Trails on Mt. Rinjani in Lombok re-ropened
By The Spot
The six main hiking trails on the Mount Rinjani Volcano in Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara reopened starting on Wednesday, 27 July 2022.
Park Authorities closed the Mount Rinjani National Park to hikers on 29 November 2022 out of fear for visitor safety due to heavy rains and flooding.
Tempo.co reports the Head of the Mount Rinjani National Park Agency (TNGR), Desy Asriady, saying on Thursday, 21 July 2022: “The Mount Rinjani National Park Agency will open for tourism visits for climbing and non-climbing visitors starting 27 July 2022.”
Over the past months, Park authorities have been gradually opening hiking trails to levels of 50% and 75% of estimated capacity. Of the six hiking trails, the following daily visitor quotas have been limited to:
- Sembalun Trail – 150 climbers per day
- Senaru Trail – 150 climbers per day
- Torean Trail – 100 climbers per day
- Aik Berik Trail – 100 climbers per day
- Timbanuh Trail – 100 climbers per day
- Tete Batu Trail – 100 climbers per day
Most trekkers embark on climbs of 2 -3-day duration.
Mount Rinjani, with its majestic volcanic Segara Anak Lake on Mount Baru Jari, is an active volcano that stands at an elevation of 3,736 meters above sea level.
Trekkers can book an available slot to climb the volcano via the eRinjani Mobile Application.
Park officials say plans are underway to open a new hiking trail via the Village of Pakuan.
Our restaurant is open in Kuta Lombok
Two weeks ago, we opened our restaurant again after 2 year of closure.
The first week, we were only serving ice cold drinks, juices, beers, our signature teas and coffee.
Since last week, we are also serving a few of our dishes. As pre pandemic, we try to serve food that you cannot find in any other restaurant in Kuta Lombok. Well, most of our dishes you can’t find in Lombok or even entire Indonesia!
Visit us in Kuta Lombok for:
Soup !
At the moment we made our delicious Pumpkin Soup again. The soup is served with bread.
Sandwiches
The sandiches are soft ciabatta bread. In the future, we will have a selection of bread, but for now we chose soft ciabatta bread as this is perfect to create a delicious sandwich.
You can choose the topping:
- Tuna Salad
- Pulled Chicken
- Hummus
The sandwiches in our food café are server with a side salad.
Stew
Stoofvlees / Stoverij / Beefstew. Yes people, this famous Belgian dish is back in Lombok!
Slowly cooked beef stew in premium dark beer. This is a must try !
Chicken stew with a twist. This Belgian / French dish is deliciously refreshing for being a stew. Originally made for the queen of France…
In Belgium we also call this “koninginnenhapje” which literally means “Snack for the queen”
Pasta
Bolognaise… This dish doesn’t require any introduction. But allow us to mention that we take our time making this dish. We let it simmer for 3 – 4 hours, this way all flavors are perfectly combined. We also add red wine for even more flavor!
Green creamy pesto. Are you tired of those to much oil green looking pesto on your pasta? We have got you covered.
We make our pesto with avocados, basil and rucola.
Of course there are other ingredients, but no cheese, making this perfect for vegans.
This week we will add a few dishes to our menu, so feel free to pop in and try them all!
Visit our restaurants website for the full menu and all information.
Traveling to Lombok just got cheaper.
KUALA LUMPUR, 20 July 2022: Travel to Bali and Lombok just got cheaper following the latest deals from the AirAsia Super App, open for bookings until 24 July. Travel deals are 70% off on AirAsia and participating airlines, hotels, and duty-free items.
AirAsia Super App users can book AirAsia flights from Kuala Lumpur to destinations across Indonesia, including Bali, Lombok, Pekanbaru, Surabaya, and other cities and holiday destinations from as low as MYR129* all-in-one way from now until 24 July. Travel is valid from 1 October 2022 to 25 March 2023.
The deals extend to 50% off for travellers booking hotels via the SNAP combination (flight + hotel) to Bali and Lombok. Those who prefer to book their accommodation separately can locate the best hotel deals in Bali and Lombok and get MYR50 off with a minimum spend of MYR150.
AirAsia Travelmall also offers up to 70% off storewide on all duty-free items. Users can pre-book their duty-free items at least 48 hours before their scheduled departure flight and have them delivered to their seats during the flight.
*Fares are all-inclusive of taxes and fees. Terms and conditions apply.
Travel regulations in Indonesia starting from 17th of July
Looking forward to visit Indonesia? You should, weather and waves has been great! Lombok begins to wake up after a period of dormancy due to the pandemic, there is an increasing number of travelers that are flying here from abroad to have a piece of the island experience.
Besides more visitors, also local businesses that have been closed for 2 years and more are starting to open up. SAME SAME included !
