Even when rain keeps the boats in or the sea is too rough, Lombok has places to spend the day under a roof. The main options are the provincial museum in Mataram (Rp7,000 for foreign visitors), the city’s biggest mall (open daily 10:00 to 22:00), the pottery village of Banyumulek, the hand-weaving village of Sukarara, cooking classes and massages.
For this guide we read pages from Indonesia’s tourism board, the state broadcaster RRI, the news site Good News From Indonesia, a blog on the travel site tiket.com and a cooking class sales page on 1 November 2026, and set out opening hours, prices and locations. Where we could not confirm opening hours, we say so.
This guide is for anyone travelling to Lombok in the rainy season (November to March), and anyone staying in Sekotong or the South Gilis who wants a plan ready for a wet day.
Information as of November 2026
What this article covers
- ✓Places in Mataram to spend time indoors (museum, mall, mosque, garden)
- ✓What you can do in the pottery and weaving villages
- ✓Cooking classes and massages
- ✓How to plan a wet day if you are staying in Sekotong
- ✓What to avoid on rainy days
In short
On a wet day, head towards Mataram and combine the provincial museum or the mall with the pottery village on the way. If you are staying in Sekotong, swap the wet day with your spare island-hopping day, or spend it at the beach cafe or with a massage.
The NTB State Museum in Mataram: displays and opening hours
The West Nusa Tenggara State Museum (Museum Negeri NTB) is on Jalan Panji Tilar Negara in Mataram, about 45 minutes by car from Lombok International Airport (Indonesia’s tourism board). It has galleries on the province’s geology and culture, a treasury room, and a separate building on the geology and wildlife of Mount Rinjani.
It opens Monday 10:00 to 16:00, Tuesday to Thursday 8:00 to 16:00, Friday 8:00 to 17:00, and Saturday and Sunday 8:00 to 13:00, and closes on national holidays. Entry is Rp4,000 for adults, Rp2,000 for children and Rp7,000 for foreign visitors.
RRI (14 July 2026) reported that the permanent exhibition rooms are being renovated for four months from August 2026. The museum stays open during the work, with items shown in a temporary gallery, and the aim is to finish by the province’s anniversary on 17 December.
← Scroll sideways to see the whole table
| Day | Opening hours |
|---|---|
| Monday | 10:00 to 16:00 |
| Tuesday to Thursday | 8:00 to 16:00 |
| Friday | 8:00 to 17:00 |
| Saturday and Sunday | 8:00 to 13:00 |
Closed on national holidays. Entry Rp7,000 for foreign visitors, Rp4,000 for adults, Rp2,000 for children (Indonesia’s tourism board).
The mall, the mosque and the garden: Mataram stops in the rain
Lombok Epicentrum Mall on Jalan Sriwijaya in Mataram is the largest shopping centre on Lombok. It has a cinema (XXI), a food court with Lombok and Indonesian dishes, and a Hero supermarket, and is open every day from 10:00 to 22:00 (Indonesia’s tourism board). It is about 30 km, or 40 minutes, from the airport.
The Islamic Center in Mataram (Hubbul Wathan Islamic Center) is a large mosque completed in 2013, combining Sasak and Islamic design. Mayura Garden, built in the 18th century in the time of the Karangasem kingdom, has a temple standing in the middle of a large pond. We could not confirm opening hours or entry fees for either. Cover shoulders and knees when visiting the mosque.
How to see Mataram’s sights together is covered in our Senggigi and Mataram guide.
Pottery and weaving villages: hands-on visits
Banyumulek in Kediri district, West Lombok, is the village known for Lombok pottery. According to Good News From Indonesia (October 2024), it is about 20 minutes by car from Mataram and there is no charge to enter. You can watch potters at work or have them show you how to make a piece. Most craftspeople are working between 8:00 and 16:00, and if you want to see the firing, arrive around 10:00, as firing often starts at about 11:00.
Sukarara in Central Lombok is the village of hand-woven songket cloth. A blog on the travel site tiket.com (February 2021) says it is about 25 km, or 30 minutes by car, from Mataram; you can try the loom yourself; entry is free or by donation and parking is Rp2,000. It gives sarongs from Rp80,000 and shawls from Rp20,000, but these prices are five years old, so treat them as a rough guide. In both villages most of the workshops are under a roof.
Figure: Where to go on a rainy day (indoors)
Cooking classes and massages
Cooking classes run in villages such as Bonjeruk in Central Lombok. On the Expedia sales page (viewed 1 November 2026), the Sasak cooking class in Bonjeruk starts at 8:00 and lasts about three hours; you cook dishes such as Sasak-style nasi goreng and satay, followed by a village lunch. Transport to the village is not included.
A massage or spa is another way to spend a wet day near your hotel. Typical prices in Senggigi, the Gilis and Kuta are in our Lombok massage and spa prices guide.
Staying in Sekotong: how to plan a wet day
According to the travel blog We Seek Travel (updated July 2025), central Mataram is about 50 km, or 1 hour 30 minutes by car, from Sekotong (see also our Sekotong day trips guide). An easy wet-day half day is to leave Sekotong in the morning, stop at Banyumulek for the pottery, visit the museum or the mall in Mataram and be back by early afternoon. The museum closes at 13:00 at weekends, so go on a weekday or put it first.
When the rain eases, you can also spend time at the beach cafe SAKURA CAFE and the SEMELAR MARKET (both 10:00 to 22:00) and the LOCAL FOOD STREET food stalls (11:00 to 22:00) in Sekotong. They are closed on Mondays.
