The southeastern corner of Lombok is a maze of bays, cliffs and uninhabited islets, and almost all of it is easier to reach by sea than by road. This private boat tour spends a full day working through that coastline, combining snorkeling, beach time and one of the strangest and most photogenic sandbars in the region.
After a morning pickup and a drive across the island, you board a boat reserved for your group alone. The first stretch of the trip runs beneath high headlands where the water turns from green to deep blue, and there is usually time to watch flying fish break the surface ahead of the bow. At Gili Petelu, a cluster of rocky islets, you stop to snorkel over reef that drops away into clear water, with hard coral, soft fans and plenty of reef fish in the shallows.
The itinerary then moves between beaches. Pink Beach is the headline stop, where fragments of red coral tint the sand a soft blush against turquoise water, and the low hill behind it rewards a short climb with a view across the whole bay. Segui Beach is quieter still, a broad arc of sand backed by green hills and rarely more than lightly visited. The final highlight is Gili Pasir, a sandbar that rises out of the sea as the tide falls, leaving a strip of white sand with water on every side and nothing else in sight.
- Private boat with captain and crew for your group only
- Land transfer from hotels in the main tourist areas
- Snorkeling mask, snorkel and fins provided
- Multiple beach stops with free time at each
- Order of stops arranged around the day’s tides
Tides shape everything here, so the sequence may shift to make sure you reach the sandbar when it is exposed and the snorkeling sites when the water is at its clearest. Your captain knows the timing well and will explain the plan before you leave. Bring sunscreen, a hat, a towel and a dry bag, since there is very little shade on the smaller stops.
The trip suits couples, friends and families with children who are comfortable in the water, as well as photographers hunting for images that look nothing like the usual Gili shots. Snorkeling is optional at every stop, and life jackets are available for anyone who prefers to float and look down rather than swim.
Expect around seven hours on the water plus travel time. If you would like longer at a particular beach or extra snorkeling stops, just let us know before departure.