Getting there

Planes

By air | international travellers will thank themselves for flying in via Singapore (www.singaporeair.com) or Kuala Lumpur rather than Jakarta. Silkair (www.silkair.com) has three flights a week from Singapore; Garuda | Merpati | Transnusa Trigana | Lion Air and Batavia Air run domestic shuttles from major Indonesian cities. Arrange a transfer from Mataram’s Selaparang Airport (aka Ampenan) with your hotel | or take a taxi – fares are fixed.

Boats

If you’re coming from Bali, a trip by slow boat or fast ferry will take between one and four hours, depending where you leave from and what class of vessel you take. Bali-based Perama Tours (www.peramatours.com) provides a daily service on a new passenger liner from Bali to Lombok. Look out for (ie, avoid) the ‘porters’ who wait by the docks and enthusiastically insist on carrying your luggage for a steep fee. There are also catamaran services direct to the Gilis (www.gilicat.com).

Automobiles

Renting a car and a driver is by far the best way to explore Lombok in a leisurely fashion. We recommend Trac-Astra Rent A Car (www.trac.astra.co.id) | or ask your hotel to make arrangements.