a half-day snorkel circuit by glass-bottom boat (€15–€25 per person, three stops, a turtle point, a coral garden, and a beach-edge swim). Book at the boat-stand on the Gili Trawangan east beach as you land. The circuit takes 2.5 hours, includes mask and fins, and ends with a 30-minute beach swim at Gili Meno's Meno Wall — the textbook calm-water snorkel on the islands.
- Afternoon (12:30–15:00) — Beach lunch on Gili Air at Pink Coco or Pelangi Cottages
Gili Air is the right lunch-and-rest island — small enough to walk in 90 minutes, with…
Gili Air is the right lunch-and-rest island — small enough to walk in 90 minutes, with a denser beach-bar circuit than Meno. Lunch at Pink Coco's beach-edge restaurant (€15–€25 a head, the textbook coconut-rice-and-grilled-fish lunch) or Pelangi Cottages on the east beach. Spend ninety minutes on the loungers; the early-afternoon water clarity is the day's photograph window.
- Late afternoon (15:00–17:00) — Speedboat back, hotel pool reset
Catch the 3:30pm or 4pm speedboat back to Bangsal — the swell builds by 4pm and the lat…
Catch the 3:30pm or 4pm speedboat back to Bangsal — the swell builds by 4pm and the later boats are uncomfortable. Land at Bangsal by 4:30pm, hotel by 5pm, an hour at the pool, dinner clothes by 7pm.
- Dinner (19:30) — Asmara, central Senggigi
Asmara is the textbook second-night dinner — the German-Indonesian bistro on the Senggi…
Asmara is the textbook second-night dinner — the German-Indonesian bistro on the Senggigi main strip, the open-front room, the strong wood-fired-pizza-and-Indonesian-curry rotation, the wine list anchored on the Australian shiraz that pairs with the rendang. €30–€50 a head, two hours, walk-in friendly until 8pm and reservation-only after. If Asmara is full, Square Restaurant a five-minute walk north is the strong substitute.
Day 3
A Tiu Kelep waterfall morning, a Bukit Selong rice-terrace lunch, a Qunci sunset
- Sunrise (06:30) — Senggigi bay swim or in-room breakfast
Day three is the inland day; start slow
Day three is the inland day; start slow. The Senggigi bay calm-water swim from the public beach is the textbook sunrise circuit (200m out and back, the water is bath-warm, the reef-edge fish school is a 50m swim).
- Late morning (09:00–13:00) — Tiu Kelep and Sendang Gile waterfalls, Senaru
The Tiu Kelep day-hike from Senaru village on the north slope of Mount Rinjani is the t…
The Tiu Kelep day-hike from Senaru village on the north slope of Mount Rinjani is the textbook half-day inland excursion — a 90-minute drive each way from Senggigi, a one-hour return walk through rainforest to the Sendang Gile main fall, and an additional 45-minute return walk through a shallow river crossing to the Tiu Kelep upper fall (the better swim and the textbook photograph). Book a local guide at the Senaru park office (€10–€15 per person, mandatory for the Tiu Kelep section). Pack reef shoes for the river crossing and a dry bag for the camera; the spray on the lower path is constant.
- Afternoon (13:30–15:00) — Sasak village lunch at Sembalun or a Senaru warung
Lunch is a Senaru-village warung on the way back (€5–€8 per person, the textbook rice-a…
Lunch is a Senaru-village warung on the way back (€5–€8 per person, the textbook rice-and-grilled-chicken plate), or — if the schedule allows the longer loop — a 45-minute drive east to Sembalun for a Sasak-village rice-terrace lunch at Pondok Sembalun. The Sembalun loop adds ninety minutes total to the day but delivers the highland-village experience that Senaru does not.
- Late afternoon (16:00–18:00) — Drive back, the Qunci Villas pool sunset
The drive back from Senaru to Senggigi is 90 minutes; budget the late afternoon for the…
The drive back from Senaru to Senggigi is 90 minutes; budget the late afternoon for the trip back and a long pool window at the hotel. The Qunci Villas infinity-pool deck is the textbook west-coast sunset position if you are based there; the Katamaran's beach-edge pool is the equivalent for the south Senggigi base.
- Dinner (19:30) — Square or El Bazar, central Senggigi
Square Restaurant on the main strip is the textbook third-night dinner — the open-front…
Square Restaurant on the main strip is the textbook third-night dinner — the open-front bistro, the fusion menu of grilled-fish-and-pasta, the live acoustic-guitar rotation on weekend nights. €25–€40 a head, two hours, reservations recommended on Friday and Saturday. The strong Mediterranean substitute is El Bazar a three-minute walk south.
