PT. LOMBOK TROPIC HOLIDAYS INDONESIA
Jl. Barakuda No 09
BTN Griya Batu Bolong Green Valley
Senggigi – Lombok Barat
NTB – INDONESIA
Phone and fax : +62 (0)370 692 225 / 692 179
Email: info@lombokmarine.com

Website Links:
www.lombokgilis.com
www.lombok-giliislands.com
www.lombok-tours.com
www.lombokmarine.com
www.rinjanionline.com
www.lombokrooms.com

The regency of West Manggarai is subdivided into 7 districts and 121 sub-districts. Labuan Bajo is the regional capital of West Manggarai.

West Manggarai is the regency covering the westernmost area of West Flores, located within the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara. In 2003, West Manggarai was elevated to the status of a regency in recognition of its role as an important gateway to Flores,
With the established of the regional administration in Labuan Bajo, transportation access to Labuan Bajo, by land, sea and air continue to be enhanced. Numerous economic and tourism developments are now in an advanced planning stage or under construction in West Manggarai.

Labuanbajo, also spelled Labuhanbajo, is a city at the tip of Flores Island in Indonesia. It is the launching point for trips to Komodo Island and Rinca Island to see Komodo dragons and the surrounding sea is idyllic for diving and snorkeling. Nearby Seraya Island is a great opportunity to do some diving and snorkeling and every evening at Kalong Island thousands of flying fox bats put on an amazing display.

How to Get There:
Labuanbajo can be accessed by ferry from Sumbawa or by public bus from Ende and Maumere. There are also daily flights between Labuanbajo and Denpasar.

A number of companies organise 4 day sailing trips between Lombok or Bali and Flores for around Rp1,000,000 passengers should be aware that these trips can cross open waters and are on boats with no navigation or safety equipment other than some lifejackets (ie. no radio, flairs or life rafts).

What to Do:
Komodo National Park encompasses a lot of water and islands west of Labuanbajo. If you want to go to Rinca or Komodo islands, or dive in the park you will have to buy a 3 day park pass for 15 $USD. Money from such user fees goes into conservation efforts (including armed patrols) that are apparently overseen by the WWF.

Rinca Island (Indonesian: Rinca Kecil or Rinca Pulau) is a more convenient place to see Komodo Dragons than Komodo island. Some dive operators might be convinced to combine a stop at the island with a days diving. There are big dragons that are often right in front of the pier when people arrive.

Scuba Diving within the park is excellent. There are three main dive operators that offer day dives as well as live aboard opportunities: Bajo Dive Club, Dive Komodo, and Reef Seekers. The Komodo Diving dive master is a true enthusiast of manta rays (clearly evident by the tattoo on his back), who often spots manta rays from the boat between dives. He has been known to join divers in jumping into the water with snorkel gear to have a look at them.

Seraya Island (Indonesian: Seraya Kecil or Seraya Pulau) is an idyllic island and a great opportunity to get away from civilization and do some snorkeling and diving. Seraya is little more than a small, arid island outside of the Komodo National Park with a few bamboo huts for tourist lodging, a restaurant, and some villagers who let their goats graze on vegetation. The island’s cove is protected from the sea providing calm and clear water for snorkeling. At low tide the coral is exposed and local fishermen walk on the reef in search of prey. Rowboats can be rented and taken to nearby islands for snorkeling and diving. Make sure to run up to the top of the hill behind the resorts and check out the sunset. The lodges on the island do have showers, but running water is only available a few hours a day. The resort on Seraya is operated by Gardena hotel in Labuanbajo and a stay on the island can be booked at Gardena’s front desk.

One of the more spectacular displays of nature in the area is at Kalong Island (Indonesian: Pulau Kalong; also spelt Kalung), which literally means “Flying Fox Island.” The name is quit appropriate as the island is home to thousands of Kalong, or giant flying fox bats. Boats to Kalong can be chartered from Labuanbajo for around $30 for a return ride, including a snorkeling stop at a nearby island before you reach Pulau Kalong. Your boat will situate itself next to the mangrove island and at dusk literally tens of thousands of flying foxes emerge from the mangrove island and move over your boat towards Rinca Island. For the entire colony to emerge will take roughly twenty minutes of continuous waves of bats passing over your boat. The boat ride to/from Labuanbajo will take roughly one hour.

Get out
Ferries to Sumbawa Island to the west (towards Bali) leave daily and very crowded public buses leave for Ende and Maumere. For those going on to points in the east of Flores another more expensive option is to hire a car.

The “Komodo dragons” which are indigenous to the regency are a tourism icon of West Manggarai. Komodo was named a World Man and Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in1977 and added to the list of World Natural Heritage Sites by in 1991. The Government of Indonesia proclaimed a National Park in 1990. The Park’s land area is 603 km2 while the total size of the park, including sea areas, is 1,817 km2.

West Manggarai occupies an area of 9,450,000 km2 (land and sea).162 islands are contained within the boundaries of West Manggarai, 84 of which are part of the Komodo National Park. Only 17 of West Manggarai islands are inhabited. Because of the world renowned reputation of Komodo, the rich local marine environment and the natural beauty the region – both the regional and national governments of Indonesia have acknowledged the strong tourism potential development of West Manggarai

Links:
www.labuanbajo-flores.com
www.labuanbajohotels.com
www.komodoindonesia.com
www.floresexplore.com
www.komodoholidays.com
www.komodorincaislands.com
www.komododragonislands.com
www.komodotrekking.com
www.komodoexplore.com
www.travel2komodo.com
www.komodoholidays.com
www.komododiving.com
www.komodocruise.com
www.lombokmarine.com
www.lombokkomodo.com
www.komododive.com
www.komodo-travel-guides.com

Sumbawa Island
Gateway to Komodo & Flores Islands

Sumbawa is an Indonesian island, located in the middle of the Lesser Sunda Islands chain, with Lombok to the west, Flores to the east, and Sumba further to the southeast. It is in the province of West Nusa Tenggara.

Sumbawa is 15,448 km² (three times the size of Lombok) with a population of around 1.5 million. It marks the boundary between the islands to the west, which were influenced by religion and culture spreading from India, and the region to the east that was not so influenced.

Demographics
Islam was introduced via the Makassarese of Sulawesi.
Sumbawa has historically had two major linguistic groups who spoke languages that were unintelligible to each other. One group centered in the western side of the island speaks Basa Samawa (Indonesian: Bahasa Sumbawa) which is similar to the Sasak language from Lombok; the second group in the east speaks Nggahi Mbojo (Bahasa Bima). The kingdoms located in Sumbawa Besar and Bima were the two focal points of Sumbawa. This division of the island into two parts remains today; Sumbawa Besar and Bima are the two largest towns on the island, and are the centers of distinct cultural groups that share the island

Volcanoes
Sumbawa lies within the Pacific Ring of Fire. It is a volcanic island, including Mount Tambora (8°14’41”S, 117°59’35”E) which exploded in 1815, the most destructive volcanic eruption in modern history (roughly four times larger than the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa, between Java and Sumatra, in terms of volume of magma ejected). The eruption killed as many as 92,000. It also apparently destroyed a small culture of Southeast Asian affinity, known to archaeologists as the Tamboran kingdom. It launched 100 cubic kilometers of ash into the upper atmosphere, which caused 1816 to be the “year without a summer

In a certain way Sumbawa is the most western island of eastern Indonesia. It is -travelling from west to east- the first island that isn’t directly influenced by the hinduist cultures from Jawa and Bali. On this mainly islamic island, adat still is an important factor.
Sumbawa consists of two different parts: Sumbawa Besar in the west and Bima in the east. In the western part most people speak a language which looks like the language of the Sasak from Lombok. The language, spoken on Bima, looks like the one on Flores and Sumba. In the past, Sumbawa Besar has been influenced from Bali and Bima from the Makasarese from Southern Sulawesi. The name Sumbawa, which is the name of the island for those who don’t live there, is only used for the western part of the island by the population itself.
Sumbawa is three times the size of Lombok, while the number of people living there is far less, about one third of that of Lombok.The island is rough and mountainous and isn’t blessed with a fertile area like on Lombok. The irregular coastline consists of capes, peninsulas and deep bays. The islands is 15.600 sq.km in size and stretches over 280 km from west to east; the width varies between 15 to 90 km.
About 85 per cent of Sumbawa is too mountainous for agriculture, but the valleys of the river which are filled with vulcanic materials bring in very wealthy harvests. These valleys used to be home to many small states.