Figure: A wet-day half day from Sekotong (example)
A note from Sekotong
Island hopping around the South Gilis from Sekotong may not run when rain or wind is strong. If you have a few nights, put island hopping early in the stay and swap a wet day for a half day towards Mataram or an afternoon at the beach cafe, so your plans still hold. If you want to see pearls, read our guide to Sekotong pearls.
What to avoid on a rainy day, and the downsides
Avoid heading to waterfalls or the mountains in the rain. BMKG warns of flooding, landslides and lightning during the thundery rain at the start of the rainy season (Metro TV, 28 October 2026). Waterfalls carry more water in the wet season, but paths get muddy and rivers can rise suddenly, so go on a dry day. How to reach them is in our Lombok waterfalls guide.
The downsides: there are few indoor sights around Sekotong, and on a wet day you need more than an hour by car to reach Mataram. We could not confirm opening hours or entry fees for the Islamic Center or Mayura Garden. Still, if you can swap one day in your plan, a wet day becomes a day to learn about island life in the pottery and weaving villages and the museum. The Semelar Beach Village stay programme runs from 3 nights/4 days to 5 nights/6 days at Rp4,800,000 per person, including airport transfers, local transport, a guide, a welcome dinner and a massage; flights and accommodation are separate. What you can do in the village is on Things to Do.
Frequently asked questions
Q. What can you do in Lombok when it rains?
Indoor options include the NTB State Museum and the mall in Mataram, the Banyumulek pottery village, the Sukarara weaving village, cooking classes and massages.
Q. What are the NTB State Museum’s opening hours and price?
Rp7,000 for foreign visitors. Monday 10:00 to 16:00, Tuesday to Thursday 8:00 to 16:00, Friday 8:00 to 17:00, weekends 8:00 to 13:00, closed on national holidays (Indonesia’s tourism board).
Q. What time does Lombok Epicentrum Mall close?
It is open every day from 10:00 to 22:00, with a cinema, food court and supermarket.
Q. Is there an entry fee for Banyumulek village?
No. It is about 20 minutes by car from Mataram, and potters work there from 8:00 to 16:00.
Q. Should I visit waterfalls on a rainy day?
Better not. Paths get muddy and rivers can rise suddenly in the rain. A dry day is safer.
Summary
On a rainy day in Lombok you can visit the NTB State Museum in Mataram (Rp7,000 for foreign visitors, to 13:00 at weekends) or the mall (daily 10:00 to 22:00), the Banyumulek pottery village, the Sukarara weaving village, a cooking class or a massage.
From Sekotong, Mataram is about 1 hour 30 minutes by car, so a half day combining the pottery village with the museum or mall works well. Avoid waterfalls and mountains in the rain, and keep island hopping for clear mornings (as of November 2026).
Related reading
- Lombok in the Rainy SeasonHow to enjoy November to March
- Day Trips from SekotongDriving times to Mataram, Senggigi and Kuta
- Lombok’s Local DishesAyam taliwang and plecing kangkung
SEMELAR BEACH VILLAGE
Come and spend some time in the Sekotong village we call home
About 1 hour 10 minutes by car from Lombok International Airport. We offer a stay programme of 3 nights/4 days or more, with island trips by local boat and sunsets at SAKURA CAFE. The villas are due to be completed in stages from 2027.
Sources used for this article
- Indonesia Travel (tourism board), Museum Negeri Nusa Tenggara Barat (location, displays, opening hours, entry fees)https://www.indonesia.travel/gb-en/destination/bali-nusa-tenggara/west-nusa-tenggara/museum-negeri-nusa-tenggara-barat/
- RRI, Permanent Exhibition Space at NTB Museum Revitalizes After 16 years (14 July 2026; renovation and temporary gallery)https://rri.co.id/en/archipelago/2566028/permanent-exhibition-space-at-ntb-museum-revitalizes-after-16-years
- Indonesia Travel, Lombok Epicentrum Mall (location, shops, opening hours, distance from the airport)https://www.indonesia.travel/au-en/destination/bali-nusa-tenggara/west-nusa-tenggara/lombok-epicentrum-mall
- Indonesia Travel, Islamic Centre Mataram (location, year completed, building)https://www.indonesia.travel/gb-en/muslim-friendly-travel/attraction/islamic-centre-mataram/
- Indonesia Travel, Taman Mayura (period and description)https://www.indonesia.travel/au-en/destination/bali-nusa-tenggara/west-nusa-tenggara/taman-mayura
- Good News From Indonesia, Menelusuri Jejak Tradisi Gerabah Lombok di Desa Banyumulek (10 October 2024; location, time from Mataram, entry, activities, working hours)https://www.goodnewsfromindonesia.id/2024/10/10/menelusuri-jejak-tradisi-gerabah-lombok-di-desa-banyumulek-awal-mula-dari-karya-rupa-yang-mendunia
- tiket.com blog, Sukarara Village Lombok (23 February 2021; location, weaving, entry, cloth prices)https://blog.tiket.com/en/sukarara-village-lombok/
- Expedia, Lombok: Authentic Sasak Cooking Class in Lombok with Lunch (sales page viewed 1 November 2026; Bonjeruk, start time, dishes, inclusions)https://www.expedia.com.au/things-to-do/lombok-authentic-sasak-cooking-class-in-lombok-with-lunch.a52957273.activity-details
- We Seek Travel, Best Things to Do in Sekotong, Lombok (updated 14 July 2025; distance and driving time from Sekotong to Mataram)https://www.weseektravel.com/best-things-to-do-in-sekotong-lombok/
- Metro TV, BMKG: NTB Mulai Masuki Peralihan Musim Hujan (28 October 2026; rain at the start of the season and warnings)https://www.metrotvnews.com/read/kpLCvZqA-bmkg-ntb-mulai-masuki-peralihan-musim-hujan
