Sekotong Beaches, Lombok: Mekaki, Elak-Elak and the South Coast

20 October 20265 November 2026

“Are Sekotong’s beaches only on the islands, or are there beaches on the mainland where you can swim?” “I keep seeing the names Mekaki and Elak-Elak, but what are the roads and fees like?” Search for Sekotong and you find plenty about hopping around the South Gili islands, but information on the mainland beaches is mostly photos and tour listings on booking sites.

In short, Sekotong’s mainland beaches fall on two very different coasts: the calm north coast, which faces the islands, and the south coast, which faces the open ocean. For time in the water, start with shallow Elak-Elak on the north coast. For a quiet white-sand bay, go to Mekaki on the south coast. For coves you reach on foot, there are Orong Bukal and Pilling. At the western tip of the peninsula is Bangko-Bangko, known for its expert-only wave.

This guide is based on what we could confirm from Indonesia’s official tourism site, news reports such as detikBali, and papers by researchers at the University of Mataram, as of October 2026. Where we could confirm entry fees, parking fees or road conditions for a beach, we give them; where we could not, we say so. It is written for people who are staying in Sekotong or passing through, and want something to do besides the islands.

As of October 2026

What this article covers

✓How the sea differs between Sekotong’s north and south coasts
✓What Elak-Elak, Mekaki, Orong Bukal and Pilling, and Bangko-Bangko are like
✓Roads and fees we could confirm for each beach, and what we could not
✓How to plan a beach day, and what to prepare

In short

To swim or play in the water, go to shallow Elak-Elak on the north coast. For a quiet white-sand bay, go to Mekaki on the south coast. If you are fit, walk down the rocky path to Orong Bukal and Pilling. Bangko-Bangko is a place for expert surfers and sunsets, not for swimming. The north and south coasts are separated by hills, so plan on one coast per day (as of October 2026).

Contents

Where are Sekotong’s mainland beaches, and how do they differ?

Sekotong is an area of West Lombok Regency on the peninsula that sticks out from the southwest of Lombok. The north side of the peninsula faces an inner sea dotted with the South Gili islands, such as Gili Nanggu and Gili Gede. The south side faces the open Indian Ocean. When choosing a beach in Sekotong, the first question is simply: north or south?

The north coast runs along the coastal road from Lembar Port into Sekotong. The travel blog We Seek Travel describes what it calls Sekotong Beach as a calm coastline lined with local boats, with long stretches of rock and coral but some sandy sections where you can swim. Elak-Elak is on this side.

To reach the south coast, you cross the villages and hills in the middle of the peninsula. Mekaki, Orong Bukal and Pilling are on this side. The waves are bigger than on the north coast, and each beach is reached differently. Bangko-Bangko (Desert Point) is at the western tip of the peninsula. The figure below shows how the beaches divide.

Figure: Sekotong’s mainland beaches, north coast and south coast (a grouping, not a map)

Figure: Based on Indonesia’s official tourism site, detikBali, a University of Mataram paper and We Seek Travel (as of October 2026). Positions show a grouping only, not distance or scale.

For the beaches of south Lombok, around Kuta, see South Lombok beaches. This article looks only at the mainland beaches of Sekotong.

To see how Sekotong’s beaches compare with the rest of the island, our Lombok beaches compared guide sets the south around Kuta, the west around Senggigi, Pink Beach in the southeast, Sekotong and the Gili Islands side by side, with which beaches suit swimming, surfing or the sunset.

What is Elak-Elak like, and can you swim there?

Elak-Elak (also written Elak Elak) is a shallow beach on Sekotong’s north coast. If you want to spend time in the water on the mainland, it is the first place to consider.

A 2024 paper by University of Mataram researchers (Jurnal Sains Teknologi dan Lingkungan) surveyed four points on the beach on 6 December 2023. The water was clear and shallow, 0.4 to 1.27 m deep. The seabed was white sand mixed with coral fragments at some points, and white sand mixed with mud at others. Water quality (pH, temperature, salinity) met the standard for marine tourism.

According to the same paper, there is a small island called Gili Genting near the beach, which you can walk to when the tide is out. The beach has a restaurant, toilets, food stalls, a prayer room, parking and lodging, and the road can be used by cars and even buses. On the other hand, sea urchins were found at all four points, and a sea snake at one. Do not walk around barefoot; wear water shoes.

Another paper (Jurnal Pepadu, 2024) says Elak-Elak is visited mainly by local people and is managed by the local community. Litter around the food stalls has become a problem as visitor numbers grow, and a beach clean-up was held. Please take your rubbish with you.

We found no source that confirms the entry or parking fee at Elak-Elak. Assume you may be asked to pay, and bring small notes.

What is Mekaki like, and how do you get there?

