Be sure to read the Special Notes further down this page for important requirements and restriction.

Your tour begins as you board your motorcoach and travel north along the island's western shore to Mataram City, the capitol of Lombok. En route, you'll spy heavily cultivated lowlands dotted with rice terraces and fruit, nut and spice plantations.

Your first stop is Sesela where you will quickly understand why the village is renowned for its ketak and cukli carvings. Ketak, a native shrub, was once used primarily for elegant household wares including rice baskets and fish traps. Ornamental cukli carvings consist of pieces of pearl shell affixed to the ketak wood. You'll be awestruck as the artisans carve masks and other decorative wall hangings, calligraphy, frames, lattice, animals, trees or storage boxes.

Next on your itinerary is Lingsar Temple, an important symbol of unity among the islands' faiths. Built in 1714, this Hindu shrine also welcomes Buddhists and Muslims worshippers. Many of the island's Sasak people adhere to Wekku Telu, a less orthodox form of Islam that has fused with native animist beliefs and practices. The northern, elevated part of the temple is the Hindu section, while the Wektu Telu worship in the southern section. Lingsar is famous for a pool of water in the Wektu Telu area, sacred to the deity Vishnu. The pool is home to eels that feed on hard-boiled eggs tossed to them by worshippers. Together with your guide, you'll venture inside the temple, and explore its outer buildings and purchase eggs from stalls outside the temple to feed the eels yourself.

Your next destination is Mayura Water Palace, an open-sided hall that sits in the middle artificial lake surrounded by groves of mangosteen trees. Built in 1744, the palace was once part of the holdings of the princes of Bali, who used it as a court of law and a meeting hall. In 1894, when the Balinese and Dutch colonizers fought for the control of Lombok, Mayura Water Palace was the location of some of the fiercest fighting. Although a few old Dutch cannons remain on the site, today the palace has once again become the quiet retreat that it was in the princes' day.

As sightseeing can work up an appetite, you'll stop at a hotel overlooking Senggigi Beach, a peaceful resort area for a delicious buffet of local specialties that may include chicken curry, beef pedang, prawns in dabu dabu sauce and mixed satay, as well as fresh fruit and black sticky rice pudding.

Before departing for the pier, you'll make a stop in Sukarare, a craft village especially prized for the quality of its songket, a colorful, hand-woven silk or cotton brocade often embellished with metallic fabrics. You'll be mesmerized at the weavers' unerring skill and patience as they create some of the brightest fabrics interwoven with intricate designs. You're free to shop around and take home a songket brocade or perhaps a sarong cloth before calling it a day.