Getting Around:
Lombok has plenty of of roads, buses and bemos are generally restricted to main routes. Bemos, or minibuses, run all over the island, or you can hire one. Away from the main roads you can hire a cidomo (pony cart), get a lift on a motorcycle or walk if you feel like it. Don't expect too much transport after dark.
Hiring a motorbike is the cheapest and easiest option. Car hire is available. Some folks take their mountain bikes, being easy to take on ferries etc..
Outrigger boats, called prahu are used for short trips to snorkelling spots or surf breaks, larger boats (jukungs) travel between islands.

Attractions:
All three Lombok religions have their own holidays and festivals, with most of them taking place at the beginning of the rainy season (October to December) or at harvest time (April to May). At these times there are celebrations in villages all over the island.

Islamic festivals and holidays include Ramadan, a month (the date changes every year) when everyone fasts between sunup and sunset to conform to the fourth pillar of Islam. Ramadan ends with a huge feast, Eid al-Fitr, where everyone prays together, visits friends, gives presents and eats. Eid al-Adah, another moveable event, is the other big feast of the year, and marks the time when Muslims should make the pilgrimage to Mecca. Other events include Pura Meru a Bali Hindu ceremony celebrated on the June full moon at the temple in Cakranegara, Perang Ketupat, a rain festival held in Lingsar between October and December where celebrants pray and fling sticky rice at each other, and Pujawali, a Bali Hindu celebration honouring the god Batara who lives on Gunung Rinjani.

Boat Trips to Komodo Island.
Pulau Komodo, east of Lombok near Flores Island is home to the famous Komodo Dragon monitor lizard. Most of these trips finish at Labuanbajo town on Flores and you have then go back to whwere you want to go. Check carefully what is offered, safety, food, accomodation etc. Cost is around US$60 for four days.

Gunung Rinjani
Mt. Rinjani, the highest mountain at 3726 meters in height, stretches 65 kilometers over the north portion of the island. Though forests are disappearing in many regions, Mt. Rinjani is still surrounded with dense forest. This imposing sight can be seen from Bali. In the enormous caldera of the volcano, the crescent-shaped Segara Anak enclosed by steep walls measures 8 kilometers by 6 kilometers and is more fascinating than any other scene in Lombok.
Mt. Rinjani is especially popular with hikers and local people who go on pilgrimages to the hot springs in the northeast section of the caldera. The hot springs in this mountain are believed to have incredible curative value. When climbing, people usually start on the slopes of Senaru or Sembalun Lawang, or you can join a tour for an easier journey. It is necessary to bring water and food along. It is not always necessary to be with a porter or a guide for all courses, but it is certainly recommended that you notify them of your destination and of when you intend to return. There have been critical accidents in these mountains. Always keep in mind that this is an active volcano, which last erupted in 1995.
Around its lower slopes are rice fields, then higher up there is beautiful primary forest; at higher altitudes near the crater rim the vegetation is low grassland and scrub. Inside the crater is pine forest. From its peak there are spectacular views not only over Lombok and Bali, but  on clear mornings you can see as far as Java- that’s around 100 Km away ! Standing on top of this peak is an awesome experience. Below your feet there is a huge drop into the crater with its lake; in the lake is the new volcanic cone, ‘Anak Rinjani’, the child of Rinjani. 

This mountain trip can involve 4 days, 3 night trekking on the mountain, and sleeping in tents.

Communications Info:
Mataram area code is 0370.
Main Post Office, with Poste Restante, is on Jl Sriwijaya in south Mataram. Also an Internet service in the building.

Money:
The banks along Jl Selaparang St. in Cakra will change most foreign currencies and Travellers Cheques. Money changers in Ampenan are competitive and stay open longer.

Geography:
Kuta
Lombok's Kuta is still quiet outside of the main tourist season in August, but there are plans to develop a large stretch of the south coast with luxury hotels. There's good surfing, especially at Gerupak, about 7km east of town, and you can get there by local boat.
A beautiful sandy bay, Selong Blanak, lies to the west, and the road is sealed. Surfing is good in the right conditions, as well as at Mawan, Tampa and Mawi along the way.

Senggigi:
Located on a series of sweeping bays, Senggigi has become the most developed tourist area on Lombok. Despite a definite gearing to the upmarket traveller, there are still cheaper places to stay, and the fine beaches and snorkelling make it worth the hunt. this is the only spot in Lombok with any nightlife.
South of Senggigi Beach, the Batu Bolong Temple juts out into the sea. Legend has it that beautiful virgins were once thrown into the sea from the top of the rock and this is the reason, locals claim, why there are so many sharks in the water.

Mattaram:
Although officially four separate towns, Ampenan, Mataram, Cakranegara and Sweta virtually merge to form a 'city' on Lombok. Mataram is the administrative capital; Cakranegara the commercial centre; Sweta is the transport terminal and site of the island's largest market; and Ampenan, is the prime location for budget accommodation and food.
There are a few weaving factories in Mataram where you can see dyeing and weaving, and buy ikat cloth or handwoven songket sarongs. The Mayura Water Palace, on the main road through Cakranegara, is a pleasant retreat. It was built in 1744 and was part of the royal court of the Balinese kingdom on Lombok. There are other shrines and fountains dotted around the surrounding park. Pura Meru, which is the largest Balinese temple on the island, is directly opposite the water palace.

Gili Islands:
These small coral-fringed islands have become enormously popular with visitors who come for the very simple pleasures of sun, snorkelling and socialising. It's cheap, thereare no cars or motorbikes. Rooms can be hard to find in busy times.

Most accommodation is in basic bungalows, and there are shuttle boats between the islands so you can sleep on one and swim from another. Visitors should not swim nude (or topless), and cover shoulders and knees when away from the beach.

Population: 2.4 million Capital city: Mataram
People: 90% Sasak, Balinese, Chinese, Javanese, Arabian
Language Sasak and Bahasa Indonesian
Religion: mainly Islam