Dramatic world record
Sumbawa is part of the northern vulcanic chain of Nusa Tenggara. The island has always known vulcanic activity, but not a single eruption was as dramatic as the one of the Tambora in 1815. The Guiness Book of Records says this was the biggest eruption ever. More than 36 cubib km rocks, debris and ashes were blown into the sky. The beheaded, 2851 meter high cone now houses a vast caldera.
By estimation 10,000 people were killed during the explosion and another 30 to 40,000 (some estimations say half the population) died of starvation. A vast area was covered under a 50 cm thick layer of ash, which killed all life. The mess was that big that parents sold their child for three kilos of rice – as the story goes.
In 1845 a Dutch geologist reported big areas that were still covered under a layer of 50 cm of debris and ashes. The explosion entirely destroyed the sultanated of Sangar and Pekat, which were located at the same peninsula as Gunung Tambora. The vulcano has been resting since that eruption, but the vulcanic tradition of the island is not a thing of the past. In 1985, Gunung Api (the ‘firemountain’) on the island of Sangeang became active and several thousand people had to be evacuated.

Early history
It is assumed that the first Austronesians reached Sumbawa around 2000 BC and they brought with them agriculture.
However there has never been an extended archeological survey, the decorated stone sarcofaguses connect the island with other megalyth cultures which are to be found all over Indonesia. A stone with characters on it was found along the Bay of Bima not too long ago, probably with an Pallava- or Sanskrite background. They probably date from the 7th century. Bronze drums in Dongson style which have been found on the island, among them a very nice one on the island of Sangeang which was really made my Dongson-crafstmen, confirm that the northern coast of Sumbawa was located along the trade route to the spice and sandelwood-islands.

The Eastjawanese principalty of Majapahit, which was the biggest principalty of Indonesia at it’s biggest, was trading with Sumbawa and probably had some political and military power as well. After the fall of Malapahit West-Sumbawa cam under the rule of the Balinese principalty of Gelgel – because of maritial relations and military expeditions. In the 15th and 16th century the principalty claimed rule over Flores, Timor, Solor, Savu and Sumba, but it’s still the question whether this was more than just a one time military expedition to get some slaved and to control the trade in the region.

The Bo says that mahajara Pandu Dewata had five sons, one of them Sang Bima. The traveller and charming guy met a very beautifull girl and did what gods usually do under such circumstances. The short living affair gave them a girl.
On a later journey he met the daughter without knowing it was her and fell in love with her. But even gods aren’t allowed to commit incest. When he disclosed her identity, Sang Bima told her to lay the just born twin sons on the river bank. It probably was with the hand of god that the childness ncuhi, a clan leader, found them and took care of them. One of the boys, Indra Zamrud, founded the dynasty which he named after his father: Bima. The other boy, Indra Komala, founded the Dompu principalty west of Bima. The royal texts say that the dynasty already had 17 rulers before they addoptes islam in 1630.

Arrival of islam
In the 17th century a family dispute between the two brothers about the throne of Bima ended up to be a civil war. The conflict was won in the first place by Salisian, named ‘the usurpator’ by the royal messages. After his initial defeat the Ma Batawadu, the right one, went to Makassar in Southern Sulawesi to ask for help. He was told that he could get all military help he wanted – and a free princess if he wanted to – on the demand that he converted to islam.. Ma Batawadu agreed and returned with an army of tough Buginese and Makassarese warriors, which defeated the troops of his brother. In 1630 he became sultan under the name Abdul Kahid. Ever since the royal cronics tell about the ‘connection of blood, religion and laws’ with Southern Sulawesi.
The syara, the islamic book of law, was widely accepted until the Dutch rule forced the rules to be less important in 1908. However Bima is now strictly islamic, the government doesn’t accept fundamentalism. (Inhabitants of Bima tried to kill President Soekarno because of his supposed anti-islamic ideas, but they only succeeded in killing several schoolgirls). To displeasure to the local population even a discotheque was opened, but just two kilometers outside the city limits.
The inheritance of the rule of the rulers of Sumbawa Besar has been less good than that of Bima. The royal line died in 1820 when an islamic adventurer from the sultanate Banjarmasin in Kalimantan got hand on the royal heirlooms and the throne. The dynasty which he founded lasted until the independence of Indonesia.

Colonial period
On the whole, the Dutch weren’t very interested in Sumbawa. They tried to monopolize trade, especially the trade in sappanwood, but they didn’t succeed in that. Only in the start of the 20th century the Dutch had a firm rule over the area. There was some heavy resistance, but the Dutch won the battle due to their superior weapons and organisation.
The influence of the Dutch lasted two years, when the Japanese entered. The Dutch only left behind the Dutch speaking aristocrats, the eldest still speak Dutch. The local aristocracy had the right to visit Dutch schools.

The Japanese were welcomed to the island in the first place, but they soon got hated when they killed, looted and raped people on the island. After the war, Sumbawa became a part of the Dutch instated United States of Indonesia for a short time, before being integrated in the Republic of Indonesia. The three districts of the island (Sumbawa Besar, Dompu and Bima) are related to the sultanates which had exsisted until the colonial time. In 1951, the third sultan of Bima, Salamuddin, which reigned from 1913, gave away power to the central government. Hir heirs were placed at high governmental positions in Bima and Jakarta.

Two ethnical groups

The Tua Samawa (Orang Sumbawa) in the west and Dou Mbojo (Orang Bima) in the east are the two main ethnical groups on Sumbawa. The Samawa (‘Sumbawa’ in fact is a deformation of this name) are related to the Sasak on Lombok and the Balinese through language. The language which is spoken in Bima – nggahi Mbojo – is closely related to the language spoken on the eastern islands. Several thousand Balinese live in the west, a few hundred in the east. Because of the contacts with Sulawesi there are also Buginese, Makasarese and Bajau colonists to be found. Some of the original inhabitants retreated in the mountains to cling to their traditions, mainly because of the arrival of the islam. In West-Sumbawa traditional communities (the Tau Tepal) can be found in the area of Tepal and Ropang. In the east you can find a traditional population, the Dou Donggo, which live on the southern flanks of Gunung Soromandi and in the region of Wavo, east of the highway between Bima and Sape.
The Dou Donggo still follow the leadership of their clan leader (the ncuhi) and maintain traditional rites which are related to the spirits of ancestors with agrarian- and live-cycles. Their ‘holy three’ consists of heaven, the water and the wind. Their religion is named Marafu, and looks like the Marapu religion on Sumba. The Donggo sacrifice water buffalo’s, goats and chicken (depending on their social status) to favour the gods and spirits and to beg for good harvests and a good health. Around the time that planting starts, in the month November, a fertility ceremony is held in which all Bou Donggo participate.

The Donggo are separated into two groups. The Donggo Ipa (‘far mountain population’) consists of a few thousand people and still live the traditional way in the mountains of the peninsula west of the Bay of Bima. The Donggo Ele (‘eastern mountain population’) have been influenced more by islam and live in the highlands east of the airport and the bay, in the subdistrict Wavo Tengah.

Link:
www.lombokmarine.com
www.lombokislands.com
www.indonesia-travel-guides.com

05 DAYS 04 NIGHTS LOMBOK-KOMODO-FLORES-RINCA-MOYO-LOMBOK BUDGET CRUISE

Sailing Itinerary:
Day 01
Depart from SENGGIGI (09.00 ), from MATARAM (10.00) by  bus to Labuhan Lombok. On the way make some stops to visit traditional villages to see people’s daily life and traditional markets. MAS BAGIK is one of Lombok’s main pottery – producing village with old traditional Lombok design. see how people build a traditional phinisi boat and enjoy banana fritter served by Haji Materu. On the way to Kayangan Harbor pass KAMPUNG PADAK, a fisherman village which is developed to become a tourist object by Perama Center. Take a walk along a short trail to see the panorama of fisherman village with their daily life, outrigger boats, traditional docking, old harbor, and view of the top of Mt.Rinjani. Get on board, have lunch, then sail to Bidara  Island – a small island with white sandy beach, turquoise water with coral reefs & colorful fishes completed with a spectacular view of Mt. Rinjani. On the way see traditional fishing boats along Lab. Lombok harbor .
(15.00) Arrive at Bidara Island for such activities as swimming, snorkeling, playing volley ball, seeing sunset. Our Staff  invites you all to be involved in the coral replantation activity. Enjoy fish barbeque dinner around bonfire.
(21.00) Leave Bidara Island on night sailing to Satonda Island.

