Kayaking in Lombok: Where to Paddle, Sekotong Prices and Safety

18 October 20265 November 2026

“Can you go kayaking in Lombok?” “Where can I rent one, and what does it cost?” “Which months, and what time of day, is the sea calm?” Search for kayaking in Lombok and you will find very little that answers these questions in one place. This article answers all three, using only what we have been able to confirm on this site.

In short: the kayaking and SUP (stand-up paddleboarding) we could confirm in this site’s articles comes in three forms: a luxury resort in Tanjung in the northwest, an island resort on Gili Gede off Sekotong, and paddling from Gili Asahan to the neighbouring island. All three are described as resort facilities or ways to spend time on an island, and we could not confirm whether non-guests can rent. The fourth is the kayaking we plan to start in our village in Sekotong on 7 November 2026.

This article is based only on the articles and pages published on this site and on the confirmed facts of Semelar Beach Village, which we run. There are reports of SUP and kayak offerings in Senggigi and on the three northern Gili islands, but we have not been able to check the operators’ details, so we do not name them or give their prices.

It is written for travellers who want to fit kayaking into a Lombok or Gili trip, who are looking for a way onto the water in Sekotong, or who want to know which season and time of day suit kayaking.

Information current as of October 2026

What this article covers

✓Where you can kayak or paddleboard in Lombok (as confirmed in this site’s articles)
✓Prices and number of boats for the village kayaks in Sekotong (planned to start on 7 November 2026)
✓The dry and rainy seasons month by month, and the calmest time of day
✓Safety points to check before you go out, and what to bring

In short

The options we can confirm for kayaking in Lombok are resort facilities (a luxury resort in Tanjung in the northwest, and an island resort on Gili Gede) and the village kayaks in Sekotong, planned to start on 7 November 2026. The village has 7 boats: a 2 to 3 person paddle kayak costs Rp120,000 (about US$7) for 1 hour, a 1 person pedal kayak Rp175,000 (about US$10), and a guided tour Rp300,000 (about US$17) per person. The sea tends to be most settled in the dry season, April to October, and within a day the morning, before the wind picks up, suits kayaking best.

Contents

Where can you kayak or paddleboard in Lombok?

Three places in this site’s articles mention kayaks or SUP (paddleboards). Each is described as a resort facility or as a way to spend time on an island. None of them is a dedicated kayak rental shop.

The first is The Oberoi Beach Resort, Lombok, a luxury resort on Medana Beach in Tanjung in the northwest. Our comparison of Lombok’s major resorts, based on the resort’s official site (as of August 2026), notes that its beach club offers snorkelling, sea kayaking and paddleboarding. It is 66km, or 1 hour 45 minutes by car, from the airport.

The second is Thamarind Resort Gili Gede, on Gili Gede off Sekotong. Our guide to Sekotong hotels and villas, based on the resort’s official site (as of September 2026), lists kayaks and paddleboards among its facilities. The island is about 10 minutes by taxi boat from Tembowong harbour.

The third is Gili Asahan, further west of Sekotong. Our guide to the South Gilis off Sekotong mentions kayaking to neighbouring Gili Goleng as one of the things to do on the island.

← This table scrolls horizontally

Place	Type	What we could confirm	What we could not confirm
Tanjung, northwest (The Oberoi Beach Resort, Lombok)	Resort beach club	Sea kayaks and paddleboards available (official site, August 2026)	Prices, use by non-guests
Gili Gede off Sekotong (Thamarind Resort Gili Gede)	Island resort facility	Kayaks and paddleboards available (official site, September 2026)	Prices, use by non-guests
Gili Asahan	Island activity	Kayaking to neighbouring Gili Goleng is mentioned	Where to rent, prices
Our village in Sekotong (Semelar Beach Village)	Rental from the beach in front of the cafe	Planned to start on 7 November 2026, 7 boats, prices in the next section	Opening hours and days off (not set)

*Summarised from articles published on this site (as of October 2026). Resort facilities can change, so check with each resort before you go.

Within what we searched, we did not find any operator dedicated to renting kayaks or SUP boards around Sekotong. That does not mean we have confirmed there are none. There are also reports of SUP and kayak offerings in Senggigi and on the three northern Gili islands, but we have not been able to check them, so we leave them out here.

When do the village kayaks in Sekotong start, and what do they cost?

We, Semelar Beach Village, run a beach cafe called SAKURA CAFE and other places with local Sasak people in a fishing village in Sekotong, in southwest Lombok. We plan to start kayak rental and guided kayak tours here on 7 November 2026.

