Planning a Lombok Surf Trip | Stays, Transport and What to Bring

Information as of August 2026. When you surf on Lombok you cannot choose the waves, but you can choose your accommodation, your transport and how your board travels before you leave. This article sticks to those practicalities: where to stay, how to get around, how to ship a board, and the money side. For basic information on the whole island, please read the Lombok Island Complete Guide as well.

Surf camp, guesthouse or resort: how to choose and what they cost

Accommodation falls into three broad styles. Which one suits you depends on what you put first.

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Style	Price guide	What is included	Suits
Surf camp (accommodation and surfing as a package)	Sold mainly as multi-night packages, so hard to compare by nightly rate. A published example is given below (about US$171 per night)	Often includes accommodation, breakfast, transfers (car and boat), guided surf sessions and board rental	People surfing Lombok for the first time who want to leave the arrangements to someone else
Guesthouse (accommodation only, you arrange the rest)	Around Rp150,000 to 400,000 (about US$8.40 to 22)	Accommodation only. Guides and boats are arranged separately each time	Budget travellers who can research and organise things themselves
Resort / villa	Around Rp1,000,000 to 3,000,000 (about US$56 to 169)	Accommodation, breakfast and use of facilities. Surf services are generally not included	People who put comfort beyond surfing first, and want a pleasant place to spend non-surf days

US dollar figures are approximate, converted at US$1 ≈ Rp17,800 (September 2026; exchange rates fluctuate). Published prices for guesthouses and resorts vary from property to property, so treat these ranges as a starting point for budgeting, not as a firm market rate. Always check the property’s official website at the time you book. For overall accommodation price levels see the Lombok Cost of Travel Guide, and for choosing a place to stay see the Recommended Hotels and Villas Guide.

As a real example of a surf camp, KuraSurf’s official website in Kuta Lombok publishes a 5-night package (4 of them with surfing, arriving Saturday and leaving Thursday) for 739 euros. That is about US$855, or about US$171 per night (converted at roughly €1 ≈ Rp20,600 and US$1 ≈ Rp17,800). It includes accommodation, surf sessions, equipment, transfers (by car and boat), breakfast and more. Because surf camps are sold as a bundle of “nights × sessions”, a simple nightly rate is not the useful figure; it is more practical to compare the total package price against the number of surf days. For what the area around Kuta Lombok is like, see the Kuta Lombok (Mandalika) Guide.

We at Semelar Beach Village are an accommodation in the Sekotong area. We do not offer guided packages like a surf camp, but we suit people who want to spend their non-surf days quietly.

Differences in level between spots: Desert Point is for advanced surfers only

Before we get to the itinerary, there is a safety point to settle first. The surf spots on Lombok differ enormously in level, from gentle beach breaks that beginners can paddle out at to reef breaks that only experienced surfers should enter.

Note also that Lombok’s surf spots include offshore reefs that can only be reached by boat, and spots that can be reached by road but where the road is poor and slow. Desert Point can be reached by road, but the roads are not good. Whether a boat is essential differs from spot to spot, so check with your accommodation or guide before you set your budget.

How to arrange a surf guide and a boat charter

The role of a surf guide is to read the waves, wind and tide that day and decide “which spot to go to today”. On Lombok the quality of the waves can change greatly from place to place even on the same day, so it is not easy for a surfer who does not know the area to make the best choice alone. There is no official standard rate table for guide fees, and the terms differ depending on whether you book through a camp where you are staying or ask a local surf shop or an independent guide directly. Amounts swing widely with the type of booking and the number of people, so this article does not give a going rate. Get quotes from several sources before you book, and confirm the amount in writing or by message before the day.

Boat charter prices also vary with the number of passengers, the round-trip distance and waiting time. Because there is no list price, it is practical to check the following points before you negotiate.

• How many people the cost is split between (this changes the cost per person a great deal)
• Whether it is a drop-off and return, or includes waiting (keeping the boat out for a few hours while you watch the waves)
• The cancellation policy in bad weather (whether you get a refund)
• Payment is basically in cash (rupiah). For money exchange and payment practicalities, see also the Lombok Cost of Travel Guide

If you go through a surf camp, the fact that the camp handles this negotiation for you can be worth more than the price.