Day 02
(07.00) Arrive in Satonda island – a beautiful small island with a salt water lake inside. Go ashore, then led by the guide do a morning exercise. Afterwards, go sightseeing around the island, hiking, bird watching and swimming on the lake. Back to the boat, then have breakfast while sailing to DONGGO BEACH for snorkeling and other activities.
(17.30) Leave Donggo on night sailing to Komodo Island. Dinner on board.
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Day 03
(08.00) Arrive in Komodo Island – the main highlight of the program. Have breakfast, then go ashore for HUNTING KOMODO by CAMERA. Led by two rangers walk through the jungle to find the Komodo dragons as well as enjoy the island’s mesmerizing flora & fauna.
(11.30) Leave Komodo Island to Red Beach – an exotic white sandy beach with beautiful underwater world best for snorkeling. Have lunch on board, then sail to Labuan Bajo.
(16.00) Arrive at Lab. Bajo for some extra programs such as walk around the town, see sunset and get other interesting activities.
(19.00) Get on board for a lively FAREWELL PARTY DINNER
(23.00) The party ends and stay overnight on board
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Day 04
(05.00) Depart from Lab Bajo to RINCA ISLAND. At 06.00 you can enjoy the beautiful sunrise view from the boat. Breakfast on board. Rinca is the second biggest island of the Komodo National Park. This place is not only home to Varanus Komodoensis but also home to wild animals such as Sunda deer, wild buffalo, wild boar, the macaque monkey, wild horses and snakes. It also offers a more natural situation. From Rinca the trip continues to GILI LABA for swimming and snorkeling. Then, sail west to MOYO Island – a nature reserve. On the way we stop for dinner on board at WERA
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Day 05
(08.00) Arrive in MOYO. After breakfast, get ashore and walk past Labuhan Haji Village to a water fall. Along the way see the local people’s daily activities. Laze out and swim on the fresh-water pool of the water fall .

(12.00) Leave Moyo, have lunch on board while sailing westward to Keramat Island. Upon arrival, jump for the brave or use the speed boat to cross to Keramat Island for snorkeling or swimming. This is the last activity of the HUNTING KOMODO BY CAMERA program. After the program the boat sails back to Labuhan Lombok. Upon arrival at Labuan Lombok harbor, have a farewell dinner on board, then leave the boat for a bus transfer to MATARAM or SENGGIGI.

Includes :
• Full board buffet
• Embarkation fee , entrance fee, and donation fee
• Welcome / farewell dinner on board
• Use of canoe, fishing and snorkeling equipment

Facility :
• Cabin :
1. Room with fan ( based on sharing ), towel, blanket
2. free 1 coke, 1 beer, 1 large mineral water, and snack /day
• Deck : Foam, mat, pillow
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Note : schedule can be change without any prior notice due to unforeseen weather circumstance or other safety reason

Prices:
Cabin Twin Share : Rp. 4.300.000/Person
Deck : Rp. 3.900.000/Person

One Way only:
Cabin twin share : Rp. 3.750.000
Deck : Rp.  3.500.000

Book keeping rate is : Rp. 9.200 for US$ 01

Link:
www.lomboksailing.com
www.lombokkomodosailing.com
www.lombokmarine.com

KOMODO NATIONAL PARK – INDONESIA

Real dragons spurt no fire, have no need to fly and cast no magic spells. And still, one look from them might render you speechless. These komodos, the real life dragons, are a sight indeed. Gigantic, the lizard-like creatures are about two or three meters in length. They can easily weigh about 165 kilograms. Despite of their sheer size and appearance, they are not active hunters. What makes them intimidating is the fact that they are a patient predator. In the wild, they stalk a victim, usually a weak or injured one. One bite and that’s what it usually takes. After following the victim for a while, sometimes up to several days’ time, the komodos will devour the dying prey.

The Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is an endangered species which can only be found in the Komodo National Park (KNP) in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).  Because of the unique and rare nature of this animal, its habitat – KNP – was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986.

The park includes three major islands, Komodo, Rinca and Padar, and numerous smaller islands together totaling 603 km2 of land. The total size of Komodo National Park is presently 1,817 km2. Proposed extensions of 25 km2 of land (Banta Island) and 479 km2 of marine waters would bring the total surface area up to 2,321 km2.At least 2500 Komodos live in this area.  Large dragons are usually three meters long and weigh up to 90 kg. Their habitat has beautiful panoramic views of savannas, rain forests, white beaches, beautiful corals, and clean blue seas.  In this area, you can also find horses, wild buffalo, deer, wild boar, snakes, monkeys, and various types of birds.

KNP has a rich and amazing underwater sea biotica.  Divers claim that Komodo waters are one of the best diving sites in the world.  It has fascinating underwater scenery. You can find 385 species of beautiful corals, mangrove forests, and seaweeds as a home for thousands of fish species, 70 types of sponges, 10 types of dolphins, 6 types of whales, green turtles and various types of sharks and stingrays.

Komodo National Park is currently voted as one of the finalists for the New 7 Wonders of Nature campaign held by the New 7 Wonders Foundation. Please support Komodo National Park to become the New 7 Wonders of Nature by voting here.

Getting There
Labuan Bajo is your entry point to the Komodo National Park. From Komodo airport in Labuan Bajo, you can take a rented car, bemo public transportation, or motor taxi to Labuan Bajo seaport.  From there, you can take a motorboat to KNP (you can choose to go to Rinca or Komodo Island).  When the weather is good, it will take two to three hours to travel to Loh Buaya on Rinca Island and about four hours to Loh Liang in Komodo Island.

Getting Around
Your feet will be your trusted companion on this island. Good thing most people never leave home without them. When you wish to see these animals in their natural habitat, you have to walk to the hills nearby (paths have been designated). On Komodo Island, you have to climb Mount Ara (538 meters above sea level) for three to four hours. On Rinca island, you have to trek for about one and a half hours. If you are lucky, you can see Komodos attacking prey, fighting, or even employing their mojoes along the way, as illustrated by this picture on the left.  If that’s too wild for you, you can try to spot a group of deers, buffaloes or wild horses.

To Do
You can see and do many things here. It is amazing to see Komodo dragons up close in their native habitat. On Rinca Island, you can see Komodos lying down outside the homes of national park rangers, or “parking” near the officials’ homes. Previously, to find one, you had to “offer” a goat to attract the Komodo, but now this practice is no longer allowed.

If you don’t see a dragon, Rinca and Komodo have beautiful sceneries with white beaches, mangroves, savannas and blue waters.  During the dry season, these savannas and hills have dried grasses.

You can also egage in other activities such as diving and snorkeling. You can take a cruise ship or fishermen’s boat in the persuit of these activities. There are diving points highly recommended to visit which include Merah Beach, and Batu Bolong and Tatawa islands. If you want to see thousands of bats, you can stay overnight in a motorboat on Kalong Island waters (near Rinca Island).

To Stay
Similar with those available in Loh Liang (Komodo Island), Loh Buaya (Rinca Island) also has simple guest houses offering few rooms.  A luxurious hotel with limited capacity is currently being built in Loh Liang.  Most tourists visiting Rinca Island don’t stay overnight (they come from Labuan Bajo and stay in the hotels in Labuan), while those coming to Komodo Island usually stay in their rented motorboats.  Nearly all motorboats have cabins and bed rooms.  Large motorboats usually have good bed rooms.

To Eat
In Loh Liang, the KNP management (PT  Putri Naga Komodo) owns a restaurant. No restaurant is available in Rinca Island, though. There is only one kiosk selling drinks and snacks. If you stay in a guest house, you will have food available with your stay. If you take a rented motorboat, your rental usually includes meals (but you have to confirm it when negotiating the rental price).
img_find_id_poi_eat

To Buy
At the reception in Loh Buaya and Loh Liang, there are souvenir shops selling t-shirts with komodo pictures on them and wooden komodo statues. There’s not yet a shop selling a t-shirt saying, “I went to see the Komodo Dragons and all I got is this lousy T-shirt.” So that’s a potential market for you.
img_find_id_poi_buy
Tips

* Don’t walk alone. It is best to walk around with a ranger or guide.
* Don’t disturb or feed komodos. Despite slow and lazy movement, this animal can suddenly turn aggresive and move fast.
* When trekking, please take a stick with you. Komodos are usually afraid when threatened with a stick.
* Please wear shoes. Komodo, Rinca, and Padar islands have 12 types of snakes and three of them are poisonous, namely green snakes living on trees, cobras and russel’s viper who live on the ground in holes on the savannas.
* Women having their menstruation must report to a guide or ranger for special attention.  Komodos have a very strong sense of smell and may turn agresive when they smell blood.
* Please bring along your insect repellant because this area has many mosquitoes who’ll be excited at the prospects of having fresh blood.
* Most lands on Komodo and Rinca islands are savannas which are prone to fire during the dry season so smoking and making fires are prohibited.