Mekaki (also called Teluk Mekaki, Mekaki Bay) is a white-sand bay on the south coast. According to Indonesia’s official tourism site, it is in Pelangan village (Desa Pelangan), Sekotong District, about 58 km from Mataram, the provincial capital. The route runs along the road linking Lembar, Sekotong, Blongas, Mekaki and Pelangan.

The English edition of the same official article describes Mekaki as a long, curving white-sand beach with few people, where the surrounding trees keep it cool even under the sun. The hill behind the beach is used as a paragliding launch site, and you can also surf and dive in the area. It says early morning suits surfing and diving.

You can drive close to the beach. According to that English edition, to reach the fishing and diving spots you take a track that only motorbikes can use. If you come by car, you park at the end of the road and continue with a local guide. If you only want to spend time on the beach, going as far as the car can go is enough.

The thing to watch is the waves. We Seek Travel says Mekaki has a fairly good surf break that can be dangerous on big days, so it suits surfers with some experience. If your aim is swimming, Elak-Elak on the north coast is the better choice. For surf difficulty and seasons, see our Lombok surf spots guide. We found no source that confirms the entry fee, parking fee or whether there are shops on the beach. Bring drinks and shade.

Who are Orong Bukal and Pilling for?

Orong Bukal and Pilling are coves on the south coast that you reach by walking down a rocky path from the car park. They suit people who do not mind a hike, not people who want a relaxed swim from the beach.

According to detikBali (June 2022), Orong Bukal is in Buwun Mas village (Desa Buwun Mas), Sekotong District, about 45 km from Mataram, or about 1 hour 15 minutes by car. The road crosses hilly country far from villages. From the car park you follow a footpath, and past the top of the hill it turns into a steep, rocky descent. The people who manage the site have put up ropes to hold on to, and local guides are available for those who find the path difficult. Guide fees are not fixed and are agreed according to group size. There are no food stalls on the beach, so the article advises bringing drinks and snacks.

On fees, the same article mentions both “Rp5,000 per vehicle” and “Rp5,000 for an entry ticket”, and it is not clear whether these are two separate charges or the same Rp5,000. The travel blog We Seek Travel (February 2024) gives entry at Rp5,000, parking at Rp3,000 for a motorbike and Rp5,000 for a car, and an optional local guide at Rp150,000 for the whole group. These figures are as of each article and may have changed.

The same blog puts the loop from Orong Bukal round Pilling beach and back at about 2.5 hours of walking, or about 5 hours including cliff jumping and time on the beach. Pilling is a pebble beach, the path down to it is slippery, and the final descent to Orong Bukal is very steep. It also notes there was no mobile signal (XL and Telkomsel), that monkeys are about so you should watch your belongings, and that waves and currents can get very rough, so do not go in the water if you are not confident.

Start early to avoid the heat, and save your map offline while you still have signal. You will need shoes with good grip.

Can you fit Bangko-Bangko (Desert Point) into a beach day?

You can, but treat it as a separate day from the other beaches. Bangko-Bangko is in Batu Putih village (Desa Batu Putih), Sekotong District, at the western tip of the peninsula. detikBali (June 2022) gives about 70 km from Mataram and about 2.5 hours by road from the airport or Mataram, turning right at the Sekotong district office junction and heading to the Pelangan village junction. Koran Jakarta (November 2025) gives about 73 km from Mataram and about 2 hours by car.

The beach has white sand and small food stalls along it, and because it faces west it is also a sunset spot (detikBali). But surfers know it as Desert Point, an expert-only wave, and it is not a beach for swimming. Our surf spots guide recommends a four-wheel-drive vehicle because the last section of the road is still unpaved.

Koran Jakarta (November 2025) reported a West Lombok Regency plan to pave about 15 km of road from Selegong hamlet towards the Bangko-Bangko three-way junction. We could not confirm whether the work has been completed. As our surf spots guide notes, the area is a nature recreation park (Taman Wisata Alam), but we could not confirm from public information how much entry fee is actually charged.

What do we know about fees, parking and roads at each beach?

Here is what we could confirm from sources for each beach. Where we could not confirm something, we say so rather than leaving it blank.

Figure: What we could confirm for each beach (as of October 2026)

Figure: Based on a University of Mataram paper (2024), Indonesia’s official tourism site, detikBali (June 2022), We Seek Travel (February 2024), Koran Jakarta (November 2025) and our surf spots guide. Fees are as of each article.

On roads, separately from the roads to the beaches, damage to roads in Sekotong’s hill hamlets has been reported. detikBali (June 2025) reported that residents of a hill hamlet in Sekotong Tengah village (Desa Sekotong Tengah) were pooling money and labour to repair about 6 km of road. To the south-coast beaches, where the route crosses the hills, it is safer to avoid travelling after rain or after dark.