Flying with a surfboard: rules by airline and extra fees

This is probably what you most want to know for the practicalities of a surf trip. The usual route to Lombok is to fly internationally into Bali (Denpasar) and then connect on a domestic flight, so you need to check the surfboard rules for both the international and the domestic flight. Fees and weight conditions are revised often by every airline, so always check the latest conditions on the official website or with customer service before you leave.

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Airline	How the surfboard is handled	Free allowance and fees	Length limits and cautions
Garuda Indonesia	Checked as sports equipment	The official baggage page says one item of qualifying sports equipment can be checked in free in addition to your allowance. From the second item on it counts toward your normal free baggage allowance, and anything over that is subject to excess baggage fees	The rule for a surfboard is under 23 kg and under 300 cm in length. Going over this does not immediately make it cargo; it is subject to excess baggage fees. However, the official page states that any single item over 32 kg is not accepted as checked baggage and is handled as cargo. It depends on hold space being available (first come, first served) and is not guaranteed
Indonesia AirAsia (QZ / domestic)	Checked as paid sports equipment	The “Free Surfboard Policy” applies to flights to and from Australia (an official newsroom announcement of May 2018; please check the official site before booking for any later change). Indonesian domestic flights such as Denpasar to Lombok are not covered, and are treated as paid sports equipment	The fee varies with weight band, route and when you buy (in advance or at the airport counter). Check the amount on the official domestic fee table (QZ) before you book
Lion Air	Apply separately as special baggage	Since 17 July 2025, the standard free checked baggage on Lion Air is 10 kg on both domestic and international flights (official newsroom). A surfboard is not included in this allowance	The official site states that “Pre-paid Baggage does not include SURFBOARD & BICYCLE handling fees.” You need to apply and pay directly to the airline
Wings Air (ATR aircraft)	Apply separately as special baggage	The free allowance and fees differ by route, so check with the official Lion Group contact before you book	ATR aircraft have a different hold shape and capacity from jets. Whether a long board can be carried depends on the aircraft, so if you plan to bring a longboard or a mini-mal, be sure to check with the airline before booking whether it can be carried and the maximum length
Batik Air	Classed in the official help as “special baggage that needs special handling”. An advance application is required	As a full-service airline its free checked baggage allowance differs from Lion Air. Check the allowance for each fare class in the official help	You must declare the length and weight when you apply
Super Air Jet	The official help has an entry for surfboards and bicycles. Handled as special baggage	The free checked baggage allowance is published in the official help. Check the latest allowance before you book	Apply and pay directly to the airline

There are three practical points.

1. Budget on the assumption that you pay twice, once for the international leg and once for the domestic leg. If you enter Lombok via Bali, extra fees arise on the domestic flight as well as under the international baggage rules
2. Lion Group airlines (Lion Air, Wings Air, Batik Air and Super Air Jet) cannot cover the surfboard through online pre-paid baggage, so before you leave, take the step of checking and applying with the airline directly
3. If the weight or number of boards you declared at booking differs from what is measured at the airport, you pay an extra fee on the spot. It helps to weigh your board bag at home before you leave

If we sort the table above along the single axis of whether there is a free allowance, it looks like this.

Figure: how to think about surfboard baggage by airline

For every airline, fees and weight conditions are revised often, so always check the latest conditions on the official website before you leave.

The choice of route from Bali to Lombok (plane or fast boat) is explained in How to Get from Bali to Lombok: All Routes.

Board rental and repairs on the island

If you are worried about transporting your board, renting locally is another option. Kuta Lombok is Lombok’s surf hub, an area where businesses offering surf schools and rentals are concentrated. However, rental prices, the number of boards in stock and whether repairs are possible are up to each shop, and there is no official standard rate. We cannot vouch for the prices or stock of any particular shop in this article, so the surest way is to ask your accommodation to introduce a shop they work with.

