IS LOMBOK SAFE? A GUIDE TO STAYING SAFE IN LOMBOK

Lombok is safe. Like any tourist destination there are always things you have to look out for.

Here are some tips to ensure you do not run into any trouble wherever you go.

1. Don’t wear flashy expensive jewellery if you are going to the beach or out at night. You become an instant target for thief’s when you attract attention to yourself like this.
2. Avoid travelling between villages on a scooter at night time. Take a car. Bandits have been known to attack lone travellers. If travelling at night on a scooter go with at least 3 scooters in convoy.
3. Lock valuables away in a safe in your room or in a lockable bag. We trust our staff 100% but cannot speak for other guests who we do not know well.
4. Do proper checks on scooters before you hire them. Because most of the scooter vendors in Lombok are locals they do not carry insurance so you could be blamed for damage you did not do. We recommend you take photos of any pre-existing damage to your scooter and also a video walking around the scooter just in case you miss anything in a photo. Other things to check are below;
   1. Tyre pressure
   2. Tyre tread
   3. Lights (high beam and low beam work)
   4. Indicator lights
   5. Ask the bike owner to show you how to put the bike up on the stand just in case you need to kick start it.
   6. Brakes work – this is the big one. Because of the rough and hilly terrain – you want to make sure that your brakes are working. Both the front and the back ones. If you are carrying two people on the bike – test the brakes with two people on the bike to make sure the brakes are good enough.
   7. Bike steering column can be locked.
   8. The horn is good for when you are going around blind corners to signal to people coming that you are there. For some stupid reason corners are cut here leading to a lot of serious injuries at the blind-spots around Kuta.
5. Always park your scooter in a location where there is security. A big Scam in Lombok is the actual person loaning you the scooter using the spare key to come and steal the scooter. They will then turnaround and tell you that the scooter has been stolen and you will have to pay up to $2000 for the scooter. Holiday over. And your insurance won’t cover you.
6. Alcohol with traces of ethanol have killed people in Lombok. Always drink at reputable bars which sell quality alcohol. The labels are no indication of what is in the bottles. If you are unsure – drink beer.
7. Don’t swim at any beaches where there are no lifeguards or surfers around if you are not a strong swimmer. Strong currents are around the South Coast of Lombok and will drag you out to sea. Stay in tourist areas with lots of people to be safe.
8. Carry a paper copy of your travel insurance with you wherever you to. We think this is a good idea because you can pull it out whenever required.
9. Stick as far to the left as possible so people can overtake you.
10. Do not go through puddles of water without being able to see the bottom. Holes can be quite deep and the last thing you want to do is ‘sink’ a rented scooter.