A spectacularly beautiful beach, (perhaps my favourite!) Selong Belanak is situated on a huge bay surrounded by craggy mountain peaks. The colour of the sand and water need to be seen to be believed and match the best of anything you’ll see in any tourist brochure. Its also pretty popular, compared to other Lombok beaches but its such a long stretch of beach it never feels too crowded. Selong Belanak is a great place to do some surfing or take a surfing lesson – the waves are very regular and they break a little way out so it’s a safe beach for kids as well. There are a few good cafes here set back from the beach – again the barbecued fish is a must try and its worth paying the 50,000rp to secure a couple of deck chairs under an umbrella.
One of the best things about Selong Belanak is taking the trip to get there. If you come from Mataram you head down the highway towards the airport but then veer off onto a much smaller road that takes you into the jungle and through some tiny kampungs (villages) where it’s not unusual to have to share the road with passing chickens, goats or water buffalo. You’re 30 minutes from the capital city and yet, you could be forgiven for thinking you’ve been transported to another world. As the road begins to climb towards a mountain pass, the scenery suddenly changes from lush, tropical forest to something more sparse – tall plants with long skinny trunks and large, light green leaves. And then before you have time to think about whether you actually have entered another world you are over the pass and stretched out in front of you, as far as the eye can see, is the shiny expanse of the Indian Ocean. The descent from the peak to sea level is rapid – it only takes about 5 minutes and then maybe another 5 minutes to reach the Selong Belanak car park.
If you come from Kuta, it’s maybe a 20 minute drive west with ocean views most of the way.