We could not find published data on stock levels in the high season, but rental stock is limited and the choice of sizes and shapes narrows at busy times. If you want to ride a board you are particular about, bringing your own is more reliable. Repairs also take time because resin needs to dry, so a problem near the last day of your trip carries the risk that the repair will not be finished in time. We recommend checking the condition of your board at home before you leave.

Surf season: when to go for waves

Lombok’s main surf spots are concentrated on the south- to south-west-facing coast, and the dry season, when swells arrive from the south and south-west, is the surf season. Local surf camp operators describe the dry season as April to October, with May to September the most consistent period and July to August the peak for both size and consistency (KuraSurf’s official explanation, as of August 2026).

In the wet season (roughly November to March), on the other hand, the swell shifts to more westerly and the size settles down. The power of the advanced spots drops, but the small, soft conditions are a good time for beginners to practise. Think of it this way: for a trip chasing advanced waves and a trip to learn, the months to aim for are reversed.

General climate tendencies (rainfall, temperature and tourist seasons) are covered in Lombok Best Season and Weather.

A day’s timetable around the tides

Many of Lombok’s reef breaks change a great deal in wave quality with the tide level. The common way of moving that is worth having in mind when you build your itinerary is as follows.

1. The night before to early morning: check the next day’s tide table and wind forecast, and roughly decide the spot you are aiming for and your departure time
2. Early morning: set off to match the hours when the wind is light and the sea surface tends to be tidy. If you use a guide or a boat, fixing this time is especially important
3. Morning to before noon: first session according to the tide. For many reef breaks, low tide to the start of the rising tide is regarded as the time to aim for
4. Daytime: use the hours of strong sun for rest, a meal and recovering in the shade
5. Afternoon: the wind direction tends to change, so check the wind forecast again before you decide whether to do a second session
6. Evening: pack up before the light fades. The longer the trip to the spot, the more margin you need in your finishing time

Whether you can make this judgement of “moving according to tide and wind” yourself is the dividing line for whether to hire a guide.

Organised by time of day, the movement from early morning to evening above looks like this.

Figure: how a day runs, based on tide and wind

Reading wave information: which sites and apps to look at

In practice it works best to use “official data” and “surf-specific private forecasts” for different jobs.

• BMKG (Indonesia’s meteorological agency) official marine weather information: as a government body it officially publishes wave height and wind direction and speed for the Lombok Strait area. It is the most reliable primary source for safety, on the question of whether the sea will turn very rough in the next few days
• Windy: strong at visualising wind direction and speed, and free to use. Good for knowing in advance whether the wind is offshore (blowing from land to sea) or onshore
• Surfline: forecasts swell period, direction and wave height spot by spot. Magicseaweed, which used to exist alongside it, was merged into Surfline in 2023 and has ended as a separate service, so these days you look only at Surfline
• One caution: in an area with few measuring buoys like Lombok, forecasts are model predictions, not measured values. They can differ from what you feel on the day, so use them only as a guide and give priority to a local guide and the sea as you see it yourself when making the final decision

The basics of reading them are two points: the longer the swell “period” (in seconds), the more powerful and better-quality the waves tend to be, and the more “offshore” the wind, the tidier the wave face tends to be. Rather than judging by numbers alone, we recommend comparing several sources.

Can you carry a board on a rental motorbike?

To give the conclusion first, with a short shortboard it can be done with some ingenuity, but we do not recommend it. It is said that carrying boards with a dedicated bike rack is done locally, but because it tends to mean riding one-handed, road surfaces on Lombok vary, and there is a risk of a fall if the load shifts, we cannot recommend it for travellers who do not know the area.

Licences also need care. Indonesia is not a party to the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic, so an international driving permit issued under that convention is not treated as a valid licence in Indonesia (Indonesia is not on the list of contracting states published by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department; as of August 2026). Riding without a valid licence is not only illegal, but can also mean your travel insurance does not pay out after an accident. Wearing a helmet is also essential. If you need to move a board, give priority to arranging a car, a surf camp’s transfer or a boat charter.

Model itineraries by number of days

What you can fit in depends on how long you stay.