As the rules tend to change rapidly, we made it easy for you and put together the latest (and greatest?). Make sure that you tick all boxes when traveling to Lombok or any other part of Indonesia.
The newest regulations are published by the Ministry of Transportation’ under Regulation No. 71/2022.
The rules are set to come into effect on July 17 2022.
- Prepare your flight ticket (not to state the obvious, but, again, Murphy’s Law)
- Make sure all of your documents (e.g. ID, passport, visa) are valid.
Make sure all of your documents are in good condition - Prepare your COVID-19 vaccination documents, be it hard copy or soft copies.
To make it even more easy for you, make sure you have both, just in case.
If you happen to be a traveler who cannot get a COVID-19 vaccination jab due to medical reasons, you MUST show a doctor’s certificate from a government hospital in your country of departure - Travelers who have received at least two shots of a COVID-19 vaccine may enter without undergoing quarantine.
RT-PCR tests upon arrival will be required if your body temperature is recorded at above 37.5 degrees Celsius - If you are either unvaccinated or have only gotten the first jab, you will be required to undergo a 5-day quarantine
- Download, install, and sign up for the mobility tracking app PeduliLindungi.
New ruling for domestic flights
Domestic flights coming to Lombok per the Ministry of Transportation’s Regulation No. 70/2022.
Per this rule,
People who have received a booster jab are not required to get a COVID-19 test before flying.
People who are double vaccinated are required to show a negative antigen results taken 24 hours prior to the departure, or a negative RT-PCR result taken three days before flying.
Travelers who have only received the first jab are required to show a negative RT-PCR result taken 3 days before departure.
Travelers who have special or underlying medical conditions are obligated to show a negative RT-PCR result taken 3 days before departure as well as a doctor’s certificate from a government hospital.
Travelers between the ages of 6 and 17 who have received the second jab are exempt from testing.
Children under the age of 6 are exempt from both vaccination and testing obligations, as long as they are under the careful supervision of their parents during travel.
Last, but certainly not least, all travelers are required to download, install, and sign up for PeduliLindungi.
What are you waiting for, sun-seekers?
Citilink resumes flights from Bali to Lombok
Post pandemic, there aren’t many flights from Bali to Lombok and back, but this is about to changes. Citilink just confirmed that flights from Bali to Lombok are being resumed starting 7th of July 2022.
This is great news for people who want to travel from Bali to Lombok and Lombok to Bali.
At time of writing, the will be only one flight a day. But this will soon pickup !
Flight schedule DPS – LOP
Departing in Bali : 13:30
Arrival in Lombok : 14:10
Flight schedule LOP – DPS
Departing in Lombok : 14:40
Arrival in Bali : 15:20
Luggage
7kg cabin baggage and 10kg checked bagage will be included in the price.
More flights to Bali airport
As the peak tourism season is well underway in Bali, I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport celebrates the return of two more major international airlines and hits the milestone of serving 48 international flight schedules.
The increased availability of flights will be well received by the Indonesian authorities who were becoming concerned that demand for flights has been outweighing supply resulting in a slower economic recovery from the pandemic than hoped.
Since the reopening of borders in February 2022, Bali Airport has taken the time to celebrate the return of all major international airlines to the runway. Giant international flight providers like Emirates and Virgin Australia have been welcomed back to Denpasar with water cannon salutes and even a personal appearance from the island’s Governor Wayan Koster.
On Friday 1st July Ngurah Rai Airport celebrated the return of Indonesia’s national airline, Garuda Indonesia, with the resumption of first international route, Singapore to Denpasar. On Saturday 2nd July the airport was able to celebrate once again, this time welcoming the return of Philippine Airlines.
The Philippines national airline has reopened the Manila to Denpasar route, safely transporting 192 passengers from Manilla to the Island of the Gods.
The return of a direct flight to Bali from the Philippines is a significant turning point. Although Australians make up the largest proportion of international visitors, closely followed by the UK, Singapore, the USA, and India, tourism markets from neighboring countries in South East Asia should not to be overlooked.
In 2019, Bali welcomed 340,000 passengers from the Philippines who headed to the Island of the Gods for both business and tourism purposes.
The General Manager of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, Handy Heryudhitiawan, spoke with much enthusiasm to local reporters over the weekend.
He said ‘“The operation of the international routes Singapore – Denpasar with Garuda Indonesia, and Manila – Denpasar with Philippine Airlines is a positive signal that the aviation world is slowly starting to bounce back. With the addition of these two routes, currently I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport serves 46 departure schedules and 48 international arrival schedules in total’.
