Sumbawa

From World travel guide

Sumbawa is one of the 13,000 plus islands in the Indonesian archipelago. It is a large island to the east of Bali and Lombok. Sumbawa, along with Lombok, is part of West Nusa Tenggara. There a hundreds of small islands in this area in addition to the two major islands.

Sumbawa is known to some tourists for its great waves and sandy white beaches. Due to the somewhat trying process of getting there and the scarcity of cheap tourist facilities, the island is not visited much by non-surfing tourists which is unfortunate as parts of the island are quite beautiful.

1 Regions
2 Cities
3 Other destinations
4 Understand
5 Talk
6 Get in
7 Get around
8 See
9 Do
10 Eat
11 Drink
12 Stay safe
13 Get out
14 External links

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Regions

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Cities

Sumbawa Besar, the capital, is on the western side of the island.
Bima is on the eastern side of the island.

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Other destinations

Sekongkan - where the surfing spots of Yoyo and Scar Reef are located.
Sekongkang
Maluk
Benete

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Understand

Sumbawa really belongs more to Eastern Indonesia than to to the West. The effects of Hindu and Buddhist cultures are minimal in Sumbawa; the majority of the population are Muslims.

During the dry season (April to November) a lot of dust is blown up and around. Strong winds blow in off the ocean, and the lush green hills, mountains and valleys turn a dusty brown. When the rainy season begins an amazing transformation takes place and the island becomes a lush jungle once again.

As most of the island is still developing, there is a very rural feel to just about everything, including Sumbawa Besar, the capital of the western side of the island. The mining company, Newmont, has a gold and copper mine down in the southwestern corner of the island around the villages of Sekongkang, Maluk and Benete. Their presence has speeded up the development process in this side of the island.

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Talk

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Get in

Sumbawa can be considered somewhat remote:

To get to Sumbawa from Bali most people take the ferry from Bali to Lombok, travel overland to the eastern seaport in Lombok and then take another ferry to Sumbawa, ending up in Poto Tano. From there transportation is somewhat problematic. There are buses that will take you on to Sumbawa Besar, the capital, or down the coast road to the south, but some travellers experience of trying to get on a bus once you arrive in Sumbawa is difficult to say the least. If traveling from Lombok, it is best to board a bus there that will take you to your final destination in Sumbawa.

It is also possible to fly into the city of Sumbawa Besar on the western side of the island, and Bima on the eastern side of the island. Sekongkan also has the airport, but flights have been stopped for an indefinite period after a small airline called Tropical Air ceased operating.

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