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Days	How you might spend them
3 days	Assume the arrival day is used up by travel and getting your board and accommodation ready. A solid surf session on the middle day, and on the last day a light morning surf before heading to the airport. There is almost no room to absorb weather risk
5 days	You can secure 2 to 3 surf days and set aside 1 day for rest or a non-surf day. The minimum buffer to recover if a day is lost to rain or poor sea conditions
1 week	With around 2 rest days, it is easier to manage physical strain and injury risk. If you are an advanced surfer, there is also room to fit in one time-consuming trip such as towards Desert Point

Shown as a figure, this split shows that the more days you have, the more room there is for rest and buffer. Conversely, note that a 3-day itinerary has almost no room to absorb weather risk.

Figure: model itineraries by number of days (3 days / 5 days / 1 week)

How to plan a general model itinerary that is not limited to surfing is covered in Lombok Model Itineraries: 3 to 5 Days. For the idea of choosing flight arrival and departure times that lose the fewest surf days, see How to Get from Bali to Lombok: All Routes.

What to do on non-surf days

Deliberately making a day when you do not go in, because of rain, poor sea conditions or to recover your strength, also raises your satisfaction with the whole trip. Ideas for non-surf days include complete rest on a quiet beach, a stroll around the neighbouring area, and snorkelling, which is something Lombok’s warm water makes possible. For how to spend time in the Sekotong area in general, see the Sekotong Complete Guide.

What to bring: reef boots, wax, sun protection and first aid

We list only the extra gear that is particular to a surf trip.

Insurance and preparing for reef cuts

The injury most likely to happen when surfing on Lombok is grazes and cuts from the reef (coral). Coral wounds can quickly get worse because of bacteria in seawater (such as Vibrio), and Divers Alert Network (DAN) says to wash well with soap and water, remove any remaining foreign matter, disinfect, cover with a clean dressing, and wash and change it twice a day, and that if infection occurs, treatment with antibiotics is needed (ciprofloxacin is given as an example of one effective against Vibrio).

Deciding when to see a doctor tends to go wrong if you wait “until it swells up”. If any of the following applies, see a medical facility the same day without waiting for signs of infection.

• A deep wound, a wound across a joint, or a wound where the bleeding is hard to stop
• A wound where foreign matter such as coral fragments, sand or spines cannot be fully removed
• Redness, swelling, heat, pus, fever or swollen lymph nodes have already appeared

Be prepared for tetanus too. The tetanus bacterium is widespread in soil and enters through the wound. Vaccine immunity lasts about 10 years if properly given, and a booster is recommended if 10 years have passed since your last dose (Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare quarantine information site FORTH). Travellers who spend a lot of time on outdoor activities are listed as a group to be vaccinated, so it is reassuring to check your vaccination history with your family doctor or a travel clinic at least a few weeks before you leave.

When you take out travel insurance, be sure to check whether “surfing” or “water sports” are covered under the plan. On some plans activities such as surfing are listed as exclusions. Also, for a serious injury (a fracture, a deep laceration and so on), transport and medical costs tend to be very high, so we recommend choosing a plan that covers emergency evacuation costs.

Decide before you leave how you will act in the event of sudden illness or a serious injury. The practical order is as follows.

1. First contact your insurer’s 24-hour assistance desk, and confirm where they will send you and which hospitals offer cashless payment (these partners are often private hospitals, and if you go to the nearest hospital on your own judgement you may have to pay up front)
2. Carry your policy number and the assistance desk’s phone number both on your smartphone and on paper
3. Ask your accommodation to arrange an emergency transfer. Indonesia is rolling out a nationwide emergency number, 112, but how it works depends on how far each local government has introduced it, so it is realistic to note down your accommodation’s contact as the number that will reliably connect on Lombok

For safety during your stay in general, please also read the Lombok Safety Guide.