Link:
www.komodoindonesia.com
www.komodocruise.com
www.komodoholidays.com
www.komododragonislands.com
www.komodorincaislands.com
www.komodotrekking.com
www.travel2komodo.com
www.labuanbajo-flores.com
www.komododiving.com

Biggest Bang Ever Recorded : Eruption of Mount Tambora

How to Reach Mount Tambora – Sumbawa Island
The ways to reach this area are:
Mataram–Sumbawa–Dompu–Kempo–Tambora, By Land ( 15 Hours)
Mataram – Bima, By Air (35 minutes)
Bima – Dompu – Tambora, By Land (5 hours)
Bima – Dompu – Sanggar, By Land (4 hours)
Teluk Sanggar – Tambora, By Sea (3 hours)
Climate
According to Schmidt-Ferguson, the nature preserve has D climate type.with rainfall 877-1500 mm per year, maximum temperature on daylight 28°c-34°c and minimum from 22°c-24°c at night.

How to reach the crater
There are some choice to reach the crater or caldera of Mount Tambora:
Start the trip using airplane from Mataram to Bima (35 minutes), continued from Bima by car to Doropeti on south side of Tambora  to the location of Volcano observation (5 hours).
by car from Mataram to Kayangan Port and cross to Alas with Ferry until Pototano Port. Then continue to Doropeti (15 hours).
To reach the lips of caldera, the climbing activities can be done from many side, such as:
From west, Calabai village and Pancasila village until west Caldera, this is general way, it needs 2-3 days.
From North, Kawind nae village untill north Caldera, it is shorter and fast from the forest but it is climb from the beginning until the top of the mountain.
From the noth-west, Doropeti vellage to the east untill west caldera and north west calseera. It is pass the woods where there are “jelatang” or “maladi” , the plant which hurt our skin when it touched.
From south, Doropeti, 12 km to east. It will pass the road to the north and climbing from PT. BA palantation until south caldera, with one day trip. This way is passing the dry savanna. But if we use car we can reach until 1200 mdpl in 3 hours, then continued on foot in 3-4 hours. (Heryadi & Iqbal, Mount Fire,West Nusa Tenggara)
A big Volcano  that erupted in the 19th century
The paroxysmal eruption of Mt. Tambora on the island of Sumbawa in April 1815 – despite having triggered a world wide historic event – is astonishingly neglected in studies of volcanic activity. The world wide event referred to was the so-called “Year without a Summer” – the exceptionally cold months of 1816. In addition to this, Mt. Tambora’s eruption far-eclipsed in violence and ejecta the more famous eruption of Krakatau (Krakatoa) in 1883, which also had an impact on the world’s weather.
Though disappointing, the reason for part of this neglect is not hard to find. There exist few contemporary records of the eruption and what there is has seen little reprinting in modern works. Nonetheless, enough data is now available that a more definitive study can and should be undertaken. The intent of this posting is to synthesize and integrate what is available and hopefully inspire further investigation.

Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, later founder of Singapore, was at the time of the eruption serving as Lt. Governor of Java, based at his capital in Batavia. He had occupied this post since September 1911, a month after the British had wrested Batavia from control of Napoleon’s France. Having heard of the great human distress and disastrous phenomena accompanying the outbreak, he gave orders that British residents gather information and report if possible to him on the effects of the eruption On April 18, Lt. Owen Phillips was dispatched with a shipload of rice for relief to the disaster zone. It is from Phillips’ findings, and Raffles subsequent submission of his report to the Natural Historical Society of Batavia in September 1815 that we learn after-the-fact of the details of the eruption. It is important to note that no native accounts save one are known to survive, and the character and form of the eruption must be reconstructed “retroactively” working backwards from the Raffles report and the physical aftermath on the islands. With this challenge in mind, we proceed.

The eruption
Even allowing for the scant documention, the characteristic about the eruption that immediately jumps out at the researcher is its terrifying speed and brevity. When this is contrasted with its stupendous scale and effects, the event becomes a singularly sobering and daunting one. Perhaps only the Mt. Tarawera eruption of 1886 in New Zealand compares in modern times for sheer suddenness and destructive force of eruption. A word of explanation is in order here. Though such celebrated eruptions as Krakatau, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Pelee, and more recently El Chichon and Pinatubo, capture the public eye and respect, all of those powerful eruptions had fairly lengthy eruptive sequences. In short, for those with mind to do so, there was ample time if not always means to vacate the danger zone. With Tarawera it was different—in 1886 in the space of one night a triple peak mountain range near Lake Rotomahana suddenly split open and erupted. Literally some 4,000 people who had gone to their beds that evening would never again wake up. Such a disastrous and only slightly less deadly suddenness accompanied the Tambora eruption.

The Setting
Almost nothing is reliably known about the form and history of Mt. Tambora prior to the 1815 eruption. (Some indication of the lack of exploration of the region is gained by noting that the famous Komodo Dragons on the adjacent island of Komodos were only discovered in 1911!). However, mountains being what they are, the remnants tell a great deal to the expert eye. Although the top of the mountain collapsed in 1815, what still stands is unusual and provocative in its features. According to the best available evidence, before the eruption Mt. Tambora was a volcanic cone 4,000 meters high and 60 kilometers in diameter at sea level; densely blanketed in forest. It is reported to have originally had two summits, and there were several parasitic cones on the east and northeast slopes. What is unusual is that studies indicate that in its first phase of activity Tambora was a shield volcano, not unlike those of Iceland or Hawaii. Later, a bedded cone was built up on top of this, possibly the result of a change in the composition of the magma. The mountain, which may well have begun life as an island separate from Sumbawa, in time rose to dominate a peninsula joining it to Sumbawa on the southwest flank. By the time the Europeans came to occupy Sumbawa in the 18th century Mt. Tambora had lapsed into a deep dormancy. This state of affairs continued for a decade more into the 19th century. Then the volcanic energies once again burst forth.

At the time of the Tambora eruption, some 140,000 natives were reported to be living on Sumbawa. Sumbawa is long vaguely rectangular island running nearly from west to east. About a third the way from the eastern end, on the north side, a large peninsula projects northwestward like the trigger of a gun. But this trigger belonged to a cannon capable of force like no general of the age could ever have imagined. For it is on this penninsula, the Sanggar Peninsula, that Mt. Tambora stands. Scattered around in 1815 some 12, 000 people lived in a handful of villages and towns clustered on the peninsula of Tambora. Forty miles to the eastward, a small British contingent headed by a Resident resided at the village port of Bima, the capital of the European colonists. Bima was located beside Bima Bay, a deep indentation in the northern side of the east end of Sumbawa, and about 40 miles east of Tambora’s peninsula.

Though some mild spewings of ash were alleged to have occurred at the summit in the spring of 1814, the first real and almost only warnings were a rolling succession of deep shocks through the Dutch East Indies on the evening of April 5. In Dutch Macassar the warship Benares of the East India Company lay at anchor, the officers and crew perturbed by what seemed to be a naval battle taking place just over the horizon to the south. As dusk neared, the barrage seemed closer, with heavy artillery seemingly sprinkled with intermitent rifle volleys; just then a detachment of troops arrived aboard, and the Benares was ordered to put to sea to investigate. But they found nothing nor the source of the “cannonade”, although they remained at sea for three days. In the words of a modern author, “that was just as well. For if they had, there was nothing they, nor all the troops and ships in the world, could have done about it.” Indeed, for their quarry was no pirate over the horizon: but more than 200 miles south, and what was fast becoming the most explosive eruption of recorded history.

With sunrise on April 6 light ashes began falling on Batavia. The sun became obscured in the skies over Java, “having the appearance of being enveloped in a fog. The weather was sultry and the atmosphere close, and still the sun seemed shorn of its rays, and the general stillness and pressure of the atmosphere seemed to forebode an earthquake. This lasted several days.” Oddly enough, the rumblings and explosions – though they continued – now seemed to come less frequently and with less noise. The Europeans were perplexed and concerned, but some of the Java natives, however, were delighted: priests declared with confidence and satisfaction that the thunder and dark was the sign that the gods of the mountains were coming forth to free the island from foreign rule. However as the ash fall grew and persisted, while the rumblings and explosions continued, all those in-the-know now realized it must be a volcanic outbreak, and the speculation was that Merapi, Kelut, or Bromo was the likely culprit. With the cause if not the source of the disturbance identified, the Europeans at least became less concerned and ceased to pay much attention to it, for this volcanic outbreak was not yet “considered of greater importance than those which have occasionally burst forth in Java”.

