West Lombok is the most interesting part of Lombok Island for tourists, with large cities, beautiful beaches and some nice islands. It is on par with Bali yet not as spoiled.
It is a lot busier than Central Lombok and East Lombok, two of the other non-clearly defined regions of Lombok, and has the best hotels and attractions. The capital is Mataram and comes with an airport. It is a 20-minute ride from here to the Senggigi region, the main tourist area on Lombok.
There are three main beach areas in Senggigi: the central Senggigi Beach area itself, Mangsit Beach to the north, and Batu Balong to the south. Just offshore are the hugely popular Gili Islands, accessible from Senggigi. There are some great dive and surf spots here.
Another popular part of West Lombok is Lembar in the south, with its quaint harbor and laid back atmosphere. There’s not much else worth checking out in West Lombok unless you have serious time on your hands, but a side trip to Mount Rinjani in Central Lombok is definitely worth the effort.
Getting There & Away
Lombok’s main airport, Selaparang Airport, lies just west of Mataram in Ampenan and receives flights from Denpasar, Bali (20 minutes) and Surabaya (1 hour). You can be at Senggigi Beach in 20 minutes from the airport and the Gili Islands in about 2 hours. If coming by boat from Bali, ferries go from Padang Bai and take around 5 hours, going direct to Lembar, Senggigi, or the Gilis.