21-28oC

Shopping

Shopping can be a fun way to pass some time in Lombok, whether you are after antiques or more contemporary crafts and whether you pefer to shop in bustling markets or small, specialized shop. Lombok’s shops are fewer than Bali but no less enticing: 

  • Senggigi is a great centre for the crafts of Lombok as well as the islands further east. The real pleasure on Lombok is visiting the craft villages in the centre of the island where pottery, basketware, woodcarving and textiles are local specialties. 
  • An excellent one-stop shopping spot is the Lombok Handicraft Centre, just beyond the Jangkok River about 2 km north of Cakranegara along Jalan Hasanuddin at Rungkang Jangkok, Sayang – Sayang Village. 
  • The village of Banyumulek, 10 km south of the city, is one of the three main pottery centre on the island, stretching west of the main road to Lembar. The full variety of earthenware goods is on offer; large vases are much in evidence, many engraved or covered with textiles and there is no shortage of the brightly colour, textured finishes currently in fashion. Come in the morning if you want to see the potters working. This is one of the villages involved in the Lombok Craft Project. 
  • The weaving village of Sukarara,  45 minutes drive from Banyumulek or approximately 1 hour drive from the city limit, has some enormous showrooms offering the widest range of textiles that you will find on Lombok. The weavers begin learning from the age of 7 and take many years to master the huge number of designs, which they weave from memory. Local girls gave to be skilled at weaving in order to be considered marriageable; men do not weave as it believed it will make them sterile.
    A hand weaving sarong and scarf set can take anywhere from a month to more than three months to weave, depending on the thread and quality and the weavers receives a percentage of the price when it is sold. Look out for the traditional lumbung barn designs as well as the “primitive” figures. There are also a few small shops in the village which have a more relaxed feel to them. 
  • Another increasingly popular souvenir in Lombok is a string of pearls. There are several pearl farms dotted around the coastline and many of the pearls find their way into the shops in Ampenan and Mataram. They are sold by weight and come in a variety of sizes and shapes as well as colour; a side from the many natural hues, there are a few unnatural colours  created afterwards (brilliant yellow, green or purple pearls may not take your fancy).