Lombok travel guides

Getting around Lombok: the short version

Lombok International Airport (LOP) sits inland near Praya, in the middle of the south of the island — not next to any of the places most visitors are heading for. Nothing on Lombok is far in kilometres, but the roads are single-lane for most of their length, so distance matters less than the road itself. Kuta Mandalika on the south coast is the closest beach town. Senggigi and Mataram are on the west coast, past the hills. Bangsal and Teluk Kodek, the harbours for the Gili islands, are in the north-west. Sembalun and Senaru, the two trailheads for Mount Rinjani, are in the north-east and the last hour of each is mountain road.

There is no train and no airport bus worth planning around. The realistic choices are a private car, a metered taxi from the rank, or a rented scooter once you have reached your hotel. On a first arrival with luggage, after a flight, a car that is already waiting is usually the calm option — but we would rather you knew the alternatives than booked blind.

Drive times from the airport

Times are door to door in normal traffic and include the slow stretch through Praya. Night and early-morning runs are usually faster; Friday afternoons and the hour around school closing are slower.

How our prices work

Routes we drive constantly have a fixed price. It is the same number whatever the traffic, whatever the fuel price that week, and whatever route the driver has to take around a closed road. Anywhere outside those routes is priced by road distance instead — Rp12.000 per kilometre, with a minimum fare of Rp150.000 for short trips.

You never choose which of the two applies; the system picks, and the server checks it again before your booking is saved. Whichever applies, the price you see before you confirm is locked to your booking, and your voucher shows exactly how it was worked out. Nothing is paid in advance — you pay your driver on arrival, in rupiah or by bank transfer.

What we do not do

We are a pick-up and drop-off service, not a tour company. We do not sell island-hopping packages, trekking packages or day tours, and we do not take commission from hotels or restaurants for sending you there. If you ask the driver where to eat, you get his honest answer, not a kickback arrangement.

If what you need is a guided trek up Rinjani or a boat around the Gilis, say so on WhatsApp and we will point you to operators we would use ourselves — and we will still happily drive you to the trailhead or the harbour.