LOMBOK ISLAND

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Lombok is an island in West Nusa Tenggara (Nusa Tenggara Barat or NTB) province, Indonesia. It forms part of the chain of the Lesser Sunda Islands, with the Lombok Strait separating it from Bali to the west and the Alas Strait between it and Sumbawa to the east. It is roughly circular, with a "tail" (Sekotong Peninsula) to the southwest, about 70 km across and a total area of about 4,725 km² (1,825 sq mi). The provincial capital and largest city on the island isMataram. It is somewhat similar in size and density with neighboring Bali and shares some cultural heritage, but is administratively part of NTB along with sparsely populated Sumbawa. It is surrounded by a number of smaller islands locally called Gili.

Lombok's most important industry is tourism. The most developed of tourism area in Lombok is on the west coast of the island and centered about the township of Senggigi. Senggigi and it's immediate surrounds contain the most developed tourism facilities in the coastal tourism strip that is spread along a 30-kilometer strip of the coastal road north from Mataram and the nearby current airport atAmpenan. A large number of hotels and resorts offer accommodations ranging from budget to luxurious. Approximately 1–5 kilometers offshore from the mainland lie the three highly popular Gili Islands. These are most commonly accessed by boat from Bangsal near Pemenang, or from Senggigi. Recently direct fast boat services have been running from Bali making a direct connection to the Gili islands. Although rapidly changing in character, the Gili's still provide both a lay-back backpacker's retreat and a high class resort destination.

Other tourist destinations include Mount Rinjani and Kuta (distinctly different from Kuta, Bali) in south Lombok where surfing is considered some of the best in the world by leading surfing magazines. The Kuta area is also famous for its beautiful, largely deserted, white sand beaches. Sekotong, in southwest Lombok, is popular for its numerous and diverse scuba diving locations. The northern west coast near Tanjung has many new upmarket hotel and villa developments centered about the Sire and Medana peninsular nearby to the Gili islands and a new boating marina at Medana bay. These new developments complement the already existing 5 star resorts and a large golf course already established there.