Cautions and downsides

It is not all good news. Before you plan your itinerary, be sure to factor in these five points.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Sources

• Garuda Indonesia official baggage information (sports equipment rule of 23 kg / 300 cm; over 32 kg handled as cargo): https://garuda-indonesia.com/static/en/garuda-indonesia-experience/baggage-info.html?loc=oc&lang=en
• AirAsia official newsroom “Surfboards fly free with AirAsia” (1 May 2018 / applies to flights to and from Australia): https://newsroom.airasia.com/news/2018/5/1/surfboards-fly-free-with-airasia
• AirAsia official domestic fee table (QZ) PDF: https://www.airasia.com/aa/pdf/about-us/fee-charges-qz.pdf
• AirAsia official support “Flying with sports items”: https://support.airasia.com/s/article/flying-with-sports-items-on-airasia-flights?language=en_GB
• Lion Air official newsroom “Checked baggage policy revision (from 17 July 2025 / 10 kg on both Lion Air domestic and international flights)”: https://www.lionair.co.id/en/about-us/newsroom/2025/06/30/lion-air-adjusts-checked-baggage-policy-starting-july-17-2025offering-more-practical-travel-options-to-suit-customer-needs
• Lion Air official “Prepaid baggage” page (surfboards and bicycles are not covered): https://www.lionair.co.id/en/manage-booking/prepaid-baggage
• Batik Air official help “Conditions for bringing a surfboard”: https://help.batikair.com/article/conditions-for-bringing-a-surfboard-on-batik-air-indonesia-flights/748
• Batik Air official help “Free baggage allowance (FBA)”: https://help.batikair.com/article/free-baggage-allowance-on-batik-air-indonesia/744
• Super Air Jet official help “Surfboards and bicycles”: https://help.superairjet.com/article/surfboard-dan-sepeda/597
• Super Air Jet official help “Free checked baggage”: https://help.superairjet.com/article/super-kuota-bagasi-gratis/593
• BMKG (Indonesia’s meteorological agency) marine weather information: https://maritim.bmkg.go.id/
• BMKG “2026 dry season forecast (updated June 2026)”: https://www.bmkg.go.id/iklim/prediksi-musim/prediksi-musim-kemarau-tahun-2026-di-indonesia-pemutakhiran-juni-2026
• West Lombok Regency official website “RSUD TRIPAT SASAR TIPE B” (dated 1 February 2018; at that time Type C, 120 beds): https://lombokbaratkab.go.id/rsud-tripat-sasar-tipe-b/
• RSUD Tripat (West Lombok Regency hospital) official website: https://rsudtripat.lombokbaratkab.go.id/
• RSUD Provinsi NTB (West Nusa Tenggara provincial hospital) official website: https://rsud.ntbprov.go.id/
• Siloam Hospitals Mataram official website: https://www.siloamhospitals.com/rumah-sakit/siloam-hospitals-mataram
• Divers Alert Network (DAN) “Hazardous Marine Life Injuries” (first aid for coral wounds, antibiotics if infected): https://dan.org/health-medicine/health-resources/diseases-conditions/ive-been-stung-what-should-i-do/
• Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare quarantine information site FORTH “Tetanus” (in Japanese; immunity lasts about 10 years, booster after 10 years): https://www.forth.go.jp/moreinfo/topics/name74.html
• Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare quarantine information site FORTH “Vaccines for overseas travel” (in Japanese; tetanus vaccine for travellers doing a lot of outdoor activity): https://www.forth.go.jp/moreinfo/topics/useful_vaccination.html
• Komdigi (Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs) “Call Center 112” (nationwide emergency number / introduced by each local government): https://layanan112.komdigi.go.id/tentang
• KuraSurf official package price page: https://www.kurasurf.com/packages/
• KuraSurf official “Best Time to Surf in Lombok” (dry season April to October, most consistent May to September, south and south-west swell): https://www.kurasurf.com/surfing-in-lombok/best-time-to-surf-in-lombok-seasons-swells-conditions/
• Indonesian Surf Guide “Desert Point” (classified as advanced): https://indonesiansurfguide.com/surf-spot/desert-point/
• Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department “Information on contracting states to the Geneva Convention” (in Japanese): https://www.keishicho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/menkyo/menkyo/kokugai/kokugai04.html
• Exchange rate reference (EUR and IDR, 7 August 2026): https://www.exchange-rates.org/