There are 7 boats, launched from the beach in front of SAKURA CAFE out into the bay. Life jackets are included. Prices are as follows (planned, as of October 2026).

Diagram: Village kayak prices in Sekotong compared

Diagram: Semelar Beach Village plans (as of October 2026). Planned to start on 7 November 2026. US$1 is about Rp17,800 (September 2026).

A 2 to 3 person paddle kayak costs Rp120,000 (about US$7) for 1 hour, and a 1 person pedal kayak Rp175,000 (about US$10). The pedal kayak is a boat you drive with your feet, and our announcement on the Bamboo Restaurant and kayaking gives its price for 1 hour. The guided tour costs Rp300,000 (about US$17) per person, and the announcement gives its length as 90 to 120 minutes.

Some things are not yet decided or published: opening hours and days off, conditions such as age, and how to book. We will post them on this site as soon as they are decided. If you plan to be in Sekotong from November onwards and want to include kayaking, you are welcome to ask us before then, and we will answer with what we know.

The Bamboo Restaurant is due to open on the same beach on 7 November 2026, so you will also be able to eat there after a paddle.

Which months suit kayaking?

Lombok has two seasons: the dry season (roughly April to October) and the rainy season (roughly November to March). Our guide to Lombok’s best season describes June to September as the driest months, when the sea also tends to be clearest. April, May and October are the shoulder months of the dry season, with mostly sunny days. July is the driest month of the year but also somewhat windy.

The rainy season does not mean rain all day. The same guide says rain usually comes as short, heavy showers from the afternoon into the evening, followed by clear skies. Hiroki Nakamura, who runs our business in Sekotong, says in our team’s YouTube channel (video published in November 2025) that in the rainy season there are many days with afternoon showers but mornings are basically clear. December and January, however, have the most rain and the most rainy days of the year.

For activities on the water, wind and waves matter more than rain. Our Sekotong boat charter guide notes that in the rainy season stronger wind and waves can lead to cancelled trips. Our rainy season guide advises skipping the sea the day after heavy rain, when river water makes it murky and brings more driftwood and rubbish. According to Indonesia’s meteorological agency BMKG, west to northwest winds dominate around Lombok in the rainy season, and east to southeast winds in the dry season.

In other words, November, when the village kayaks are due to start, is the beginning of the rainy season. If kayaking is the main purpose of your trip, the dry season (especially June to September), when the sea is more settled, is easier to plan around. If you come in the rainy season, it is realistic to book your paddle for the morning and keep a spare day in case the weather cancels it.

What time of day is best?

For kayaking or boating, the morning is the default. Our Sekotong boat charter guide notes that the sea off Sekotong tends to get windier and choppier in the afternoon, while mornings are calmer and boats more stable. Snorkelling visibility is also often better earlier in the day.

The sun is strongest around midday. Our best season guide notes that UV levels are high in the dry season because there are few clouds, and recommends reapplying sunscreen often and drinking plenty of water. On the water the light also reflects off the surface, so expect to burn quickly even on a short paddle.

As for the evening, Nakamura says in a video on our team’s YouTube channel (published March 2026) that Bali lies directly opposite Semelar Beach, and on a clear day you can see Bali’s Mount Agung and the sunset at the same time. Sunset, according to US Naval Observatory data (Central Indonesia Time) cited in our article on horse riding in the Gilis, is around 18:00 from May to November and around 18:30 from December to March. The sea gets dark quickly once the sun goes down, so plan to watch the sunset from the beach after you come in.

Diagram: Season and time of day at a glance

Diagram: Based on this site’s articles on the best season, the rainy season, boat charters and horse riding in the Gilis (as of October 2026). Season boundaries shift from year to year, and each day’s sea is judged on site.

Safety points to check before you go out

In a kayak, safety depends less on how well you swim than on whether you can stay afloat and on judging the day’s sea correctly. Here are the points from this site’s articles that apply directly to kayaking.

First, always wear a life jacket and check its size and straps. Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency warns that if a life jacket does not fit or the strap is loose, your mouth may not stay above the water. If it has a crotch strap, fasten that too.

Second, leave the call on the day’s sea to your guide or the rental staff. Wind makes SUP and kayaking noticeably harder, so if a local guide says conditions are not good today, it is safest to follow that advice. Our rainy season guide says to get out of the sea as soon as you hear thunder, and to check BMKG’s high-wave warnings.

Along the coast there can be rip currents running out to sea, or tidal currents faster than you expect. If you stay calm and float you may simply drift, but if you panic and try to swim hard you exhaust yourself and make things worse. If you fall out of the boat, hold on to it or float and wait.