This educated complacency abruptly shattered on April 10. As if rebuking their hubris, as the afternoon came, suddenly the roar and detonations like blasting gravel and cannon renwed, even stronger than before, and this time a truly menacing and darkened cloud of ash billowed over from the east. This time it was even greater than before, so that the sun was almost blotted out. In the eastern part of Java, the situation was even more severe. At Solo and Rembang some reported small and continuous earthquakes, and the explosions were tremendous, booming frequently through the 11th with such violence as to shake the houses noticeably. And still the might of the detonations only increased, and the . Once again the priests sang with joy that liberation was at hand, and even some of the Europeans now felt fear and concern. What was happening? None of the suspected volcanoes were known to be in eruption, and yet almost 2,500 miles of island chain was being rocked by cataclysmic quakes. Not a few must have contemplated the fate of Pompeii and Herculaneum—buried by Vesuvius in AD. 79 – but there was little anyone could do but wait. These were the conditions on Java and neighboring islands as dusk approached on April 10. But for those living on the peninsula upon which Tambora stood, matters would grow much worse this night. For in the late afternoon of the 10th Mt. Tambora in fact entered paroxysmal eruption and would inflict a devastation that would leave precious few survivors to tell the tale.

Fortunately, despite the primitive conditions prevailing on the island, via Lt. Phillips, we do indeed possess one eyewitness account from the Rajah of Sangir. Sangir was on the north shore of Sumbawa, just to the east of Tambora’s peninsula, less than twenty-five miles from the summit. The Rajah was in his village at the time of the eruption, he told Phillips, and in fact witnessed its climatic acceleration and effect. As such, his report is incredibly valuable. Moreover, allowing for the inexperience and comprehension of the witness, the Rajah of Sangir’s words show – to the volcanologist – a remarkable and likely trustworthy immediacy and clarity. He stated that “about 7pm on the 10th of April, three distinct columns of flame burst forth near the top of Tomboro mountain (all of them apparently within the verge of the crater), and after ascending to a very great height, their tops united in the air in a troubled and confused manner.” The words “troubled and confused manner” are a singularly vivid and accurate description of the volcanic ash clouds that boil upward from paroxysmal eruptions. He next says “In a short time, the whole mountain next to Sangir appeared like a body of liquid fire, extending itself in every direction. The fire and columns of flame continued to rage with unabated fury, until the darkness caused by the quantity of falling matter obscured it at about 8pm.” Hence, within an hour of the primary outbreak, the falling ash has obscured the summit from view. This too is consistent with such eruptions, and vouches for its reliability. The “liquid fire” is almost certainly pyroclastic surges rather than true lava flows, but this point cannot be proven.

As the Rajah and his people watched in consternation, “stones” (volcanic bombs and lapilli) began to fall on Sangir, “some of them as large as two fists, but generally not larger than walnuts”. Between 9 and 10pm ashes began to fall, and “and soon after a violent whirlwind ensued which blew down nearly every house in the village of Sangir, carrying the ataps, or roofs, and light parts away with it. In the part of Sangir adjoining [facing] Tomboro its effects were much more violent, tearing up the roots of the largest trees and carrying them into the air, together with men, horses, cattle, and whatever else came within its influence. The sea rose nearly twelve feet higher than it had ever been known to do before, and completely spoiled the the only small spots of rice land at Sangir, sweeping away houses and everything within its reach. The whirlwind lasted about an hour. No explosions were heard till the whirlwind had ceased, at about 11pm.”

Whatever atmospheric phenomena caused the absence of explosion sounds during the whirlwind, it ended with it. Starting about an hour before midnight, stupendously loud explosions were heard, “from midnight to the evening of the 11th, they continued without intermission”! Given the conditions prevailing in Sangir, the plight of the villages actually on Tambora’s flanks and the peninsula could only be imagined. In fact, they were scenes out of the end of the world, with “great tracts of land being covered by lava, several streams of which”, issuing from the summit of the disintegrating mountain “reached the sea.” In several places, whole portions of land suddenly subsided, and were swallowed by the inrushing sea.
The blanket of ashes was so heavy that they collapsed the roofs of the Resident’s and many other dwellings in Bima and rendered them uninhabitable. The Dompu Palace at Dora Bata was also buried with ash. At Bima the thickness of ash was later found to be one and a half feet deep, but at Sangir much nearer to the volcano it was three feet deep. “Although the wind at Bima was queerly still during the whole time, the sea rolled in upon the shore, and filled the lower parts of the houses with water a foot deep. Every boat was forced from the anchorage and driven on shore.” All around Sumbawa the neighboring islands reported similar odd pheonmena, as “the sea rose suddenly to the height of from two to twelve feet, a great wave rushing upon the estuaries, and then suddenly subsiding.” On the adjacent island of Bali, the ash lay a foot deep as well.
Throughout the night of the 10th and through the day of the 11th the mountain raged with an incredible fury and violence. As if sending a warning to the growing confidence and pride of western man, Mt. Tambora roared with an unbridled and unmatched defiance that rocked the entire East Indies. An eruption column of ash and dust boiled an incredible 28 miles into the sky, as lightning danced with the fury of dervishes amidst it.

The enigmatic detonations began again on the afternoon of April 11, and this time houses and buildings in Macassar began to actually shake. The warship Benares put to sea, heading southward to investigate. However, by noon on the 12th the sky had become almost opaque and almost filled with fine ash. Daylight was scarcely visible, as a stygian darkness descended. Native village shamans proudly and confidently declared that the old gods had burst forth and were about to drive the Europeans from Indonesia. As it happened, nothing of the sort occurred, and after three days the skies gradually brightened again. The thundering ceased abruptly.
Finally the eruption’s fury began to wane late on the 11th, the sharp and loud detonations moderating and “heard only at intervals”. But on the 12th far to the west of Sumbawa, floating pumice still formed a mass two feet thick and miles in extent! So thick was it that ships had difficulty breaking through the drifting mass.
In Java, the “haziness and heat of the atmosphere, and occasional fall of volcanic ashes, continued until the 14th, and in some parts of the island until the 17th of April”. However, the Javanese were lucky: heavy and timely falls of rain ensued, helping to wash away the ash and clear the sky so that severe injury to crops and outbreaks of epidemic were avoided. Alas for the Sumbawans, there would be no such reprieve.. At last, on July 15, 1815, the last explosions ceased. The skies cleared, and revealed was a Dantesque panorama of destruction and ruin.
On Mt. Tambora, the once irregular and lofty summit had been lopped off, as if with a knife, forming a flat-topped massif capped by a stupendous caldera. Given the low-order of eruptions since 1815, modern figures are probably very close to those of 1815, with little change to the mountain since: The eruption had formed a caldera 6 kilometers in diameter and 1,110 meters deep. The highest point was (and is now) 2,850 meters above sea level.

The loss of life and destruction was appalling. Of the thriving village-towns in the province of Tomboro near the mountain, comprising some 12,000 inhabitants, only small Tempo and its forty inhabitants remained. All the others had been obliterated by whirlwinds or engulfed as frightening subsidences of land occurred. No trace remained of the villages of Tomboro and Pekate, and “no vestige of a house” was left. During the eruption, the town of Tomboro on the west side of Sumbawa had been “overflowed by the sea, which encroached upon the shore so that water remained permanently 18 feet deep in places where there was land before.” Only five or six from both towns were known to have even survived. Of the others only twenty-six badly burned people of a party out from Pekate managed to paddle their canoes away from the peninsula and survive. The devastation was concentrated on the north and west sides of the peninsula of the mountain, the “trees and herbage of every description, along the whole of the north and west sides…” had been “completely destroyed, with the exception of a high point of land near the spot where the village of Tomboro once stood.” Out at sea, there was huge mass of floating trees littering the surface of the water for miles around the peninsula.

Nor were conditions much better in the eastern part of the island around Bima. Famine of extraordinary and severe intensity broke out, taking the lives of thousands. Having arrived on Sumbawa and writing from Bima about August 3, Lt. Phillips reported: “The extreme misery to which the inhabitants have been reduced is shocking to behold. There were still on the road side the remains of several corpses, and the marks of where many others had been interred; the villages almost entirely deserted and the houses fallen down, the surviving inhabitants having dispersed in search of food.” The famine was so severe in Sangir, Phillips reported, that even one of the Rajah of Sangir’s the learned eyewitness who described the eruption above] own daughters had died from hunger. Phillips gave the man three coyangs of rice, for which he was most thankful, but such help paled before the disaster engulfing the Dutch East Indies.

