LombokBeaches / Beach Types / Island Hopping
OFF THE MAINLAND
Island Hopping
Uninhabited islands, a tide-only sandbar, and reef most divers never reach, all a short boat ride from the east and northeast coasts.
Some of Lombok's best beaches aren't on Lombok at all, they're small, mostly uninhabited islands a short boat ride off the coast, each with its own character. This is where the island's reef is at its healthiest, precisely because these spots see so few visitors compared to the mainland beaches.
The Secret Gilis off Sekotong are the most popular island-hopping circuit on this list, a scattered group of small islands on Lombok's southwest coast with far less development than the famous three Gilis further north, some with proper resorts, others little more than a stretch of sand. Gili Nanggu, Gili Sudak, and Gili Kedis are typically visited together in one day from Tawun Harbour, while Gili Gede and Gili Asahan sit a little further out and work well as an overnight base too.
Two other circuits round out the picture: southeast out of Sekaroh, the pink beach island-hopping route, and northeast near Sambelia, home to Gili Kondo and a genuinely separate excursion further up the coast. Bring your own snorkel gear where you can, and expect minimal to no facilities once you're on the water.