Day 4
Transfer to the south coast, the Selong Belanak surf morning, an Aman dinner
- Morning (08:00–11:00) — Pack out, drive south
The Senggigi-to-Kuta-Lombok transfer is a two-hour private-car drive via the Mataram by…
The Senggigi-to-Kuta-Lombok transfer is a two-hour private-car drive via the Mataram bypass and the airport road (€35–€55 for the car, book through the hotel). The drive has no usable coffee stop between Mataram and Kuta — eat breakfast at the hotel before checking out, and budget a 15-minute stop at the Sade Sasak traditional village (entry by donation, €1–€2 per person) for a 30-minute walk through the thatched-roof compound that gives most of the south-coast trip its cultural context.
- Late morning (11:00–13:00) — Check in at Aman Selong Belanak or Selong Selo, pool lunch
Both south-coast flagships hold rooms for an early check-in if you flag the arrival win…
Both south-coast flagships hold rooms for an early check-in if you flag the arrival window the day before. Lunch at the Aman beach club or Selong Selo's Maja restaurant (€25–€45 a head) — both are quieter at midday than the Senggigi equivalents and the open-pavilion architecture is part of the southern-Lombok decision.
- Afternoon (14:00–17:00) — Selong Belanak beach and the beginner-surf slot
Selong Belanak is the textbook south-Lombok afternoon — a wide white-sand crescent with…
Selong Belanak is the textbook south-Lombok afternoon — a wide white-sand crescent with a gentle reef-broken inside section that is the strongest beginner-surf beach in Indonesia. Book a board-and-instructor slot at one of the Selong Belanak surf schools on the beach road (€15–€25 for two hours including the board, the rashie and the one-on-one lesson). If you do not surf, a long lounger-and-swim afternoon is the textbook alternative — pack reef-safe sunblock; the southern sun is hotter than the Senggigi west coast.
- Sunset (17:30–18:30) — The Selong Belanak headland viewpoint
Drive five minutes east to the Selong Belanak headland car park — the textbook south-co…
Drive five minutes east to the Selong Belanak headland car park — the textbook south-coast sunset position with the entire crescent in the frame. Twenty minutes for the photographs; the road is dark by 6:30pm and the drive back to the hotel is best done in the last good light.
- Dinner (19:30) — Aman Selong Belanak
The Aman dining room is now the single hardest table on Lombok — the open-pavilion gril…
The Aman dining room is now the single hardest table on Lombok — the open-pavilion grill, the local-fish-and-grilled-vegetable menu, the Bali-via-Sayan service standard. €120–€180 a head with wine, two-and-a-half hours at the table. Reserve six-to-eight weeks ahead; the room seats only thirty and books out months in advance during July-August. If the Aman is sold out, the strong substitute is Selong Selo's Maja restaurant (€60–€95 a head, similar lead time, more relaxed service).
Day 5
Tanjung Aan beach morning, the Bukit Merese walk, transfer back
- Sunrise (06:30) — Beach yoga or a long pool morning
The Aman and Selong Selo both run a 7am beach-yoga class for non-residents (€15–€20 dro…
The Aman and Selong Selo both run a 7am beach-yoga class for non-residents (€15–€20 drop-in) — the textbook closing-day movement. If you prefer the pool, the Aman beach-club pool opens at 6:30am and is the textbook sunrise lap-swim window before the property's own residents arrive.
- Late morning (09:30–12:00) — Tanjung Aan beach and the Bukit Merese walk
Drive 25 minutes east to Tanjung Aan — the long crescent bay east of Kuta Lombok with a…
Drive 25 minutes east to Tanjung Aan — the long crescent bay east of Kuta Lombok with a calmer swim than Selong Belanak and the textbook Bukit Merese cliff-walk that connects the bay to the next headland. The walk is 90 minutes return, the cliff-top photograph is the textbook south-Lombok shot, and the inside-bay swim at the Tanjung Aan east end is the calmest open-water swim on the south coast.
- Afternoon (12:30–14:30) — Lunch at Ashtari or El Bazar Kuta
Ashtari, the cliff-top warung above Mawi Beach, is the textbook late-morning south-coas…
Ashtari, the cliff-top warung above Mawi Beach, is the textbook late-morning south-coast lunch (€10–€15 a head, the menu is a vegetarian-leaning Indonesian-Mediterranean rotation, the cliff-edge view is the photograph the trip closes on). The strong town-centre alternative is El Bazar Kuta on the main strip — the same Mediterranean-Indonesian fusion as the Senggigi sister property, faster service for a flight day.
- Afternoon (15:00–17:00) — Transfer to Lombok International (LOP) for the evening flight
The drive from Kuta Lombok to LOP is 35 minutes; budget a two-hour pre-departure window…
The drive from Kuta Lombok to LOP is 35 minutes; budget a two-hour pre-departure window for an evening international flight and a 90-minute window for a domestic Bali return. If the flight is later (after 9pm), an additional 90-minute pool window at the Aman or Selong Selo is the right play before the airport run.
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Editor-in-Chief
Alex MarloweAlex Marlowe is Lucalvry's Editor-in-Chief. Twelve years covering hotels and travel for Condé Nast Traveller, Monocle, and Wallpaper. Based between London and Lisbon.
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