Lombok

Is Lombok safe?

Yes from crime, but take the island's terrain seriously. This page covers Lombok in Indonesia's West Nusa Tenggara province: the capital Mataram, the old resort strip of Senggigi, the surf town of Kuta Lombok in the south, Mount Rinjani, and briefly the Gili Islands off the north-west coast. Violence against visitors is rare. The risks that kill people here are a fall on Rinjani, an earthquake, a bad boat or road crossing, and the long trip to good hospital care.

There are no island crime figures, so the crime and night scores use Indonesia's: UNODC records 0.30 homicides per 100,000Homicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary and Gallup finds 83% feel safe walking alone at night. We score Lombok 66, the same as Bali: less theft, but weaker medical care and a deadlier mountain.

Mount Rinjani

Rinjani, the volcano that dominates the island, is climbed for its crater rim and the Segara Anak lake inside it. The trails are steep, fog and rain make them worse, and 2025 showed what can go wrong.

• On 3 May 2025 a 57-year-old Malaysian climber in a group of 23 refused the safety rope on the Banyu Urip trail, lost his footing and fell into a ravine about 80 metres deep. His body was recovered the next day.
• On 21 June 2025 a Brazilian woman fell about 600 metres from the summit trail. Fog and steep terrain slowed the search, and rescuers using a thermal drone found her dead on 24 June. An autopsy found blunt force injuries from the fall and no sign that she survived long after it.
• On 17 July 2025 a Dutch woman fell on the Sembalun route towards Segara Anak lake and was airlifted by helicopter, then taken to a hospital in Bali.

After another serious incident at Segara Anak, the park closed six sites from 1 to 10 August 2025 and reopened with stricter rules: graded trails, mandatory guide ratios, stronger insurance and online tickets through the official app. The forestry minister also announced a tracking app and checks on climbers' experience and health.

Book a licensed guide through the park's system, keep the group together, clip into the ropes where they exist, and turn back in fog, rain or darkness. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary notes that altitude sickness is a risk in parts of Indonesia.

Earthquakes and the sea

Earthquakes happen regularly in Indonesia, the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says, and Lombok has felt the worst of them. In 2018 a sequence of quakes struck the island: an M6.4 on 28 July killed 17 people and destroyed more than 5,400 houses, and the M6.9 on 5 August killed 560, according to NOAA. Two more strong quakes on 19 August killed 13. If you feel a long, strong shake near the coast, move inland or uphill at once; the FCDO notes that a tsunami can arrive within minutes.

At sea, the FCDO says Indonesian boats can be crowded, overloaded and poorly maintained, and conditions change fast. Check the life jackets before the fast boat from Bali or the public boats to the Gilis leave, and avoid crossings after dark. Diving is good but standards vary: a 46-year-old British diver died on a solo shore dive off Gili Air on 24 March 2026.

Roads and getting around

Lombok publishes no road death rate; Indonesia's is 11.4 per 100,000 (WHO, 2023). In 2023 Central Lombok police said crashes killing foreign tourists were rising, some of them riders without helmets, and signed an agreement making rental firms check licences and supply helmets. Ride only if you are licensed and insured, or hire a driver.

Nights out, theft and health

Most nightlife is on Gili Trawangan and in Kuta Lombok and Senggigi. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says reported rapes and sexual assaults are high in Bali and Lombok and that drink spiking linked to sexual assault has been reported on the Gilis. It also warns that methanol in counterfeit spirits has killed people in Indonesia, including drinks bought in licensed bars. Watch your drink being made, choose beer or sealed bottles, and go home with friends or a booked driver.

The FCDO names Bali, not Lombok, as Indonesia's bag-snatching hotspot. Use licensed money changers with a Bank Indonesia logo and QR code, and keep your card in sight.

Medical care is the weak point. The FCDO says Indonesian care can be poor and remote areas may offer no treatment for serious injuries. Rabies is present and tap water is not safe to drink. On the Gilis, water itself can run short: in September 2026 the provincial police trucked 15,000 litres of clean water to Gili Trawangan during the dry season. Carry insurance that covers evacuation to Bali or further.

How we scored it

Traffic safety (47) and natural hazards (48) are Lombok's weakest factors: national road deaths, the 2018 earthquakes and Rinjani's falls. Health (55) reflects thin care and evacuations to Bali. Violent crime (86) is the strongest factor, held below 90 by the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary's sexual assault warning, and confidence is low because the crime figures are national.