Note

Travel insurance cover: some plans exclude certain marine sports from basic cover. Check your policy before you leave.
Do not stand on or grab coral: when you step out of the boat in shallow water, choose where you put your feet. It protects the coral and your feet.
Do not go out if you feel unwell: not pushing yourself on a day when you feel unwell, feel afraid, or the waves are high matters more than any equipment.
Not on the day before or the day you fly home: weather can cancel a paddle, so do not schedule it on a day linked to your flight home.

What to bring and wear

Prepare on the assumption that you and your belongings will get splashed. These are the items from our Lombok packing list that are useful on the water.

What to bring on a kayak day

✓Sunscreen (SPF50 or higher, PA++++; bring it from home), a hat and sunglasses
✓A rash guard or thin long sleeves (against sunburn and jellyfish)
✓Water shoes (to avoid cuts from coral and sea urchins)
✓A waterproof phone case and zip-lock waterproof bags
✓Drinking water (more than you think)
✓A change of clothes you do not mind getting wet, and a towel

Pick a hat with a chin strap, or one you will not miss if the wind takes it. A cord on your glasses or sunglasses stops them going overboard.

A note from Sekotong

If you add kayaking to your plans, avoid your arrival day and the day before you fly home, and put it on a morning in the middle of your stay. That way it is easy to move if the weather changes. If you ask us before opening hours are set, sending your dates, group size, everyone’s ages and any kayaking experience in one message will speed things up.

Who kayaking in Lombok suits, and who it does not

The drawbacks first. There is very little information about dedicated kayak rental in Lombok. What we could confirm on this site is mostly resort facilities, and we do not know whether non-guests can use them. The village kayaks in Sekotong are planned to start on 7 November 2026, and the opening hours have not been set. November is the start of the rainy season, so some days will be cancelled due to rough seas. Sekotong is about 1 hour 10 minutes by car from Lombok International Airport and about 40 minutes from Lembar harbour, which is a long way to go just to kayak.

On the other hand, if you want to paddle a quiet bay at your own pace, or get onto the water easily from the beach without booking an island-hopping boat, the village kayaks in Sekotong are an option. You can also pair a kayak session with a day of island hopping in the South Gilis to spend more of your trip on the sea.

In a fishing village in Sekotong, we run a beach cafe (SAKURA CAFE, 10:00 to 22:00, closed Mondays), a market and a beach club with local Sasak people. We are building 13 private villas, and the first is expected to be completed in early 2027 (plan as of August 2026). What you can book now is our stay program, which includes airport transfers, transport during your stay and a guide (3 nights 4 days to 5 nights 6 days, Rp4,800,000 per person; flights and accommodation are separate).

Frequently asked questions

Q. Can you go kayaking in Lombok?

This site’s articles confirm the beach club of a luxury resort in Tanjung in the northwest, an island resort’s facilities on Gili Gede, and paddling from Gili Asahan to the neighbouring island. Our village in Sekotong plans to start kayaking on 7 November 2026.

Q. How much do the village kayaks in Sekotong cost?

A 2 to 3 person paddle kayak is Rp120,000 (about US$7) for 1 hour, a 1 person pedal kayak Rp175,000 (about US$10), and a guided tour Rp300,000 (about US$17) per person (planned, as of October 2026). Life jackets are included.

Q. When do they start?

We plan to start on 7 November 2026. Opening hours and other details will be posted on this site as soon as they are decided.

Q. What season and time of day suit kayaking?

The sea tends to be most settled in the dry season, April to October, with the least rain from June to September. Within a day, the morning, when the sea is often calm, suits kayaking better than the afternoon, when wind and waves tend to pick up.

Q. Can you kayak in the rainy season?

Mornings are often clear in the rainy season too, and there are calm days. But some days are cancelled because of wind and waves, and the sea is murky the day after heavy rain. Book a morning slot and keep a spare day.

Summary

For kayaking and SUP in Lombok, what we could confirm in this site’s articles is the facilities at a luxury resort in Tanjung in the northwest and at an island resort on Gili Gede, and paddling from Gili Asahan to the neighbouring island. Our village in Sekotong plans to start kayaking with 7 boats on 7 November 2026: a 2 to 3 person paddle kayak is Rp120,000 for 1 hour, a 1 person pedal kayak Rp175,000, and a guided tour Rp300,000 per person.

When planning, build around mornings in the dry season (April to October), and keep a spare day in the rainy season. Before you go out, check your life jacket’s size and straps, leave the call on the day’s sea to the staff, and check your insurance cover.