Lombok Beaches Compared: Kuta, Tanjung Aan, Senggigi, Pink Beach and Sekotong

29 October 20266 November 2026

“Which beaches in Lombok are worth going to?” “How do Kuta, Tanjung Aan, Senggigi and Pink Beach differ?” “Can I swim there, or is it a surf beach?” Look up Lombok’s beaches and you will find plenty of names but little to compare them by. The short answer: Lombok’s beaches are easiest to choose between once you split them into five areas: the south, the west, the southeast, the southwest and the three Gili Islands. Where you go depends on what you want: a calm bay for swimming, Selong Belanak for a first surf lesson, Bukit Merese or the Senggigi area for the sunset.

The other thing to know up front is that the areas are far apart. Kuta to Sekotong, for example, is more than 2 hours by car. One area a day is a realistic pace, so choosing a beach is almost the same decision as choosing where to stay.

We put this together in October 2026 from the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism’s official site (Wonderful Indonesia) and Indonesian news reports (detik, Mongabay, ANTARA and others). Parking and entry fees are the amounts given in each report at the time and may change on the ground. Where we could not confirm something, we say so in that place.

This guide is for people deciding whether to add Lombok to a Bali trip, and for anyone who wants to fit a beach day into their itinerary. It sticks to comparing the whole island; for details on getting to and spending time in each area, we point you to the relevant guide.

As of October 2026

What this article covers

✓Lombok’s five beach areas and what each is like
✓How Kuta, Tanjung Aan, Selong Belanak, Senggigi, Pink Beach and Sekotong differ
✓Typical parking and entry fees, and how you pay at the beach
✓What changed at Tanjung Aan in 2025
✓Which beach to pick for swimming, surfing or the sunset

In short

As of October 2026, for swimming look at calm Tanjung Aan in the south or shallow Elak-Elak in Sekotong in the southwest; for a first try at surfing, Selong Belanak in the south; for the sunset, Bukit Merese in the south or Senggigi and Malimbu in the west. Pink Beach is 1.5 to 2.5 hours each way from Kuta, so it takes a full day. Many southern beaches have no entry ticket, only a parking fee, reported at Rp10,000 (about US$0.56) for a car and Rp5,000 (about US$0.28) for a motorbike. The areas are far apart, so plan on one area a day.

Contents

Where are Lombok’s beaches? Start by splitting them into five areas

Lombok’s beaches are easiest to sort into five groups: the south, the west, the southeast, the southwest, and the three Gili Islands off the northwest coast. Lombok International Airport is in south-central Lombok, about 25 to 30 minutes by car from the town of Kuta in the south. Senggigi on the west coast is about 50 km from the airport, and in Sekotong in the southwest, the fishing village where we are based is about 1 hour 10 minutes from the airport by car. Pink Beach in the southeast is about 55 km from Kuta, and the Gili Islands are reached by boat from Bangsal Port (Bangsal) and other harbours on mainland Lombok.

Figure: Lombok’s five beach areas (schematic)

Figure: A schematic; the island’s shape, scale and distances are not accurate. Travel times are the same rough figures as in the text; for Sekotong, the time is to the fishing village where we are based.

Even within the south, visiting both the west side of Kuta (Selong Belanak) and the east side (Tanjung Aan) in one day means around 2 hours of driving there and back. If you want to cover more than one area, set aside a day for the journey.

← Scroll the table sideways

Area	Main beaches	Good for	Watch out for	Rough distance
South	Kuta, Tanjung Aan, Bukit Merese, Selong Belanak	Swimming, beginner surfing, sunsets	Waves vary by beach and by day. Development has changed some beaches	25–30 min by car from the airport to Kuta
West	Senggigi, Malimbu Hill, Nipah	Sunsets, nearby town and hotels, beachside meals	You may be asked for an entry or parking fee at the beach entrance	About 50 km from the airport
Southeast	Pink Beach (Tangsi)	Pale pink sand, views from the hill	Rough stretches of road. Little shade or facilities	About 55 km from Kuta, 1.5 to 2.5 hrs one way
Southwest	Elak-Elak, Mekaki, Desert Point	Shallow beaches, quiet beaches, island-hopping in the South Gilis	Almost no public transport. Avoid driving at night	About 1 hr 10 min by car from the airport (to our village)
Gili Islands	Beaches on Gili Trawangan, Gili Air and Gili Meno	Snorkelling straight from the beach, staying on car-free islands	Boat from the mainland. No cars on the islands; luggage goes by horse cart or on foot	Car to the harbour, then a boat

*Distances and times are rough figures from our area guides and news reports, as of October 2026. They change with road conditions and time of day.

