KOMODO ISLAND INDONESIA

KOMODO ISLAND

INDONESIA

Komodo Island in the Nusa Tenggara group of islands, lodged between Sumbawa and Flores, is famous for its monitor lizard, Komodo Dragon. Well, those lizards are not quite like average monitor lizards. They are huge, some three meter and 100 kg in weight. 




Komodo became a National Park back in 1980 and then a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of those unique lizards.

Komodo has been attracting visitors since then. Visits are regulated by ranges but the visitor numbers have an impact on the environment. There is talk about closure of the Park or increase of entry fees to limit the visitor numbers. Komodo Dragons are smaller and their main staple diet, deer, fewer. Nature obviously does not enjoy being overpowered by tourists.

Komodo has become commercial, tickets to view the dragons through wire fence, rangers on guard, not really a natural environment but necessary to protect visitors trying to take selfies and disappearing under sharp claws and into well teethed mouths that take deer and buffalo.

Just five nautical miles away from horrors of Komodo is Pulau Banta. The island has scarce vegetation but amazing underwater world of coral reefs and fish. Snorkeling is superb.

Banta Island offers relaxation and peace needed after dangers of Komodo.

PULAU SUMBAWA INDONESIA

PULAU SUMBAWA

INDONESIA

Pulau Sumbawa, a big island between Lombok and Flores, is larger than Lombok and Bali combined. Sumbawa has just one main road across the island, the rest of its terrain is ragged. There are many bays and peninsulas along its coast, tall mountains and volcanoes in its interior. Gunung Tambora used to be 4200 meter tall, after the 1815 explosion it was reduced to 2800 meters.

Sumbawa has many islands surrounding its coast and some sandy beaches lined with palms. Teluk Bima is a natural port, just of Bima, one of the main towns. Komodo Island is just a hop from nearby Raba town.

Sumbawa has villages and towns. It is not a touristy place. It is visited by cruising yachts and treated as a pleasant rest stop, it has some comfortable anchorages. It is a truly Indonesian island, the local people are friendly, not spoiled by great numbers of tourists.

Sumbawa is an island of tall mountains and volcanoes, hills and valleys, few villages and fewer townships.

MEDANA BAY MARINA LOMBOK INDONESIA

MEDANA BAY MARINA

LOMBOK

INDONESIA

Medana Bay Marina is a safe heaven for cruising yachts. It has hard stand and lift out facility, so necessary when some work on boats is required.

It has clean and tidy facilities, showers and services of organizing diesel delivery. All care taken of the boat, time to relax in Sailfish restaurant and bar.

Gazing at surrounding scenery, relaxing and enjoying a Bintang in company of other cruising folk is a great pastime.

It is easy to get to nearby Tanjung, a town/village with shops and market. Mataram and Ampealan, the airport, are also not far away. In fact, access to many overland attractions is easy with a boat secure on a mooring or hard stand. And the attractions are many, hiking up Rinjani Mount Volcano or just enjoying the wilderness of rain forest and waterfalls. 

Medana Bay Marina is a great stop for cruising yachts.

TheThree GILIS L O M B O K INDONESIA

TheThree

GILIS

L O M B O K

INDONESIA

Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Aer are only a short boat trip away from Lombok. Spectacular and unique islands, time to relax or explore underwater beauty with many diving areas around the Gilis.

Gili Trawangan is the biggest of the three, built up with many resorts, restaurants, bars, discos and traffic (bicycle). The is no traffic on Gili Aer, just Lombok Ferraris, carts with horses or rather ponies. An alternative is to walk. Island hopping by boat is a popular pass time. But surfing and snorkeling are the most popular. While Gili T is a party island, Gili Meno is quiet and has an underwater sculpture, the Nest, worth a snorkel to see it.

Gili, meaning small island, is the perfect description of the three. They are small and cute. They offer attractions like horse riding or kayaking for the energetic. Mostly it is beach walking, swimming, relaxing and enjoying the scenery and perfect sunsets.

GILI GEDE ISLANDS LOMBOK INDONESIA

GILI GEDE ISLANDS

LOMBOK

INDONESIA

Lombok is an unspoiled Indonesian island . The beaches are clean, the water is clear, the surf is challenging and appreciated by surfing enthusiasts. Trekking is one of the inland attractions, the island is covered by natural rain forest and jungle offering spectacular waterfalls to nature lovers.

Hiking up Gunung Rinjani, some 3700 meter tall volcano, is one of the reasons many visitors come to Lombok.

Even the earthquake tragedy back in mid 2018, that caused distraction in the northern part of Lombok and Mataram, does not stop visitors from visiting Lombok.

The costal beauty of Lombok extends to Gili Gede Islands. Or maybe it is the best part of cruising Lombok. Gili Gede Islands are scenic, the hills are green, the water is azure, the beaches are of golden sand fringed with palms. 

Gili Gede is one of the bigger islands and has a Fast Boat service operating from Bali. It also has a number of villages, friendly locals and local restaurants.

Gili Asahan is less crowded and offers swimming, snorkeling, beach walking and trips to other islands by local boats.

Gili Gede Islands offer nature at its best topped up by spectacular sunsets.

  

NUSA LEMBONGAN INDONESIA

NUSA LEMBONGAN

INDONESIA

                                                             

Nusa Lembongan, a quiet island surrounded by crystal clear water, reefs and surf, can be proud of its natural beauty. Close to Bali and Lombok islands, it is easily accessible by boat. It is a quiet and spiritual place until you reach the rough, dramatic and scenic coastline.

Devil's Tear is a rather benign name for a force of sea water surging and spitting through fissures in the rocks.

A mangrove tour is a perfect way to return to tranquility and quiet enjoyment of bird song and peaceful nature.

Nusa Lombongan is connected to Nusa Cenangan, another peaceful island, by a bridge. The yellow bridge is frequented by bikes and visitors walking across it.

While diving and snorkeling offer an amazing underwater experience, the overland scenery is as exciting with Dream Beach and Sunset Beach being popular.

There is quite a variety of scenery on Nusa Lembongan, from rough and dramatic coastline to tranquility of the mangrove passages.

NUSA PENIDA INDONESIA AN ISLAND FORGOTTEN BY TIME

NUSA PENIDA

INDONESIA

AN ISLAND FORGOTTEN BY TIME

Nusa Penida is a treasure between Bali and Lombok islands. Scenic island of natural beauty, where ragged and dramatic coastline as well as rough roads protect it from too many visitors. It is accessible to those visitors that are willing to experience some hardship exploring it by boat. And it is worth it. The pristine waters full of fish and manta rays offer amazing diving. Not easily accessible beaches, requiring some hours hike, are not heavily populated.

There are a few villages on Nusa Penida. The population is Hindu and the landscape has scattered temples with traditional offerings. The locals cultivate seaweed and live of fishing. Tourism is a great addition to their income. 

The accommodation for visitors is bungalows and villas but day tours from nearby Bali are becoming popular as well. It takes just over half an hour to reach Nusa Penida by fast boat.The trip is an adventure in itself with water braking on deck, currents and waves on a windy day can make the short passage rough.

Driving on Nusa Penida requires skill. Access to one of the major attractions, Crystal Bay is through hilly landscape and many pot holes. And so is travelling further afield to Angel's Billabong and Broken Beach. In spite of possible rough seas and bad roads on the island, the visit to Nusa Penida is an absolute must. The scenery and atmosphere create a worthwhile experience.