Lombok, the less developed sister island of Bali is fringed with many beaches that remain undiscovered by mass tourism. Forget the sun beds, the insistent sellers, and the beanbags spoiling the view, these beaches are straight up undisturbed paradise.

Pantai Mekaki, Sekotong

Nestled in between the hills of Sekotong is this beauty of a beach. You’ll drive along jungle bordered road seeing a wild monkey here and there before arriving at the clearing to the beach, enclosed by hills. Bring water and a snack with you because this beach is completely devoid of, well, people. You’ll find soft sand and crashing waves, with currents that can get quite strong. Since this beach is completely undeveloped you wont find a lot in the way of shelter so it’s best to visit during the cooler parts of the day – in the morning and the afternoon.

Pantai Tunak, Gunung Tunak National Park

Located just a 30-40 minute drive out of Kuta Lombok you will find Mount Tunak National Park. This National Park is full of astonishing views and breathtaking beach. Driving through the national park you’ll see that the roads are poor, at the beginning, during and at the end of rainy season they get very water logged, muddy and hard to pass. You’ll see a few local travellers here and there, who mostly stop to take a few photos, then move on. But the beach you will share only with a fisherman or two. Again bring plenty of water and some snacks because it is hot and there aren’t any shops close by. If you go by motorbike, you will be able to ride to the top of the mountain for more views. Otherwise you’re in for a walk, unless you can ask a fisherman for a ride to the top of the hill and back down again using their motorbike. Visit this National Park soon because a big development is already underway.

Pulau Pasir, East Lombok

To visit this beach you need to hop on a boat, because it’s less of a beach and more of a small island formed completely from sand. It’s shallow waters are full of start fish – you will see lots of people picking up the starfish and taking photos, but please please please don’t pick them up! It is extremely bad for the environment and you can pass on bad bacteria to them from your hands. If you visit this island you will also get to make stops at another couple of islands for snorkelling and also 2 pink beaches! We actually operate this 1 day trip, you can view it here. During the day you will see a few groups of mainly local tourists, but they’re easily avoided if you can wait to visit each spot once they have moved on to the next.

Gili Nanggu, Gili Sudak & Gili Kedis, South West Lombok

Again I’m cheating a bit here, because these are 3 teeny tiny islands located off the coast of Sekotong. If you visit as a day trip there will be a fair number of other tourists, however it’s easy to find quiet spots. To get off the beaten track and do as the other tourists don’t do, you will need to spend a night here, camping on Gili Kedis (the tiniest of the 3 islands). This is a true castaway experience as you will share the island with only your group. Experience the sun set sitting in the crystal clear waters of this magnificent island. Enjoy drinks around a bonfire and grilled fish. The sun rise is even more glorious reflecting in the water. You can find a snorkelling day trip to these locations here and a camping and snorkelling trip here.

Tampah Beach, South Lombok

Tampah beach is growing in popularity, however you can still have the beach to yourself if you visit in the morning. Unlike many of the Southern beaches in Lombok you won’t be bothered by bracelet sellers, instead you’ll find just a couple of warungs and these beautiful shaded awnings made by locals from coconut leaves. On the left hand side of the beach looking at the ocean, you can snorkel – mask and snorkel can be rented from the warungs.

This sums up just a few of Lombok’s stunning beaches, in fact, there are so many more.