The south around Kuta and Mandalika: which beach is good for what?

The south has the most beaches, so you can pick one to suit what you want to do: Tanjung Aan for swimming, Selong Belanak to try surfing, Bukit Merese for the sunset. All of them face the open Indian Ocean to the south, so the waves on the same beach can change from day to day.

Kuta Beach (Pantai Kuta, Mandalika) is the white-sand beach in front of the town of Kuta. According to detikBali (July 2024), entry is free and parking is Rp5,000 for a motorbike and Rp10,000 for a car. There is a car park, toilets, places to eat and an ATM. The Ministry of Tourism site describes it as a good beach for swimming, but it faces the open ocean, so look at the waves on the day before you go in.

Tanjung Aan is 15 to 20 minutes east of Kuta by car; the Ministry of Tourism site says about 45 minutes if you go straight from the airport. A rocky hill splits it into two beaches, one with fine white sand and the other with coarse grains like peppercorns, which is why locals also call it “Tanjung Merica” (Pepper Cape), according to a local media article (December 2025). The water is relatively calm, and the ministry’s site presents it as a family beach where you can snorkel. The same article says there is no entry ticket and parking is Rp5,000 for a motorbike and Rp10,000 for a car. It recommends visiting from 5 to 11 am or from 2 to 4 pm to avoid the strongest midday sun.

Tanjung Aan changed a lot in 2025. detikBali (June 2025) reported plans for a five-star hotel and a beach club on the beach land. ITDC, which manages the Mandalika Special Economic Zone, cleared hundreds of stalls and shops along the beach on 15 July (Mongabay, July 2025). According to detikBali, an ITDC official said the public would still be able to use the beach after the hotel is built. A December 2025 article mentions toilets, a prayer room and a car park, but we could not confirm how many stalls have returned since the clearance. Rather than counting on the beach shops described in older travel accounts, it is safer to bring your own drinks and shade.

Bukit Merese is the hill next to Tanjung Aan, about an 11-minute walk from the beach according to the ministry’s site. It is known as a sunset spot looking out over the Indian Ocean, and a local media article from January 2026 says there is no separate entry ticket. According to ANTARA, about 14,000 people visited from Sunday to Tuesday during the March 2026 Lebaran holiday at the end of Ramadan, with vendors and parking attendants out in force. Expect crowds in holiday periods. Once the sun goes down it gets dark underfoot very quickly, so bring a light for the walk down.

Selong Belanak is 30 to 40 minutes west of Kuta by car. According to detikBali (August 2023), there is no entry fee, only parking. The waves are gentle, beginners can practise surfing, and boards are available to rent. The same article says the right-hand end of the beach has rougher waves because of a nearby islet and suits experienced surfers, while the left-hand end is calm and good for paddling. For how to get around the southern beaches, see our South Lombok beach-hopping guide.

Kuta is close to the Mandalika Circuit, and on race days the roads and accommodation around it get busy. The 2026 MotoGP was held there on 9 to 11 October, and the Ministry of Tourism site lists round 5 of the Mandalika Racing Series on 6 to 8 November 2026. Around race weekends, hotels near Mandalika fill up and prices rise. Once you know which nights you will spend in the south, check that they don’t clash with a race. For the next year’s MotoGP dates, check the official MotoGP calendar.

The west, Senggigi and Malimbu: for sunsets and being near town

The west is the area to choose for sunsets and for being close to town and hotels. It is near the provincial capital, Mataram, and the beach is lined with places to eat.

Senggigi is about 17 km north of Mataram, around 30 minutes by car (local media, January 2025). The Ministry of Tourism site describes a calm beach suited to swimming and snorkelling, with fishing boats silhouetted against the evening sky. There are many restaurants and cafes along the beach. The same January 2025 article gives an entry fee of Rp15,000 (about US$0.84), with parking at Rp10,000 for a car and Rp5,000 for a motorbike.

Follow the coast road north from Senggigi and you reach the hill at Malimbu. A traveller’s blog describes it as about 15 minutes by motorbike from Senggigi beach, with the three Gilis visible on the horizon from the top, and as a sunset spot. Further on, in North Lombok Regency, is Nipah beach. When Mongabay reported on it in 2018, bamboo and thatch seafood stalls lined the beach, and you chose fish from the display to have it cooked. That information is from 2018, and we could not confirm how many stalls there are now.

