Bali and Lombok

Welcome guest bloggers, Dave and Deb, Canada’s Adventure Couple, for a first hand look at traveling around Bali and Lombok.

Many people will travel to Bali for one thing and one thing only. The waves. Die-hard surfers spend their lives traveling the world in search of the perfect wave and Bali is one of the greatest surfing destinations on earth.

When my husband Dave and I decided to go to Bali, it was for fun and sun, but we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to hop on a board and try our hand at riding the famous swells of Kuta Beach.

Kuta Beach is not a place you go to for peace and relaxation. But if you want to learn to surf, it is the perfect spot to settle in for newbie wave-riders.

A good central location to stay is just off of Poppies Gang I or II. There is an abundance of hotels and guesthouses to suit any budget and you are close to the beach, markets and eateries.

Choosing a place with a pool is a good idea as you can be hassled quite a bit laying on the beach. Touts will constantly offer manicures, braids, umbrellas and souvenirs. You are better off to be in the water and surfing.

The best way to find and instructor is to walk along the beach and peruse the rainbow of surfboards lined up. Local entrepreneurs set up shop with a handful of boards waiting for tourists to rent. It is far cheaper to hire an instructor privately on the beach than to join a group at the top end hotels. Our teacher Ronald promised to stay with us and teach us until we could stand up and stay up on our own.

The easy sloping sandy break allows you to tumble and crash without fear of serious injury. We spent the entire morning on the water, fighting the surf and swimming through the swells. It was far more tiring than I expected but Ronald was by our side holding the board, watching for the right wave and then giving us a push as we paddled to gain momentum.

Dave's Beginner Tumble

After swallowing litres of water, getting bonked in the head with the boards and tumbling off dozens of times, we were finally standing up and catching our first waves. The experience was exhilarating and I can see how people live to surf. We surfed for a couple more days until we were waterlogged and sun burnt until it was time to move on.

After the hustle and bustle of Kuta Beach, an escape to the Gili Islands in Lombok is a welcome change. This little visited spot consists of three Islands. Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan. Take a ferry from Sanur, Bali to Lombok and a minivan will take you to the dock where will catch a boat to the islands.

Gili Sunset

We visited Gili Air with the intention of spending a day or two and moving on. But loved it so much that a total of 11 days were spent chilling out and eating seafood. There are no motorized vehicles allowed, beachfront bungalows are reasonable and you can walk around the entire island in an hour. If you want to get away from it all, this is the place to be.

Gili Air has excellent snorkeling right off of the beach. Rent your gear for the day, hop in the water and drift along with the current checking out the marine life. You have it for the day, so stop for lunch, lay in the sun and then go snorkeling again. It is that easy.

Boat tours are offered as well and you can book a snorkeling trip to see the sea turtles and have lunch at one of the other islands. When it comes time for dinner, there are several restaurants to choose from offering fresh catches of the day.

If you want to check out the other islands, take the Island Hopper. This daily shuttle takes people from one island to another. Gili Trawangan is the biggest of all the islands and has the most visitors. If you are in need for a party, this is the island to head to. If you want to see even less people, Gili Meno is the place to go. It is the middle island and the quietest of the Gili Islands.

Whatever your desire, Bali and Lombok has it all. Beautiful beaches and countryside, sand, surf, mountains and volcanoes. It is an island paradise that should not be missed.

Bio
Dave and Deb are an adventure travel couple from Canada. They have traveled to over 35 countries where they have taken on extreme adventures from Cycling from Cairo to Cape Town and Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Follow their adventures at The Planet D as they paddle, hike, climb, scuba dive and trek their way around the globe