Sumbawa Island lies east of Bali and Lombok in the West Nusa Tenggara archipelago province. It encompasses hundreds of little islands and is known for its beaches and surf and is also nice and quiet.
Only really ardent surfers and those not bothered about extensive Western facilities make a beeline for Sumbawa, which is quite a pain to get to and lacks budget accommodation. The capital and main town of Sumbawa is Sumbawa Besar in the northwest of the main island. It’s pretty haggard and not worth spending any amount of time in.
Like Sumbawa Besar, the rest of Sumbawa has an undeveloped look and feel, consisting mainly of villages and outposts. The best surfing is in Sekongkang right down in the southwest of Sumbawa. It features pretty big and consistent waves, while the village of Sekongkang itself has some accommodation and facilities.
Sumbawa also has many huge volcanoes and subsequent good trekking, while off to the east is Komodo Island National Park.
Getting There & Away
Sumbawa can be tough to get to, with boats from Lombok’s east coast the main way in, landing at Poto Tano on Sumbawa. You can also fly to the capital, Sumbawa Besar, as well as to Bima in the east of the island. Flight time from Denpasar (Bali) to Sumbawa Besar is about an hour. The only way to get to Sekongkang for surfing is by bus.