Indonesia surf guide

Surfing Desert Point

Bangko-Bangko: a long left barrel that needs a big swell.

1 wave · Best May-Sep · Pro · From $36 a day

Quieter than Bali next door, with good waves in the bays around Kuta Lombok, Desert Point in the southwest and lower prices.

LevelsPro

Best seasonMay-Sep

RegionLombok

Daily budget$36–132

The waves at Desert Point

Desert PointPro

Left Reef · Best May-Sep · 4-12 ft · Crowd 4/5

Big SW swell, SE trades, low tide

Desert Point, or Bangko-Bangko, is a left at the southwest tip of Lombok. It starts soft and gets longer and more hollow as it runs down the reef, and on the best days the barrels are some of the longest in the world.

It needs everything to line up: a big long-period SW swell, SE trades and a tide dropping toward low. The lower the tide, the longer and shallower it gets. That happens maybe a dozen days a season, so many surfers watch the forecast and come over from Bali at short notice.

The reef is razor sharp and very shallow on the best sections, and the current is strong at the end. There's only a basic losmen camp, no ATM and no rescue, and it can be flat for weeks. Experts only. On a big day, watching from the cliff is worth the trip on its own.

Where to stay in Desert Point

Deserts is frontier surfing: the lodges at the point are basic (generator power, bucket showers, cash only, most book by WhatsApp) and that's the charm. For comfort between swells, base on Gili Gede or the Sekotong coast 45 minutes away. Stock up on supplies and cash in Lembar or Sekotong town on the way in.

Surf camps in Desert Point

We are adding local camps we trust to this page. Run a surf camp or surf house here? We would like to hear from you.

List your camp

Before
you go

Book ahead

Kuta Lombok has beds for everyone except July-August (book 3-4 weeks). Ekas lodges are few, 1-2 months for dry season. At Desert Point the losmen take walk-ins, because nobody knows far ahead when it will break.

The water

Clinic in Kuta for stitches and scrapes; the real hospital is Mataram, 1.5h away. Reef kit in your bag: vinegar, iodine, steri-strips. The roads at dusk, with dogs, cows and scooters without lights, injure more surfers than the reefs do.

Who it suits

Striking Desert Point without a confirmed long-period forecast, most days it's flat. Gerupuk at midday (schools peak). Rinjani in the wet season (trails close).

Money

ATMs in Kuta town only. Cash up fully before Gerupuk, Ekas, Air Guling and above all Desert Point: the west peninsula has no ATM and nowhere takes cards.

Best time to surf Desert Point

Desert Point works best around May-Sep.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

PrimeGoodQuiet

Bali or Lombok? Compared for surfing

Getting to Desert Point

Lombok is easy to get around: quiet roads, a modern airport 45 minutes from Kuta and boats filling the gaps. A scooter covers the south; for Desert Point a driver is worth it.

Lombok International (LOP)

$30-60 from Bali/Jakarta

Direct flights from Bali (30 min), Jakarta and KL land 45 minutes from Kuta Lombok. Fixed-price cars to Kuta run $8-12 from the taxi counter. The DPS-LOP hop often beats the fast boat on both time and comfort when swell traffic isn't a factor.

Scooter rental

$4-6/day

Lombok's roads are quieter and better paved than Bali's. Every spot from Mawi to Ekas is a scenic 15-40 minute ride from Kuta town. Fuel sold from roadside bottles everywhere. Most surf rentals in Kuta have racks. Ask for one; they cost nothing extra.

Fast boats from Bali

$25-40

Operators like Eka Jaya and BlueWater Express run Padangbai/Serangan to the Gilis and Bangsal several times daily, around 1.5-2.5 hours depending on stops. For Kuta Lombok, add a 2-hour car from Bangsal, or just fly.

Car + driver

$35-50/day

The easiest way to get to Desert Point (2.5-3 h from Kuta) or move camp with boards and bags. Drivers wait through your session for the same day rate. Organise through your accommodation the evening before a dawn mission.

Grab / Gojek

$1-3 per hop

Ride-hailing works well around Mataram and the airport; coverage in Kuta town exists but is thinner, and beach pickups can be restricted to local drivers. In Kuta, your guesthouse can usually call a trusted local driver at near-app prices.

Beyond the surf

Bangko-Bangko headland

Nature

The wild southwestern cape where Desert Point peels, dry-forest hills, a lighthouse track and one of the world's best lefts breaking over the shelf below.

Gili Gede island

Island

The largest of the secret southwest Gilis, a short boat hop across the bay: fishing villages, calm-water swimming and a handful of laid-back resorts.

Gili Layar & Gili Asahan snorkelling

Marine life

Healthy shallow reefs and seagrass turtle meadows around the outer southwest islets. Charter a local outrigger from Tembowong for a half-day loop.

Mekaki Bay

Beach

A vast, usually empty crescent of sand on the south side of the Sekotong peninsula, a detour from the Deserts road but a quiet place for a swim.