The nature of the eruption
From the foregoing it is immediately seen that the Tambora eruption is exceptional for its ferocity and rapid acceleration to full climax. Despite the over-use of the example by popular literature, in this case it is indeed useful to compare it to the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D. The outbreaks share notable similarities: a fairly short-term series of pre-monitory quakes, a heavily wooded and long dormant volcano that like Vesuvius, seems to have a hybrid basaltic and andesitic charcter—possibly having like Vesuvius risen originally from under shallow waters and joined to the island by peninsula. a paroxysmal “clearing of the vent” eruption cloud that sent a large cauliflower skyward,  a rapid descent of darkness from a falling ash cloud, [5] the appearance of localized, possibly identical “base surges” fanning out from the disintegrating cone, and an accleration through paroxysmal eruption and climax in the space of less than 72 hours, followed by a rapid tapering off of activity.

It is just possible that Tambora triggered a partial collapse of itself early in the eruption, unleashing an eruption plume of sudden and horrific force, not unlike Mt. St. Helens in 1980. The reason for suggesting this is in the sheer power and velocity of the eruption column, as well as its fairly short duration. It appears to point to a fairly sudden, preciptous rather than a steadily mounting release. But this is merely informed speculation, and though interesting, is impossible to verify at present.
No later than April 5, but possibly earlier, Tambora was shaken by a “throat-clearing” eruption that punched a new vent in the summit and cast forth a volley of ash over the Flores Sea. Though the eyewitness accounts describe only the climatic phase of the eruption and not the preliminaries, it seems impossible to assume that the Sumbawans were unaware that Tambora was now active. Possibly being experienced with neighboring Bali andLombok’s eruptions, they did not think it too serious at first. Or possibly evacuating was not a particularly practical option for most. In any case, most inhabitants of Tambora’s peninsula remained where they were as the eruption grumbled on into April 6. By sunset of the next day, the activity apparently faded, nearly to a halt, though the rumblings continued. Perhaps this lulled any doubts the people may have had. The eruption appeared to be waning, and few sought to flee the mountain’s fertile environs. Whatever circumstances prompted this choice, it sealed the fate of 90% of the inhabitants.

Links:
www.mounttambora.com
www.lombokmarine.com
www.lombokislands.com
www.tamboratrek.com

The Gili Islands (Indonesian:Tiga Gili [Three Gilis], Kepulauan Gili [Gili Islands]) are an archipelago of three small islands — Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air — just off the northwest coast of Lombok, Indonesia.

The islands are a popular destination for Western tourists looking for a remote island experience. Each island has several small resorts, usually consisting of a small collection of huts for tourists, and a restaurant. Most local inhabitants live in the hilly interior of the island. Automobiles and motorized traffic are prohibited on the islands by local ordinance, so the preferred method of transportation is bicycle or the horse-drawn carriage called a cidomo. Diving in and around the Gilis is also popular, although the prices are fairly high due to local cartel activities. The name “Gili Islands” is a bit of a misnomer, because Gili simply means “small island” in Sasak.

GILI TRAWANGAN
Gili Trawangan is the largest of Lombok’s Gili Islands and is the only one to rise significantly above sea level. It is 3km long and 2km wide with a population of about 1000. Of the Gilis, Trawangan has the most tourist facilities; the pub Tîr na Nôg claims that Trawangan is the smallest island in the world with an Irish pub. The most crowded part of Trawangan lies on the eastern side.

On Gili Trawangan (as well as the other two Gilis), there are no motorized vehicles. The main means of transportation are bicycles (rented by locals to tourists) and cidomo (a small horsedrawn carriage). For traveling to and from each of the Gilis, locals usually use motorized boats and speedboats.

The Gili islands are renowned not only for their friendly inhabitants but the total tropical island paradise feeling that they have. The white coral beaches, the warm and inviting waters all invite to snorkeling, sun bathing and of course diving. The diversity of aquatic life is astounding and just off the shores you can find turtles, sting rays, reef sharks, baracudas, and a myriad of small and large fish.

Some of the first inhabitants of Gili Trawangan were from Sulawesi who are fishermen and farmers. Previously Gili Trawangan was covered in forest and deer lived on the island.

GILI MENO
Gili Meno is the middle of Lombok’s three Gilis. It has population of about 300, mainly concentrated on the center of the island. The main income of the population comes from tourism, coconut plantation and fishing. On the west side of the island there is a small shallow lake that produces salt in the dry season. Until a few years ago there was also a small production of seaweed on the reef at the north end of the island. It has swimming beaches all around the island, as well as an impressive bird sanctuary.

GILI AIR
Gili Air is the smallest of the Gilis and it’s closest to the Lombok mainland, making it popular with honeymoon couples and travelers seeking a quiet retreat. It has population of about 1,000 and administratively lies in the West Nusa Tenggara province. The island offers excellent snorkeling and SCUBA diving off its east coast, and turtles can be seen along the coral reef.

Gili Meno, the central island, is home to only a few hundred residents. The most quiet and least exploited island of the three, makes Gili Meno also the most attractive. Drinking water is brought in from Lombok. The sources of the island only bring in salt water which is hardly good enough to bath in. Just inland is a big salt lake, which is separated by small dykes for salt mining, which takes place in the dry season (May until October). The dry times are sometimes marked by cholera on the island. The rest of the year there are malaria musquitos; don’t forget tablets and a musquito net.
The hotels and bungalows are located along the southeastern coast. They offer a nice view over Gili Air and Gunung Rinjani in the east. The best place for snorkling is the northeastern coast, near the Blue Coral Bungalow, which has it’s name from the blue-colored corals just offshore. The reef offers a big variety of coral spiecies and small, colorfull fish.

How to Get There:
In the Gili Islands, there is no shortage of small local boats willing to transport you, from island to island and back to the mainland. None of boats has any kind of safety equipment and the waters around the Gili’s can be choppy. Regardless, they are a handy form of transport and make exploring the islands easy.

There are regular shuttle services from Bangsal on the main island of Lombok, stopping at all islands. The trip takes about 15 minutes to Air, 30 min to Meno and 45 min to Trawangan. Around Rp30-40,000 one-way, or Rp70,000 if including land transfer from Senggigi. Avoid traveling to Bangsal as captains will wait until the boat is full of passengers before setting off. Book a trip with Parama instead, which will travel to and from the islands no matter how many people they have.
Alternatively, the Gilis can be visited on a day trip from Senggigi, in which case you’ll get your own little boat and crew to take you around. The trip across take 1-2 hours each way and is quite scenic, if a little bumpy when the waves are high. Available from any travel agent, figure on Rp400,000 for a tour for two.

Note:  that the sea is calmest in the morning and all transport stops running in the afternoon, well before dark.

Get Around
In a rare display of foresight, all forms of motorized transport are banned from the islands: your only choice is horse-drawn carts, known as cidomo, which are used even to shuttle around diving gear. However, as the islands are only a few km in diameter, it’s entirely possible to just walk instead.

Sea and Do
There are no sights as such on the islands themselves, but the excellent snorkeling and diving all around is a major draw. Sea turtles are also common, especially around Turtle Point just north of Gili Meno. You can rent masks and fins off the beach, or contact any of the numerous dive shops to arrange snorkeling or diving at choice spots nearby.

Gili Trawangan is the largest of Lombok’s Gili Islands and is the only one to rise significantly above sea level. It is 3km long and 2km wide with a population of about 1000. Of the Gilis, Trawangan has the most tourist facilities; the pub Tîr na Nôg claims that Trawangan is the smallest island in the world with an Irish pub. The most crowded part of Trawangan lies on the eastern side.
Generally, Gili Trawangan can be reached by public boat from Bangsal Harbor (located in the northwest coast of Lombok) for a cost of less than IDR 10,000, taking about 40 to 50 minutes. If you wish to arrive in more comfort the dive centre Blue Marlin Dive, Dream Divers and Dive Indonesia offers speedboat transfers and pick ups from the airport. They will pick you up at the airport in air-conditioned comfort and drive you to Teluk Nara Bay where the speedboat will be waiting for you. The price varies on the number of people. This speedboat journey is 10 minutes to Trawangan.