Caution

Go by car or motorbike: we could not find public transport to the beaches. Book a car and driver by the day before, and fix your return time in advance.
Bring small notes: at Orong Bukal, entry and parking were a few thousand rupiah each. Having Rp5,000 and Rp10,000 notes makes it quicker.
On the south coast, check the waves first: Mekaki, Orong Bukal and Pilling face the open ocean. Ask local people about conditions that day before swimming, and stay out when the waves are high.
Roads get muddy in the rainy season: Lombok’s rainy season is November to March and the dry season April to October. In the rainy season, unpaved sections and hill roads get slippery.

How should you plan a beach day?

The north and south coasts are separated by hills, so plan on one coast per day. We could not confirm travel times between the beaches from our sources, so ask your driver when you book. Here are some ways to plan the day.

A day in the water (north coast). Spend the low-tide hours at Elak-Elak, and stay on the same beach for the sunset. You can also combine it with a day crossing by boat to the South Gili islands. How to hire a boat, with rough prices, is covered in our Sekotong boat charter guide.

A walking day (south coast). Start walking from the Orong Bukal car park early in the morning and be back before the hottest part of the day. Rest at Mekaki in the afternoon, and head back to the north side before dark. Get drinks and snacks before you set out.

A day for waves and sunset (western tip). The round trip to Bangko-Bangko takes a long time, so it is easier not to combine it with other beaches. If you do not surf, a realistic plan is to watch the sunset and head back before it gets dark.

Checklist before you go

✓Have you decided which coast today, north or south?
✓Have you booked a car and driver, and fixed your return time?
✓Do you have a few Rp5,000 and Rp10,000 notes?
✓Water, snacks, a hat, sunscreen and water shoes?
✓Have you saved your map offline while you have signal?

A note from Sekotong

Sekotong’s beach names are spelled in different ways. Elak-Elak may appear as “Elak Elak” or “Elak-Elak”, and Mekaki as “Pantai Mekaki” or “Teluk Mekaki”, so try more than one spelling when you search a map. The map pin and the real entrance do not always match, so show your driver the beach name in writing before you set off. That way you are less likely to get lost.

Who Sekotong’s mainland beaches do not suit, and who they do

The drawbacks first. Few of Sekotong’s mainland beaches are within walking distance of where you stay, and you need a car to get between them. The south-coast beaches have rough roads and few facilities, and fees are often not published. If you want beachfront cafes and hotels in a row, or want to spend less time in a car, Kuta Lombok, Senggigi or the three northern Gili islands will suit you better.

On the other hand, if you want to choose quiet beaches by purpose and combine them with island hopping, Sekotong gives you plenty of options. We are Semelar Beach Village. 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 together with local Sasak people. The village is about 1 hour 10 minutes by car from Lombok International Airport and about 40 minutes from Lembar Port. A bamboo restaurant is due to open on 7 November 2026, and kayaking is due to start the same day.

Our 13 private villas are under construction, and the first is due to be completed in early 2027 (plan as of August 2026). What you can book now is a stay programme of 3 nights to 5 nights (Rp4,800,000 per person, about US$270, including airport transfers, transport during the stay, a guide, a welcome dinner and a massage; flights and accommodation are not included). If you also want to visit the islands offshore, see The South Gili islands off Sekotong.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Is there a beach on mainland Sekotong where children can play in the water?

Elak-Elak on the north coast is the one to consider. The December 2023 survey found it shallow, 0.4 to 1.27 m deep, and it has toilets and food stalls. There are sea urchins, so put children in water shoes and keep an adult close by.

Q. Can I visit Mekaki and Elak-Elak on the same day?

It is possible, but the north and south coasts are separated by hills. We could not confirm the travel time between them, so ask your driver and plan to be back at your lodging before dark.

Q. Do the beaches charge an entry fee?

We could confirm a fee only for Orong Bukal: Rp5,000 entry in articles from 2022 and 2024. We could not confirm fees for Elak-Elak or Mekaki, and for Bangko-Bangko the actual nature park entry fee is not confirmed. Bring small notes.

Q. Can I swim at Bangko-Bangko?

It is not a swimming beach. It is known as Desert Point, an expert-only surf wave that breaks over a shallow reef. Going there to watch the sunset is the realistic option.

Q. Do I need a guide for Orong Bukal?

It is not required. detikBali says local guides are available for people who find the path difficult, with the fee agreed according to group size. If you are doing the loop to Pilling for the first time, a guide helps you avoid getting lost.

Summary

Sekotong’s mainland beaches divide into the calm north coast facing the islands and the south coast facing the open ocean. Elak-Elak on the north coast is for playing in the water, Mekaki for a quiet white-sand bay, Orong Bukal and Pilling for coves you walk down to, and Bangko-Bangko for expert waves and sunsets (as of October 2026).

Fees and road conditions are confirmed for some beaches and not for others. Plan on one coast per day, fix your car and return time first, and set out with small notes, water and water shoes.