Lombok’s history started with a group of animist farmers known as the Sasak, who created a little empire before the 17th century. The Sasak group began their way to Lombok Island long before most of Indonesia’s other ethnic families settled one of the 13,000 odd islands of the archipelago. It’s believed that the Sasak migrated from Burma or northwest India, but few archaeological remains exist to verify this theory. In the early years, Lombok was composed of dozens of tiny clans, each dominated by a Sasak monarch. There was constant fighting among the families, which the neighbouring Balinese princes used to their benefit when they defeated the island. The Balinese ruled Lombok in the middle of the 1700s until 1890 when the Dutch arrived on the scene and backed the native Sasaks. The Balinese were pushed out after a series of bloody conflicts. Then Lombok Island became the part of islands known as Kepulauan Sunda Kecil (Lesser Sunda Island).

Hefty taxes enforced by the Dutch pressed most of Lombok’s villagers into poverty. They opened the door for Chinese businesspeople to exploit the financial vacuum. Those things continued in this rather repressive manner until in 1945, Indonesia declared its independence. The first president of Indonesia, Sukarno, tried to regroup Lombok into a more massive group of islands, renowned as Nusa Tenggara. Still, the island group attest challenging to govern.

As time goes by, when Sukarno was ousted in 1965, Lombok was thrust into a dark phase of murder and oppression, together with many other parts of Indonesia. Anyone considered subversive by the new authorities, such as communists and Chinese ethnic, were killed or displaced. Initially, the president Suharto’s slightly harsh New Order plan brought growth and stability to the island, until in 1973, prolonged famine reached a crippling peak. Then, as part of the transmigration programme implemented by the government, most of the locals moved away from Lombok.

With small agricultural work and few sources, Lombok fell into a quiet lull until 1980 when tourism development started to catch on. Touting itself as a more peaceful, more natural alternative to Bali, the tourism sector has slowly but steadily grown. Regrettably, during the wave of development that combined Lombok’s coastline, many traditional landowners were displaced as external companies took over the territory. Indonesia was thrust into political chaos throughout the late 1990s, in reaction to widespread corruption. Lombok was caught up in the civil disorder, and locals in Mataram and Praya held protests outcoming in a significant drop in the tourism side. Since the chaos in 2000, tourists have continued to arrive in Lombok. Now considered secure and secure travel destinations, Lombok is a popular option to its more developed neighbour, Bali.

Weather in Lombok That You Need to Know

Due to lying just south of the equator, Lombok consistently enjoys 12 hours of sunshine a day and warm temperatures throughout the year. There are two different seasons on the island: the rainy season from October to March and the dry season from May to September. Throughout the year, daytime temperatures are usually around 27°Celsius to 32°Celcius range.

Rainy season in Lombok Island is also when the island experiences its highest levels of humidity. Rain coming in the part of brief but powerful afternoon thunderstorms. Suppose you can bear the hot and humid conditions, you are going to have the island to yourself as this time is Lombok’s low season. As the wet season tapers off in April, temperatures start to fall, and the countryside gets lush with green vegetation. May to June is considered the most fabulous period for a visit, as the times are reliably sunny and not too hot.

Before you plan a trip to Lombok, make sure to explore and research more about Lombok by visiting Wonderful Indonesia.