A typical room (two-bed room with air-conditioner) costs from as little as IDR 80,000 to as much as IDR 700,000 per night, the majority being around IDR 200,000. For those who want to travel cheaply, there are lots of bungalows rented for around IDR 50,000 only, and there are as many cheap eateries and bars around the island as are posh and expensive ones. Top accommodation includes Kelapa Luxury Villas, Villa Ombak and Villa Almarik.

Trawangan has more of a “party” atmosphere, than Gili Meno and Gili Air, with all-night parties that rotate amongst a group of venues each night. The largest of the parties takes place on a monday night at Blue Marlin and a Wednesday night at Tir Na Nog. While during the day, the popular activities for visitors are scuba diving (PADI certified), snorkeling (mainly along the northeastern coastline), kayaking and surfing. There are also stalls that offer horseback riding as a pastime activity. As small as the island, you can circle the island with a bicycle within only 45 minutes. Path along the way is very sandy which makes it more difficult to pedal your bicycle.

On Gili Trawangan (as well as the other two Gilis), there are no motorized vehicles. The main means of transportation are bicycles (rented by locals to tourists) and cidomo (a small horsedrawn carriage). For traveling to and from each of the Gilis, locals usually use motorized boats and speedboats.

Some of the first inhabitants of Gili Trawangan were from Sulawesi who are fishermen and farmers. Previously Gili Trawangan was covered in forest and deer lived on the island.

Link:
www.giliislandsdiving.com
www.lombokgilirooms.com
www.giliislandvillas.com
www.gilifastboats.com
www.fastboatsgili.com

Lombok has a great variety of waves that work on all swell and wind conditions. It’s right next to Bali, yet far less crowded. The book tells you where to stay cheaply close to the best fun waves, and where to go when the swell gets up and you’re ready to tackle hollow overhead barrels. Lombok’s Gili Islands offer a peaceful escape for a bit of snorkelling and partying too.

Lombok has been an ideal surfing destination for years. Surfers, especially those that come to Indonesia to surf and are prepared to venture further than Bali, which is being, consumed by its own crowds, will discover Lombok rewarding beyond all expectations.

Lombok surfing is less crowd and its good starting point to search secrete spots on east of Indonesia as its neighbor island is Sumbawa where you will find super suck, Yoyo’s or Lakey pipe in Dompu region.

This island, which measures about 80 kilometers north to south and about 70 kilometers east to west, is a much drier and tougher island than generally verdant Bali. This is perhaps why the Sasak (most of population’s ethnic group) name for Lombok is Bumi Gora, which literally means “The Dry Farmland”. The most awesome physical attraction on Lombok is Indonesia’s tallest volcano, the 3726 meter high Gunung Rinjani.

Lombok’s waves, most of which are concentrated on the island’s West Coast and along a south coast ragged with bays, beaches and dramatic headlands. You wont find as many surf spots on Lombok as you can ride on Bali, but they are usually less crowded and physically more beautiful as natural locations. One particular place, known to locals as Bangko-Bangko (but to surfers the world over as Desert Point), is one of the world’s premier left hand surf spots when it’s working. This impulsive, but perfect and long point break requires a swell of good direction and size to fire, but given those requirements it more than produces the barelling goods. Desert starts off small at the take-off, then, as it winds down the reef, the wave will increase in size and barrel on down the line. There are other waves in this southern region and even some in the Gilis, though normally on solid swells.

Lombok Surf Breaks
Desert Point
As with many waves in Indo the tides plays a big role at Deserts. At high tide it can appear 2-3′ and quite fat….then as the tide goes out it begins to fire often turning into 5-6′ left hand pits. The reef is quite shallow and booties are a must. The rip is very strong here and it can hold up to a 10ft swell. A serious wave…but serious fun once you get it wired.

Southern Lombok
Note: In mid to late season it can be impossible to go this way as wind and swell make it too dangerous – it is at the Captain’s discretion as to the best and safest route.

Belongas Bay
A long bay with lots of potential. Mainly best in the early seaon before the winds become too strong. Several rights and left setup depending on the size and direction of the swell.

Selong Belanak also know as Mawi
Mawi needs at least 3 foot of ocean swell to work. Some swells will offer a left and right hand peak and can probably handle up to 6′. This break is not so tide dependant but can get very very sucky at low tide. It is a beautiflly scenic spot and worth a walk on the beach. Keep and eye out for moneys on the headland.

Kuta Beach
Kuta is about the only place along the south coast offering accommodation and restaurants – a good spot to stop for a bit of party action! The bay offers a left reef break that is best at 4-6′ but sometimes to be a bit sectiony. There is a right there also but it is inconsistent although there are stories that in the right swell and wind conditions it can be epic.

Grupuk Bay
A nice bay setup with a left one side and right the other and a peak in the middle. On bigger swells the bommie is also rideable. The right hand point is probably the pick with long bowling waves. Watch the bommie for indications of the sets….don’t get caught inside otherwise it is a long long paddle!

Ekas
Another nice bay setup which requires a fair bit of sell to turn on. Outside Ekkas is long left with some fast hollow sections. Inside Ekkas is right but needs more swell to break. Best at mid tide.

Link:
www.lombokinformation.com
www.lombokmarine.com
www.lombokdiving.com
www.lombokislands.com
www.lombokrooms.com
www.indonesia-travel-guides.com

Gili Nanggu  : Little Carribian in In Lombok – Indonesia

Gili Nanggu is a small Island Southwest of Lombok with a beautiful white
sandy beach, it is surrounded by many small Islands, which also beautiful
place for snorkelling and swimming

There are also several Gili islands in the near gili nanggu ideal for snorkeling and diving such as Gili Kedis, Gili Poh, Gili Gede and many more to west side f sekotong bay.

Seeking a serene and calm place for taking holiday sometimes is hard. The place where we can enjoy natural beauty while taking a break off daily work.

Those who are interested in maritime recreation, snorkeling, sunbathing at the beach, or relaxing at a place of natural beauty, why don’t you stay overnight at Gili Nanggu. The island of 12,5 Ha area in Western Lombok is managed with Forest/Virgin Island concepts of unexploited nature. The serenity and beauty of this island makes Gili Nanggu a routine destination for many foreign tourists. They call Gili Nanggu: “The Paradise Island”

On the white sandy beach with calm wave, you are guaranteed privacy- no beach traders or unwelcome visitors. This island is private and only occupied by the management and staff of the resort. The enchanting sea casts a strong spell on many visitors. It’s pristine beauty is a magnet to come and play at the beach everyday. Only by going a few meters down to the shallow seabed, crystal clear waters will reveal multi-colored tame marine fishes. And a wide variety of other sea animals can also be seen.

Sing-song twitter of birds will accompany you to embrace the sunrise; and natural silence during sunset- creating a romantic atmosphere, making Gili Nanggu a suitable place for couples to enjoy their honeymoon. Enjoy the birds, the view and the beach of Gili Nanggu with someone dear to your heart.

This small island(12,5 ha area) with stunning sand white beaches sit in Southwest Lombok ,easily reached by boat from Lembar Harbour or Taun(Tawun).There is only one cheap-moderate resort with thatched cottages and bungalows.
Here in low season(January-April),it’s possible to feel almost alone on this private island.
Here you have a great snorkelling,even for beginners, with a small reef very close from the shore with lots of colourful fishes,get used to people swimming in a crystal calm water.
There is also since 1995 a sea Turtle conservation program with new basins for turtle breeding

Gili Nanggu, situated just off west Lombok, is a small island of 12.5 hectares. Yet the island feels a lot bigger than this, with its undisturbed corners of natural beauty and numerous swimming spots.

The underwater world is also stunning with lots of brightly colored fish swimming close to the beach in the warm tropical water.

Traveling to the island is relatively easy — it’s a 45-minute boat ride from Lembar Harbor in Lombok, or a 15-minute boat ride from Taun Harbor, also in Lombok.

A taxi ride into Lembar from Selaparang International Airport takes about 45 minutes to an hour, while from the airport to Taun takes about 90 minutes.

Links:
www.lombokislands.com
www.gilitrawangan.org
www.giliislandsdiving.com
www.lombokdiving.com
www.gilifastboats.com
www.lombokgilirooms.com
www.giliislandvillas.com
www.gilifastboat.com
www.bali-lombok-fastboats.com
www.fastboatsgili.com
www.lombokrooms.com
www.giliislands-lombok.com

History of Gili Matra Marine Natural Recreation Park

Gili Matra Marine Natural Recreation Park has a total area of approximately 2,954 hectares, consists of 3 islands namely Gili Meno (± 150 hectares), Gili Air (± 175 hectares), Gili Trawangan (± 340 hectares), and ± 2,289 hectares of marine area. In 1993, Gili was designated a recreation park under the Minister of Forestry Decree Number 85/Kpts-II/1993, dated 16 February 1993, based on the proposal of the Governor of West Nusa Tenggara Province.

