November vs June

Worth considering

Wet season arrival — Rinjani closes, prices plummet, and the island empties.

• ↑November is the deepest value month on Lombok: accommodation prices on the Gilis and in Kuta Lombok are at their annual floor, and the restaurants and dive shops are desperate for business. A committed traveller can stay on Gili Air for prices that are genuinely remarkable.
• ↑The interior of Lombok in early wet season is extraordinarily beautiful: rice paddies flooded and reflecting sky, waterfalls at Tiu Kelep and Sindang Gila (near Senaru, on the Rinjani lower slope) roaring with monsoon volume, and the agricultural landscape at its most dramatic.

Best match

Peak dry season perfection — Rinjani, Gilis, and south coast all at their best before crowds arrive.

• ↑June is the finest weather Lombok produces: 9.1 sunshine hours, 29mm of rain, and lower humidity than May. The Rinjani crater lake is accessible from the crater rim by a steep descent — camping beside the hot springs at Segara Anak Lake (2,000m altitude, with Rinjani's perfect cone reflected in the water) is one of the most spectacular campsites in Indonesia.
• ↑The Gili Islands in June offer snorkelling and diving conditions that rival the Maldives at a fraction of the cost: flat water, extraordinary visibility, and turtle encounters on almost every dive. The no-motorised-vehicle policy on all three Gilis means the only sounds are birdsong, cicadas, and the call to prayer from the mosque on Gili Meno.