The drawback is that the west is about 50 km from the airport, on the opposite side of the airport from the southern beaches. If you stay in Senggigi and make day trips to the south, you spend a long time on the road.

Pink Beach in the southeast: is it really pink? A full day if you go

Pink Beach does not always look as pink as it does in photos, and getting there and back takes a long time. Whether to go comes down, realistically, to whether you can give it a whole day.

Pink Beach is in Sekaroh village, Jerowaru district, East Lombok Regency (detikBali, August 2022). Our Pink Beach guide covers the beach at Tangsi. detikBali gives about 1 hour 45 minutes from Mataram, and a January 2025 local media article about 2 hours by car from Mataram. From Kuta it is about 55 km by road, 1.5 to 2.5 hours each way. You can also go by sea: 30 to 45 minutes by boat from Tanjung Luar harbour (January 2025 article) or about 1 hour by boat from Kuta Mandalika (detikBali, August 2022). The January 2025 article gives the entry fee as Rp50,000 (about US$2.80) per foreign visitor.

On the east side of the beach there is a hilltop viewpoint looking down over the rocky headland and the beach (detikBali). On the other hand, the paving gives out on some stretches near the beach, and shade, toilets and other facilities are said to be scarce. Avoid driving after dark, and bring a hat and water. For the conditions in which the sand colour shows best and how to get there, see our Lombok Pink Beach guide.

Sekotong in the southwest: shallow beaches and island-hopping in the South Gilis

Sekotong in the southwest is the area to choose for beaches with few visitors and island-hopping to the small islands offshore (the South Gilis). Sekotong covers the southwestern peninsula; the fishing village where we are based is about 1 hour 10 minutes by car from Lombok International Airport and about 40 minutes from Lembar Port. The further out along the peninsula you go, the longer it takes.

Elak-Elak is described on a traveller’s blog as a shallow beach with a sandy bottom, good for swimming. Mekaki, according to the Ministry of Tourism site, is a white-sand beach in Pelangan village, quiet and kept cool by the surrounding trees. Besides surfing and diving, the hill behind it is used as a paragliding launch site. The same traveller’s blog says the surf break at Mekaki becomes dangerous on big-wave days.

Desert Point (Bangko-Bangko), at the western tip of the peninsula, is described on the ministry’s site as one of the world’s top surf spots, an experienced surfers’ break known for long, tubing waves. The peak season is July and August, and the road is rough. On clear days you can see Bali and Nusa Penida, and it is also a sunset spot. It is not a swimming beach.

Sekotong has almost no public transport, so you get around by car or motorbike. Some stretches of road are unimproved, so avoid travelling at night. It is more than 2 hours by car from Kuta, too far to combine with the southern beaches on the same day.

Gili Islands beaches: car-free islands where you walk into the sea from the sand

Gili Trawangan, Gili Air and Gili Meno, off the northwest coast, are the area for staying on an island and spending your days on the beach. According to the Ministry of Tourism site, cars and motorbikes are banned on the islands, and people get around by cidomo (horse cart), bicycle or on foot. There are white-sand beaches and coral reefs, and you may meet green turtles while snorkelling or diving.

Each island has its own feel: Trawangan is lively, Meno is quiet and Air is in between. Given the boat times, a plan to stay one night or more on an island suits them better than a day trip from the mainland. We compare the three islands and how to reach them in What are the Gili Islands?

What to watch for before you swim, and in the car park

The three things that most often cause trouble on Lombok’s beaches are misjudging the waves, sorting out parking fees and the sun. All three are easy to avoid if you know about them in advance.

Caution

Waves differ by beach and by day: the southern beaches face the open ocean, and the strength of the waves varies even along one beach (the right and left ends of Selong Belanak, for example). Before you swim, ask locals about conditions that day.
Parking is usually paid to locals at the entrance: reported amounts are around Rp5,000 for a motorbike and Rp10,000 for a car. Check the amount before you pay, and carry small notes to keep things quick.
The midday sun is strong: many beaches have little shade, and for Tanjung Aan the advice is to go in the morning or later in the afternoon. Bring a hat, sunscreen and water.
Season: Lombok’s rainy season is November to March and the dry season April to October. In the rainy season, unpaved roads to places like Pink Beach get slippery.

