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Lombok, Gili Islands, Komodo, Flores – the good, bad and ugly sides to Indonesia’s Nusa Tenggara

World-beating beaches, volcanic lakes and deadly dragons – what else could a tourist wish for? The islands of Nusa Tenggara, east of Bali, have them all

Wait, those dragons have toxic saliva, and they can swim too

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The harbour at Labuan Bajo, on Flores Island, in Indonesia’s Nusa Tenggara region. Photo: Alamy

Published: 6:00am, 20 Jul 2019Updated: 7:52pm, 21 Jul 2019

The good

Indonesia is comprised of 17,508 islands. Or is it 18,307? Either way, now is the best time of year to visit the Nusa Tenggara archipelago, which lies to the east of Bali. While monsoon rains swamp much of Southeast Asia, it’s the dry season in this corner of the southern hemisphere. The Lesser Sunda Islands, as they’re also known, are home to volcanic lakes and deadly dragons, world-beating beaches and traditional villages buried in dense jungle.

Lombok attracts independent types keen to discover whether the island really is just like Bali 30 years ago. First stop is a trio of offshore specks known as the Gili Islands. Travellers rock up planning to stay for a day or two and end up hanging around for weeks. Gili Trawangan is the party isle; Gili Air the not-too-busy, not-too-quiet option, while laid-back Gili Meno is home to fishermen, coconut farmers and Hollywood actor David Hasselhoff, who owns a villa on the island.

For more palm-fringed perfection, hire a moped and set out for Lombok’s south coast and another string of stunning beaches. A potholed coastal road meanders west from Kuta to Tanjung Aan, Selong Belanak and Mawun – a succession of talcum-powder sands lapped by sapphire seas.

The summit of Mount Rinjani, an active volcano on the island of Lombok. Photo: Alamy

For a change from swimming and sunbathing, surfing and sipping cocktails in a hammock, Mount Rinjani tempts the adventurous and energetic into their hiking boots. The good news for tourists – and locals who’ve been unable to work as porters and guides since a major earthquake last year – is that some trails have partially reopened.

Encompassing a number of islands and islets, the starkly beautiful Komodo National Park is no place for the faint-hearted. All that stands between jittery visitors and the infamous dragons is a warden who keeps the prehistoric predators at bay with a flimsy forked stick. Still, count yourself lucky to be in such close proximity to the larger-than-life lizards. A country more obsessed with health and safety (or litigation) would fence the beasts into a zoo-like enclosure, or build a glass viewing tunnel for tourists to walk through.