Management Objectives
The management of Gili is based on Act Number 5 of 1990 concerning Conservation of Living Resources and Their Ecosystems. Therefore, the aim of the management of this Park is to protect the Park and its ecosystems, and also to utilize in sustainable way, the parks resources. The resources should be used for research, science, education, recreation and tourism purposes. The main objectives of the management of Gili are outlined as follows:

The main objectives of the management of Gili are outlined as follows:
1. To promote sustainable use of the Park’s resources.
2. To encourage and integrate local participation in park management to protect biological values of the park and to eliminate further disturbances or alteration of natural habitats, to protect endangered and threatened wild animal species and their habitats, to maintain the locations designated for recreation and tourism development, to maintain sustainable use of commercial fish habitats, and to achieve compatible use and careful management of species’ and their habitats.

Management Authority
The responsible institution to manage Gili is the Natural Resources Conservation Office of West Nusa Tenggara (Balai Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam Nusa Tenggara Barat) under the Directorate of Forest Protection And Nature Conservation (DG of PHPA), Ministry of Forestry, Indonesia.

Problems
The actual problems in Gili are those faced directly such as fishing using bomb blasting and poisoning. Anticipating the problems, sources of problems are first identified and then addressed. To do so, coordination among related institutions and parties is required since the problems cannot be managed by only a single agency such as West Nusa Tenggara Natural Resources Conservation Office.

Based on continual identification, the problem sources can be grouped into management intensity, social-economic conditions of the local communities, and the awareness of communities. However, the Park’s management ability is still limited. This is due to lack of facilities, lack of expertise in marine ecology, limited human resources both in quality and quantity, and lack of technical guidance.

Many related institutions and parties are not really aware of the designation of Gili as a Park. Therefore, some conflicts between biodiversity conservation efforts and other development activities still exist. Thus, the benefits from Park management are not easily observed.

Other problems in Gili include muro-ami fishing. This method is very destructive to coral reefs, therefore West Nusa Tenggara Natural Resources Conservation Office in collaboration with Taskforce Gili Patrols, must patrol and inform users not to engage in this sort of fishing, especially in the conservation area.

In July 2002, Taskforce Gili Patrols and West Nusa Tenggara Natural Resources Conservation Office caught a group of muro-ami users. This case was solved using awiq-awiq, a law based on local customs. Fortunately, blasting and poisoning of fish and other marine species has not been observed stopped since August 2000.

Figure 1. Transplanting corals at Gili Islands.
Successful Management

1. Established designated management plan year 1998 – 2008.
2. Zoning for protection zone and exploitation zone.
3. Education of Youth Conservation Group. This group then forms a Youth Front Foundation of Taskforce Gili Patrols.
4. Joint protection operation between West Nusa Tenggara Natural Resources Conservation Office, Police, and Community (Taskforce Gili Patrols) in 2000 has succeeded to catch fish bombers that were sentenced to 9 months in jail.
5. Implementation of the agreement with coastal community in Northern West Lombok, which was signed by Head Of the Village and Head of Tanjung District, Gangga District, and Head of Pemenang District for:

* The establishment of the Foundation of Fisherman Community Organization in Northern West Lombok to help the implementation of coastal security activities by Taskforce Gili Patrols.

* Building and implementing a traditional rules, “awiq-awiq,” which was implemented since 19 March 2000.

The maximum penalty is a fine of Rp. 10,000,000. There have been 6 cases recorded: bombing, 2 poisoning, and use of muro-ami. The sum of the collected fines was Rp. 25,500,000.

The sea and coastal security activities is done by the community, funded by NGO’s, with awiq-awiq penalties. Activities include:

+ Conducting daily patrols.

+ Installing Park border signs.

+ Supporting infrastructure for coastal security activities.

+ Helping on community awareness and sustainable use of marine resources

+ When patrols arrest someone, the system of penalties is as follows: Firstly, awiq-awiq system. The sanction will be a penalty or a property seizure and signing a statement not to repeat the offence. Secondly, processing by law to conduct a further investigation by the police, and then bringing the case to court.
6. Installing mooring buoy in Gili Meno, Gili Air, and Gili Trawangan, 10 units each.
7. Sea turtle conservation programme.
8. Coral reefs inventory was conducted by West Nusa Tenggara Natural Resources Conservation Office, in cooperation with Mataram University and NGO’s.
9. Making audiovisual documentation in Gili, in cooperation with Diponegoro University, Mataram University, and West Nusa Tenggara Natural Resources Conservation Office.
10. Establish environmental conservation groups in Gili to clean organic and inorganic pollutannts.
11. The development of buffer zone area and coastal community building was done through coral rehabilitation using transplantation system, conducted in cooperation with Taskforce Gili Patrols and West Nusa Tenggara Natural Resources Conservation Office.

Current Legislation and Further Needs
There are many laws in Indonesia pertaining to conservation. Listed below are some that could apply to management of Gili Islands.

1. Act Number 9 of 1985 concerning Fisheries.
2. Act Number 5 of 1990 concerning Conservation of Living Resources and Their Ecosystems.
3. Government Regulation Number 68 of 1998 concerning Sanctuary Reserve and Nature Conservation Area.
4. Sea and coastal management strategic plan 1998, Provincial Development Board (Bappeda) of West Nusa Tenggara Province.
5. Policy and strategy on coral reefs management in Indonesia, 2000.
6. Decree Head of Provincial Development Board of West Nusa Tenggara Province Number 5 of 1998 concerning Provincial Task Force Building in the Implementation of Coral Reefs Management and Rehabilitation Activity in West Nusa Tenggara Province.
7. Governor instruction Number 2 of 1998 concerning Prohibition of Coral Reefs Mining.
8. Governor Decree Number 141 of 2000 concerning Local Communication Forum Building in West Nusa Tenggara.
9. The “Awiq-Awiq” (traditional rules) of fisherman community of Northern West Lombok in March 2000, is a coastal community agreement in Northern West Lombok on sanction toward people who destroy marine resources, signed by Village and Sub District Officers.

The future efforts to increase the quality of marine resources in the context of community welfare through tourism are:

1. Capacity building by training and education.
2. Supply of supporting infrastructure for officers in Gili.
3. Publicizing the zoning scheme in Gili in order to conserve marine resources.
4. Strengthen coordination amongst stakeholders.
5. Technical and non-technical cooperation with domestic and international NGO’s.

In order to implement those efforts, it is necessary to obtain:

1. More support from local government, other agencies, and local community.
2. Support from central government to strengthen relationships with international NGO’s.

Strategy and Program
A conservation strategy for Gili was developed by considering groups of problem sources, the Park’s potential values, regulations, as well as environmental and socio-economic conditions of the surrounding communities. The strategies developed are:

* Promoting management activities for the Park and its resources.
* Assisting local communities to find other sources of income.
* Increasing the awareness of local community.
* Strengthening coordination among related institution and parties.

Each strategy is being detailed in action programs as the basis of management activities to be implemented. A five-year action plan was established in the form of a Five Year Plan that was described and detailed an annual plan. The annual plan is used to propose to the government to obtain budget for technical cooperation with other institutions.

Action programs formulated may vary from year to year. However, the basic program remains the same. The action programs implemented are shown as follows:

* Conservation planning:
o Annual plan preparation
o Proposed program activities plan preparation

* Monitoring and inventory:
o Coral reefs monitoring and inventory
o Database development and management

* Biodiversity management and safeguarding:
o Hawksbill turtle semi-natural hatching development
o Artificial reefs establishment
o Integrated operation
o Regular patrolling

* Data and information:
o Providing data on visitors, disturbances, and Park biodiversity

* Manpower management by training

* Facilities provision and maintenance:
o Provision of facilities and equipment
o Maintenance of facilities and equipment

* Assisting local community development:
o Providing demonstration plots of marine flora and fauna, managed by local community

* Promoting community awareness:
o Coordination meetings on planning and sustainable utilization
o Conservation education and extension
o Conservation exhibitions
o Information dissemination

Conclusion
The paper provides a brief overview of the present management status of Gili. Inputs based on experience from other marine parks will be adopted and integrated for better management at Gili. It is hoped that the experience of management from Gili may one day be useful for other marine protected areas.

Edi Djuharsa
Natural Resources Conservation Office
Mataram – West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia