Lombok Shopping and Districts

(Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia)

Tourists will always enjoy spending time shopping on the island of Lombok, since there are so many interesting Indonesian handicrafts to purchase and take home. As well as shopping in the main tourist resorts and towns on Lombok, also consider heading to some of the island's charming villages, where many of the items actually originate, being made by hand and traditional methods.

Particularly popular on Lombok is rattan and basket weaving, pottery and also various textiles, woven at villages such as Pringgasela and Sukarara. Here you can buy hand-woven 'kain songkete' fabrics, where gold or silver thread has been carefully incorporated into the fabric, as well as beautiful 'ikat' and 'sasak' cloth.

Where to Shop

Those shopping in Mataram, Lombok's main city, will find that the best selection of shops is based around the Jalan Raya Senggigi, a prominent road heading in the northerly direction from the Ampenan. Nearby and in the Sayang Sayang area, directly north of Cakra, the acclaimed Lombok Handicraft Centre stocks an extensive array of Indonesian arts and crafts, originating from throughout the island and the Nusa Tenggara region in general.

In the charming villages of Rungkang Jangkuk and Labuapi, shoppers will be able to purchase everything from wooden masks and trinkets, to carved figurines and jewellery made with pearls harvested from the neighbouring waters of the Indian Ocean and the Bali Sea.

At the town of Senggigi, the principal beach resort of Lombok, several large shopping malls are to hand, although these are far from fully occupied and are filled with empty stores. The Art Market of Senggigi (Pasar Seni) is a much more appealing option, as are the handicraft shops and large warehouses located on the road leading to Ampenan.