What's on in Lombok (Gili), Indonesia through the year

Busy — Year-end break in Indonesia, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

• Closure

  Rinjani trails closed

  1 Jan – 31 Mar

  The park office shuts all six routes up the volcano for the wettest quarter every year, on landslide and lightning grounds, and reopens them in April. Permits stop being issued in late December. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Bau Nyale, Ramadan and Lebaran

• Festival

  Bau Nyale

  1 Feb – 15 Mar · usuallyMajor festivalCrowded

  Sasak villages camp overnight on the south-coast beaches to catch the sea worms that spawn on one night set by the traditional calendar. Kuta and Seger fill with tens of thousands of people. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Ramadan and Lebaran

  5 Feb – 25 Apr · usuallyRamadan & EidClosuresCrowded

  Lombok is one of the more observant corners of Indonesia and daytime eating options thin right out during the fast. The Lebaran week that follows is the busiest domestic travel of the year. Source ↗

Still on: Rinjani trails closed (1 Jan – 31 Mar)

Peak crowds — Bau Nyale, Ramadan and Lebaran

• Closure

  Nyepi stops the Bali boats

  19–20 Mar

  Lombok keeps working, but Bali shuts for twenty-four hours and nothing flies or sails between them. The Hindu quarter of Mataram runs its own ogoh-ogoh parade the night before. Source ↗

Still on: Rinjani trails closed (1 Jan – 31 Mar), Bau Nyale (1 Feb – 15 Mar (usually)), Ramadan and Lebaran (5 Feb – 25 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — Ramadan and Lebaran, Dry season

• Season

  South coast surf season

  1 Apr – 31 Oct · usually

  Dry-season trade winds blow offshore onto the bays around Kuta and Desert Point, and the swell is at its most consistent. Also when the road down from Mataram is at its busiest.

• Season

  Dry season

  15 Apr – 15 Oct · usuallyCrowded

  Rinjani reopens, the south-coast tracks are passable and the crossings to the Gilis are calm. The island turns brown rather than green, which is the trade-off for the settled weather.

Still on: Ramadan and Lebaran (5 Feb – 25 Apr (usually)), Nyepi stops the Bali boats (19–20 Mar)

Busy — Dry season, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: South coast surf season (1 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), Dry season (15 Apr – 15 Oct (usually))

Peak crowds — Dry season, Mid-year break in Indonesia

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: South coast surf season (1 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), Dry season (15 Apr – 15 Oct (usually))

Peak crowds — Dry season, Mid-year break in Indonesia

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: South coast surf season (1 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), Dry season (15 Apr – 15 Oct (usually))

Busy — Dry season, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: South coast surf season (1 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), Dry season (15 Apr – 15 Oct (usually))

Busy — Dry season, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: South coast surf season (1 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), Dry season (15 Apr – 15 Oct (usually))

Busy — Dry season, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: South coast surf season (1 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)), Dry season (15 Apr – 15 Oct (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in November.

Busy — Year-end break in Indonesia, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in December.