On the beach, local vendors may offer you drinks or small items. If you don’t want anything, a smile and a short no is fine.

What matters most to you? Choosing by purpose

Here is everything above, sorted by purpose. If you have already decided where to stay, the realistic approach is to pick the beach that fits your purpose within that area.

Figure: Choosing a beach by purpose

Figure: A rough guide based on the area descriptions in the text. Decide whether to swim from the waves on the day.

If you are travelling with children and mostly want to play in the water, choose a calm beach and plan to rest in the shade during the hottest part of the day.

✓Have you decided where to stay first, and planned around the beaches near it?
✓Have you set aside a separate full day for distant beaches like Pink Beach?
✓Do you have small rupiah notes for parking and entry fees?
✓Have you packed a hat, sunscreen, water, and a light for after sunset?
✓Have you fixed a time for the drive back so you are not on the road after dark?

A note from Sekotong

On days when you head to a distant beach, book a car and driver by the day before and decide on your return departure time in advance, so you don’t end up driving after dark. For parking and entry fees, keep a few Rp5,000 and Rp10,000 notes separate, and you won’t be kept waiting for change.

Who Lombok’s beaches don’t suit, and who they do

The downsides first. Lombok’s beach areas are far apart, and you cannot walk to many beaches from a single place to stay. Facilities vary a great deal, and at Pink Beach and the more remote beaches of Sekotong neither the roads nor the facilities are developed. Some beaches, like Tanjung Aan, have changed through development compared with a few years ago. If spending time on the beach in front of your accommodation matters most, the Gili Islands, or places like Kuta and Senggigi where the beach is close to where you stay, suit you best on the island.

On the other hand, if you like to choose a beach for each purpose and spend time on quiet beaches, Lombok gives you plenty of options. Swimming and surfing in the south, sunsets in the west, island life on the Gilis: how you spend your days changes with where you stay.

On the beach of a fishing village in Sekotong in the southwest (Semelar Beach), we at Semelar Beach Village run a beach cafe, SAKURA CAFE (10 am to 10 pm, closed Mondays), a market and a beach club together with the local Sasak community. Our Bamboo Restaurant is scheduled to open on 7 November 2026, and kayaking is due to start the same day. Offshore are the South Gilis off Sekotong, with few visitors, where island-hopping is quieter than on the three Gilis.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Which beaches in Lombok are good for swimming?

Tanjung Aan and the left-hand end of Selong Belanak in the south, and Senggigi in the west, are described as calm beaches, and Elak-Elak in Sekotong in the southwest as shallow and easy to swim at. The waves on the same beach change from day to day, though, so ask locals about conditions before you go in.

Q. Is there a beach for beginner surfers?

Selong Belanak in the south is reported to have gentle waves where beginners can practise, with boards to rent. Desert Point in the southwest is an advanced break and does not suit beginners.

Q. How much are entry and parking fees?

At the time of the reports: Kuta Beach is free to enter, with parking at Rp5,000 for a motorbike and Rp10,000 for a car. Tanjung Aan and Selong Belanak have no entry ticket, only parking. Senggigi is given as Rp15,000 to enter and Pink Beach as Rp50,000 per foreign visitor. Amounts can change, so check before you pay.

Q. Can I visit beaches in several areas in one day?

We don’t recommend it. Kuta to Sekotong is more than 2 hours by car, and Kuta to Pink Beach is 1.5 to 2.5 hours each way. Even within the south, doing the west and east sides in one day means around 2 hours of driving there and back. One area a day is a good rule.

Q. Can I still go to Tanjung Aan?

ITDC, which manages the area, says the public can still use the beach even with the hotel and other plans. However, the stalls and shops along the beach were cleared in July 2025, and we could not confirm what is open there now. It is safer to bring your own drinks and shade.

Summary

Lombok’s beaches are easiest to choose between once you split them into five areas: the south (around Kuta and Mandalika), the west (Senggigi and Malimbu), the southeast (Pink Beach), the southwest (Sekotong) and the three Gili Islands. For swimming, consider Tanjung Aan or Elak-Elak; for a first surf, Selong Belanak; for the sunset, Bukit Merese or the Senggigi area.

The areas are 1 to 2 hours or more apart by car, so the realistic approach is to decide where to stay first and plan around the beaches nearby. Parking and entry fees are the amounts reported at the time and may have changed.