West Sumbawa is the most interesting part of the large Sumbawa Island, which lies off the east coast of Lombok in central Indonesia. It is best known for its excellent surfing and slow pace of life.
The capital of West Sumbawa, and indeed the entire island, is Sumbawa Besar, a somewhat sleepy town on the north coast. Although fairly uninteresting and not worth too much time, it is the main gateway to the island.
Surfing is the main pastime in West Sumbawa and visitors can find the best waves in Sekongkang in the southwest. The breaks here have some pretty large rights that stay up for most of the season. The wide expanse of arcing Sekongkang Beach is good for sunbathing, while accommodation in some form or another can be had in Sekongkang village.
Getting There & Away
Parts of West Sumbawa are tough to get to and although you can get a flight to Sumbawa Besar from Bali (1 hour), you will need to take a bus to get down to Sekongkang. Ferries also serve West Sumbawa from Lombok, landing at Port Tano on the north shore. Sekongkang is a 3-hour bus journey from here.