Introduction
Lombok is Bali's unspoiled, unhurried neighbour and remains far less visited than the islands to the west - despite its white-sand beaches, epic surf and spectacular diving.
Those who go are normally drawn by the colourful coral reefs that ring the nearby Gili Islands, or the steep volcanic slopes and dazzling crater lake of Gunung Rinjani, Indonesia's second-highest volcano.
Yet there are greater differences between Bali and Lombok than the number of visitors each island receives. Cross the Lombok Strait and you pass through the Wallace Line, an ecological boundary where the lush jungle greens of South East Asia begin to give way to the browner hues and arid savannahs of Australasia.
Culturally too, Lombok differs from predominantly Hindu Bali. Almost 90 per cent of the people are Sasak, and while virtually all Sasaks are Muslims, many hold on to animist traditions and ancient rituals that govern birth, circumcision, courtship and marriage.
