Texts & pictures: Beaches and nature


	Lombok

Western coast discovery (1/2) | Western coast discovery (2/2) | The Gili islands | Beaches and nature | The human environment | Around Lombok with Willy by motorcycle

Beaches and nature

Tanjung Aan beach: shelters to protect from the sun

young Sasak boy rolled up in his batik

Mount Rinjani park: southern slope of the Mount Rinjani

Jeruk Manis waterfall

While going around Lombok, we were bound to discover the beaches of each coast. Our first swim was at Tanjung Aan, in a very calm bay less developed than it's neighbor Kuta, which is meant to host more and more tourists. The strong waves of the Indian Ocean, the powerful wind, and a sun at its zenith, welcomed us after we had seen a fishermen village off of which surfers come to get their chills.
The eastern and northern coasts do not have such beaches, but we explored several other villages, where the houses are built on piles as in done in the neighboring island of Sumbawa. We went back by having a short look at the Sengiggi beach which we did not like too much because it is overcrowded, being the main tourist destination of the island.
The showcase of nature is much more awe inspiring in the heart of the island, which was born from the eruption of Mount Rinjani. All around this huge volcano, a natural park protects a dense vegetation, out of which burst several waterfalls. On two occasions, we entered the forest to freshen up in front of these superb sights: Jeruk Manis, which claims the local height record, being 30 meter high, and the powerful Gangga, in which children dare to play.