Senggigi Beach, Lombok | Things to Do, Best Time, Tips

Senggigi Beach, Lombok Overview

Senggigi Beach occupies a prominent place within the highly popular tourist centre of Senggigi on Lombok Island. The beach is an excellent spot for surfing, and snorkeling, housing various marine life and colorful coral reefs. It is also a perfect place to relax, boasting a series of white sandy beaches and swimming areas.

Tourists more interested in enjoying the area's natural beauty prefer walking along the newly constructed pathway along the sea. The sunset is truly spectacular at this bay, with almost all photographers eager to catch the colors of the setting sun on the blue water choosing to visit it at the close of the day. While several pieces of tourist literature demarcate the sandy area into a Bay and a Beach, the dimensions are not distinct, with the entire area looking identical. The local population is not aware of any such demarcation either. Visitors can park their vehicles at the parking lot within Senggigi Beach. The signboard of the Kila Hotel Resort serves as a landmark for the parking area that has to be passed to get to the harbor. In addition, quite a few stalls on the beach sell souvenirs.

Activities & Things to Do at Senggigi Beach

1. Surfing and Snorkelling: The southern part of the beach provides opportunities for surfing as well as snorkeling with many eager visitors being attracted to the activities. There are numerous operators providing 10 hours of snorkeling that includes gears and lunch along with guidance. The accepted rate for the activity hovers between IDR 12,000 to IDR 17,000 for each group.

2. Swimming: The locals as well as the visitors to the Senggigi Beach enjoy swimming in the warm waters here. There is no fee for this activity unless one hires a guide for taking swimming lessons.

3. Relaxation: This beach offers a serene location that is not overcrowded. It serves as one of the best areas in Lombok for relaxation with the foreign tourists loving to spend the entire day lying on the sandy beach and enjoying the scenery all around.

4. Walking: This is one of the most popular promenades for morning walks with numerous visitors from the nearby resorts choosing to walk on the beach early in the morning

5. Shopping: It is a customary practice to stop by the Art Market located about 50 meters behind Senggigi Beach. It is an open-air shopping area that finds the visitors buying locally made souvenirs, beach clothing, traditional fashion ware and Indonesian handicrafts.

6. Eating: Many of the top restaurants of Senggigi set up shop on the beach during the evening, cooking and serving sea food to the visitors who are all agog to try the cuisine of the area. Many of the tourists are found enjoying the beautiful sunset while reclining on the beach, a cool drink in hand.

How to Reach Senggigi Beach

It is a quaint sandy beach away from the central part of Senggigi tourist town. Located within the busy tourist center of the Indonesian island of Lombok, this beach is relatively quiet and uncrowded. It takes almost an hour to reach the town and eponymous beach from Bandara Internasional Lombok, the nearest International Airport.

Most of the tourists prefer to hire a metered taxi from the airport, paying around IDR 135,000 to IDR 155,000 for the ride. The locals find it most convenient to hop up on a DAMRI bus from the airport to Senggigi, paying only IDR 25,000 for the 2 hour ride. Traveling to Senggigi Beach from other areas of the island is possible by available the public Bemo services for IDR 5,000 during the day.

Best Time to Visit Senggigi Beach

It is best to visit Senggigi Beach during the dry spell of May to September when there is less possibility of getting wet. However, the wet season here is not too bad as the rainfall is modest compared to the rest of Indonesia. Water sports promise to be more fun during July to August making the visitors eager to visit the beaches during those months.

Most visitors prefer to go to Senggigi Beach early in the morning or by dusk to avoid the sultry heat. Photographers make sure to check the sunset timings in order to capture the spectacular vision of the colorful sunset amidst the water.

Tips for Visiting Senggigi Beach

1. It is best to travel with lot of time in hand as the roads get clogged with traffic during the weekdays
2. Carrying drinking water is advisable as buying mineral water at the beaches can be expensive
3. Sunshades and light clothing is an absolute must for visiting the beaches.
4. Tourists intent on sunbathing are recommended to slap a lot of sun protection lotion on their faces
5. The quickest way to travel to the beach from a nearby area would be to hire a scooter or bicycle down to it
6. The sunset is magnificent at Senggigi Beach serving as the highlight of all attractions here.