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The Province of West Nusa Tenggara, also known as part of the Lesser
Sunda Islands, comprise Bali and eastward through Timor.
The two major islands in this province are Lombok and Sumbawa.
Lombok is where the transition from the western to the eastern Indonesian
fauna and flora begins. The northern part of the island is mountainous
and verdant with tall trees and shrubs covering the land. The south
is arid and covered by savannas. Large Asian mammals are absent.
The shift gets more pronounced as one moves further east. Dry seasons
are more prolonged, so in many areas corn and sago instead of rice
is the staple food.
Lombok island has white virgin beaches, an age-old culture, separated
by merely a narrow strait from Bali, it is only now being discovered
as a tourist destination of exceptional charm. Here the motto is
"you can see Bali in Lombok, but not Lombok in Bali".
It is an existing reality, formed by the superimposition of strong
Balinese influences in the past, upon a base that is entirely Lombok's
own. At around the time Islam first came to these islands in the
16th century, four Hindu Kingdoms coexisted in apparent peace in
what is now West Nusa Tenggara.
At present, Hinduism is the religion embraced mostly by the Balinese
population of western Lombok. The indigenous people of Lombok, the
Sasaks, are predominantly Moslem. Even more so are the people of
neighboring Sumbawa.
At present, West Nusa Tenggara's cultural make-up is a composite
of the four main population groups inhabiting the two islands: the
Balinese, the Sumbawanese, and the peoples of Bima and Dompu. The
region is famous for its "ikat" hand-woven textiles. Cattle
and horses are the major export commodities of these islands.
Visit more about Lombok programs:
 
Lombok Accommodation
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