Tangsi Beach (Pantai Pink) is a beautiful place to visit in Lombok. Pink Beach can be reached by boat from the harbour beside Tanjung Luar Fish Market, this makes the most beautiful day trip.
Our second day day in Lombok and we were up before dawn, the haunting sound of the sunrise call to prayers from a village mosque hung in the air. Our hosts at the Rijani Beach Eco Resort obligingly offered us Lombok coffee and tropical fruit for a hasty breakfast served by the night watchman.
By prior arrangement (sourced from contacts on social media), our local guide Eka Senggigi picked us up in a large smart car, for a day out to the east coast of Lombok, and hire a boat over to Pink Beach.
Watching the fascinating landscape slip by, we were driven past rice fields, down the west coast, through Monkey Forest, inland through typical villages and towns, far away from the usual tourist spots. Lombok has some of the best surf beaches in the world, but this is further down the coast on the south west tip of the island. In contrast, the sheltered waters around ‘Pink Beach’ are generally calm and great for snorkelling.
We arrived at the early morning Tanjung Luar fish market, a singular place, not for the faint-hearted, but interesting just the same. Fisherwomen were selling baskets of freshly caught fish and seafood, including large prawns!
The main attraction, the night’s haul of small sharks is quite astonishing; the heavy sharks are brought ashore between several men into a central yard where they are sliced and auctioned.
In another vast open shed the scene was even more extraordinary, with flames and smoke emanating from what was, in fact, a fish preserving factory; fresh fish are smoked and salted by traditional methods.
A group of young women workers were sat on their haunches on the dirt floor, eating rice cakes for breakfast which they amicably offered to share with me…but I just chatted awhile and sauntered off taking photos as usual.
Eka had meanwhile bought some succulent fresh fish to take with us for lunch. He introduced us to the boatman aboard a longtail boat in the harbour, and we were away, gliding across the incredible calm turquoise sea.
We passed little desert islands in an unspoiled area totally off the tourist track (although there’s talk of a multinational hotel chain interested in developing a luxury resort) where the way of life depends on the sea.
Our boat drifted to a halt beside a circular sand bank, proudly described as the smallest ‘island’ in Lombok, and there in the middle was a lovely big starfish…the scene films are made of!
Further on we stopped for some snorkeling in the calm turquoise sea, and then carried straight on to remote Tangsi Beach, the fabulous Pantai Pink! A difficult place to access by land, tracks are hard to negotiate and it’s a long way round the West Nusa Tenggara peninsula to get there.
It’s much quicker, and exciting, to arrive by private boat. A small thatched roof stall, an improvised beach bar was serving fresh young coconut, a favourite refreshing drink.
We left Tangsi behind and sailed around the bay to a hidden beach, which we had all to ourselves! A mixture of powdery white sand mixed with finely crushed red coral give the beaches that incredible pink hue.
Our boatman grilled the fresh fish for us, and meanwhile we strolled, took photos and swam…then ate the barbecued fish under the shade of a tree.
Regretfully leaving the pale pink sands behind, the boat took us to coral reefs for some marvellous snorkeling among coloured fish, before eventually making our way back to Tanjung Luar harbour.
We stopped off at a craft centre on the way back to our beach cabin resort, to see traditional artisans weaving beautiful fabrics. Our guide Eka gave us an amazing insight on local culture and customs, suggesting on places to see and advice on the best things to do in Lombok. Returning in the car, we passed roadside stalls selling grilled corn on the cob, so we stopped grabbed a bite to eat.
Juan and I got back fairly late, but just in time to join a surprise party at the Rinjani eco lodge. As the owners were over for only a few days, they had invited their friends, guests, and the staff with their families, to an authentic Indonesian buffet feast. Just the type of evening you’d dream of, with a guy from Sumatra playing guitar and singing ballads, a dozen or so people of different nationalities chatting and joining in the fun with the breeze of the warm tropical night and backdrop of lush foliage, enjoying tantalizing, tasty Indonesian food and sipping cool lager!
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