Of these weekly 46 departure schedules and 48 international arrival schedules are 19 different international routes to 11 countries. There are now 21 airlines serving destinations worldwide. Heryudhitiawan explained to reported that in June 2022, Ngurah Rai Airport welcomed over 365,178 international arrivals which is an increase from the previous months.
Heryudhitiawan went on to echo the hopes of the tourism industry at large to say that ‘we hope that this number [of passengers] will continue to grow along with the increasing number of routes served at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport’.
Last week Emirates Airlines resumed a daily flight schedule to Bali direct from Dubai. The carrier had resumed the Dubai-Bali route five times weekly as of the 1st May 2022 and in light of increased demand has been able to extend its scheduled offering. The Dubai-Denpasar route is not only a convenience for travelers from the United Arab Emirates but also makes it increasingly easier for European travelers to layover on their way to Bali.
The layover time from many of Europe’s major cities in Dubai, along the route to Bali, is often a little over 2-hours and breaks the trip up into two roughly 8-hour legs. Since reopening the Dubai-Bali route has carried over 29,000 passengers and completed 73 flights in a little over 60-days.
Airlines such as Virgin Australia have also been welcomed back to Bali in recent weeks and have made some exciting announcements for Australian travelers. Virgin Australia recently announced a direct Gold Coast-Bali flight schedule that will be launching in early 2023, with tickets available as of now. Currently, Virgin Australia flies directly to Denpasar from Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne.
Soon re-opening
After 23 months of being closed, we are no getting ready to re-open again. At the moment we are doing the giant cleanup and also some small renovations and improvements.
SAME SAME Hangout
Our bar will open foodless for the first few weeks/months, depending on supply and demand. Have you been eating at SAME SAME Hangout before and you want to enjoy one of our specialty dishes? Please do send us a message and we will prepare the dish for you!
SAME SAME Bungalows
Our bungalows will be open by 1st of august. Set in the back of our garden, you will be able to enjoy a good night in our bungalows of luxury tents ! Because we want our ecological footprint to be as small as possible, the bathroom is shared.
For 8 people, there is 2 toilets and 2 hot showers. This should be plenty !
In addition to this, we also found that there is a need for a few new things.
SAME SAME Bungalows part 2
Two of our Bamboo bungalows will be in a private part of the garden. In addition to two bungalows, there will also be a living and bathroom area. So you will be able to enjoy our bungalows in your own tropical garden!
- 2 Bamboo Bungalows
- Private bathroom / toilet
- Kitchen
- Dining area
- Sofa with TV
SAME SAME House
As at the moment, we are not able to be in Lombok full time, we also decided to do some renovations on our house, after those are completed, we will be renting our house also. Trust me, you will love it !
SAME SAME Co-working
Set behind the door of our reception, we are also preparing a co-working space with AC and desks. You will be able to work in all comfort and this area will be accessible 24/7 when you have a weekly or monthly membership!
Needless to say that we are making sure that the internet will be excellent.
We hope to welcome you very soon !
LOMBOK SET TO SHINE AGAIN IN A NEW POST-PANDEMIC ERA
The island of Lombok is ready to reboot tourism.
It’s been a long hibernation with us all stuck at home counting down the days to when we can finally get out and explore again.
That day has arrived but life has changed, perhaps forever. How is this ‘new normal’ era affecting everyday life and tourism in Lombok? Actually, it’s surprisingly little.
Lombok’s wide open spaces and relatively low-key tourism has always offered social distancing by default. We’ve never really had to tread on people’s toes when strolling along the beach. There is plenty of space for everyone, especially now as tourism restarts at a gradual pace, even in the busy Gili Islands and Senggigi.
Lombok has been blessed in that there are virtually no high rise hotels – it’s mostly single story open fronted public spaces and detached bungalow style suites and rooms. It’s the same for dining and drinking too, with most places outside the city offering an open air style experience and now with limited capacity including beach side dining.
Now we’re all itching to go and explore. Lombok is blessed with off the grid experiences and wide open spaces.
Original article in latest edition from My Lombok Magazine.
Gili Trips restarting in July
After receiving permission from the relevant authorities, Bluewater Express plans to start running a limited service between Bali and the Gili Islands.
It is our aim to run the first boat within the next week or so. We are currently finalising our new normal health protocols.
All guests will need to be in possession of a negative PCR (swab) or rapid test current within the last 14 days.
Bluewater Express will be providing a testing station at the departure area in Serangan where guests can be tested and have results within 20mins.
Test price is still being calculated but will not be more than Rp. 350k, paid directly to the on site clinic.
At this point we are unsure of the exact start date, but please sign up with your email address to register your interest and receive the latest info on schedules and accommodation options.
We will email everybody on the list when we have further info.
There will be limited places available so make sure you don’t miss out. Sign up with below link to receive the latest info.
