Batu Idung Hill – Lombok is famous for its mountain scenery, and lately one hill here has become especially popular: Bukit Batu Idung. It got the name from a rock at the summit that sticks out a little, like a nose (idung means nose). What makes the spot worth the trip is the view you get from the top.
The rows of hills across West Lombok are a treat for the eyes. Directly below, green rice fields lie in neat rows and make the whole scene hard to look away from. You can slot this hill into a single day’s itinerary together with the beaches nearby on a Lombok daily tour.
Read also: 9 Beautiful Hills on Lombok Island
Batu Idung Hill is not very high, which makes it a good fit for first-time hikers and even for children. There are already vendors at the top selling drinks and snacks, so you don’t have to haul everything up with you. The hill is always busy with young people waiting for the sunset, and from up there you can watch the sun go down over Laut Lembar (the sea off Lembar), and it is a beautiful sight. Half the fun is watching everyone queue up and take turns posing for photos on that rock.
Getting to the hill takes about an hour on the road from Mataram. It sits in the village of Gumise, Gerung, in West Lombok, which is why most of the people you meet here come from West Lombok and Mataram. The area is not properly managed yet, so there is no entrance ticket for the hill. You can leave your vehicle with the residents whose houses sit near the base and pay whatever you feel is fair for parking.
They have not set a fixed rate for it. The road out here is fairly quiet, winding and climbing most of the way. It is better not to come on your own, because both the drive and the view from the hill are much more fun shared with friends. If you do visit, please don’t leave your rubbish behind. Someone may look after the top of the hill, but that doesn’t mean we are free to do as we please. Keeping our tourist areas clean and pleasant is a responsibility we all share. Let’s start with ourselves in looking after our own destination, the island of Lombok.
