Lombok has many beautiful beaches but not many of them have a combination of white sand, turquoise water, palm trees, sunbeds and warungs made of bamboo, water activities and is still uncrowded. I’m talking about Tanjung Aan Beach, the best beach in Lombok.

Michal and I spent several weeks on Lombok Island and visited 12 beaches on this gorgeous island. We enjoyed our time the most at Mawun Beach, Tampah Beach, and Pink Beach but the absolute favourite was Tanjung Aan Beach near Kuta.

The little surf town Kuta on the south of Lombok is the usual base for travellers visiting Lombok. Kuta has a wide variety of accommodations and restaurants but still keeps its local charm untouched by mass tourism. Forget about chain hotels or congestions on roads. Lombok is still a quiet paradise.

For more info about how to get to Kuta, accommodation costs, and activities, read our post Travel guide to Kuta.

Now let’s talk about the paradise called Tanjung Aan Beach.

colours of Tanjung Aan Beach

Where is Tanjung Aan Beach

The most beautiful beach in Lombok and the closest to Kuta is Tanjung Aan Beach. It’s located east of Kuta in West Nusa Tenggara. It’s only 15 minutes ride by scooter on a paved road from Kuta. Even though there’s no road sign where exactly to turn for Tanjung Aan Beach, friendly locals always pointed us in the right direction.

You also take the same turn when visiting Bukit Merese Hill, a very popular sunset spot where locals sell beers and coconuts.

The nice paved road leading to Tanjung Aan Beach becomes a dirt road with potholes. If you’re a beginner on the scooter, it might take you a little while but I promise the ride is worth it. There is a new roundabout and the improvements on the roads are still in progress.

We rented a scooter for 50,000 IDR/day (3.50 USD) at our guesthouse and everyone in Kuta has the same price for a rental. If you’re worried about driving a scooter, you can ask a local driver for a ride, which usually costs around 500,000 IDR/day (35 USD). Your accommodation can help you out finding transport.

Warungs at Tanjung Aan Beach

Entrance fee to Tanjung Aan Beach

As you enter the area of Tanjung Aan Beach, there are usually locals who charge 10,000 IDR (0.70 USD) per scooter (and will also give you a receipt).

We found out from an expat living in Kuta that they use the money to either clean the beaches or provide shaded parking spots. For efforts like these, I would happily pay more. As you see in Lombok, this is nothing new and all the beaches around Kuta have an entrance/parking fee.

After paying the fee you can choose your parking spot wherever you like. Tanjung Aan Beach consists of two bays and most people hang around the first one.

Amenities at Tanjung Aan Beach

The beach is lined with many warungs (small eateries) offering cooked food for lunch or fresh fruit. The staple in Indonesian cuisine, Nasi Goreng which is fried rice with egg or meat, costs 20,000 IDR (1.40 USD). It’s a very budget-friendly price for a fulfilling and delicious local meal.

I enjoy coconuts the most. They are refreshing, full of delicious water and usually, the pulp fills me up as well.

There are plenty of sunbeds and umbrellas which were included with our lunch at the warung. Swings (free to use) are also popular among visitors, especially during the low tide when you can actually swing without being submerged in the water.

Unlike other beaches, this one has toilets as well. I didn’t have to pay any fee but there most likely is one when all the toilets are working properly.

The quiet local vibe of the Tanjung Aan Beach is probably going to change in the next few years. There’s already construction of a big hotel very close to the beach. So visit as soon as possible!

Things to do at Tanjung Aan Beach

Surfing

Tanjung Aan Beach is an ideal spot for beginners and intermediate surfers. We are beginners and therefore went surfing with Whatsup? Lombok surf school. We met at their shop at Kuta Beach in the morning and then drove to Tanjung Aan Beach where we hopped on a boat that took us a few hundred meters from the shore.

Surfing at Tanjung Aan Beach

There’s also another spot for surfing beginners called Gerupuk where most surf schools take beginners. The surf school’s owner explained to us that Gerupuk is very crowded with beginners and when some instructors don’t provide enough guidance, it gets quite dangerous to surf there.

Several locals confirmed that Tanjung Aan Beach is the best place for surfing beginners. You can read about our surfing experience here.

If you’re an experienced surfer, read our post about surf spots in Lombok, a breakdown of 5 surf spots.

Stand up paddleboarding

While you can go for a SUP session at Kuta Beach (when the tide is high enough), you can’t beat the views of the Tanjung Aan Beach. You can rent a stand-up paddleboard directly at the beach for 100,000 IDR (7 USD) per hour. I wish I had the strength for SUP after the surf session but my arms were about to fall off, so hopefully next time.

Boats at Tanjung Aan Beach

READ NEXT:
For a full list of 12 beaches in Lombok, including pink and black sand beaches, read our post Best (and worst) beaches in Lombok

Swimming

Since all the surfers are far enough for their surf session, you can swim undisturbed in the beautiful turquoise water. Some beaches around Kuta have shallow waters and are not ideal for swimming because you can cut yourself on the reef. We found that Tanjung Aan Beach is perfect for swimming and you can clearly see the reefs and avoid them.

Relaxing

That’s what most people do on the beach. Lying on the beach all day is not for us, so we’re mostly mentioning things to do at Tanjung Aan Beach for active travellers. When you’re wiped out from the surf session, fuel up at the warung and relax in the bamboo shacks.

Swing at Tanjung Aan Beach

Beach walk to the Tanjung Aan Beach viewpoint

There is a small hill between the two bays of Tanjung Aan beach. You get nice panoramic views of the beach and the ocean from there.

Beach run

If you arrive early enough not to be fried under the Indonesian sun, the sand at Tanjung Aan Beach is compact for a nice barefoot beach run. It’s about 2 km long with the most stunning views along the way.

The only other beach good for running would be Selong Belanak Beach but because it’s overcrowded, I’m not recommending you to visit and rather go to Tanjung Aan.

Have I convinced you to visit Tanjung Aan Beach? Yeah, I think so. As you can see, it’s easy to spend several days here just enjoying the ocean and the views.

What to do next?

After almost 3 weeks spent on Lombok Island, we’ve seen all highlights but there’s still more left.

If you’re limited with time and only have one week, go to Kuta, explore nearby beaches and then I recommend central Lombok to see waterfalls in the jungle. For beach lovers, book a snorkelling day trip to Gili Islands. We spent several days on Gili Air and had a blast.

If you have 2 weeks, we have a detailed itinerary for an active trip around Lombok Island. It’s filled with water activities, beaches, rainforest walks and waterfalls and includes hiking up the active Rinjani volcano, one of the highlights of Lombok.

Guided tours in Lombok

This is an extensive list of activities around Lombok Island, that covers it all – beaches, snorkelling, waterfalls, and culture.

 

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Β Have you seen a more beautiful beach in Indonesia than Tanjung Aan Beach? Let us know in the comments below, we’d love to visit.


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About Maya Steiningerova

Heyo, I’m Maya! An adventure athlete currently living near the Canadian Rockies with my partner in crime Michal. I love running in the mountains, jumping in the ice cold lakes, mountain biking and trying not so common activities, such as mountaineering. By showing that an ordinary person can live an extraordinary life, my hope is to inspire you to live an adventurous life and provide you with tips and tools for your own adventure.

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