Surfing Indo On A Shoestring

How original… a good ol’ fashioned surf trip to Indonesia.

The naysayers will say it’s overdone, unoriginal, and overcooked. And while they’re right in asserting it’s popularity, the naysayers won’t be lucking into some of the better waves our little blue ball has to offer.

Yes Indo’s popular, but that’s because its bloody good. If you want to score waves, proper waves, then you go to Indo. And thankfully it’s not about to stop pumping anytime soon.  

Today, it’s far-removed from it’s less ventured origins, but the breadth of Indo’s waves will continue to entice your backpackers to your Dane Reynolds until the Earth stops spinning. 

The expanse of Indo can’t be surmised in a quick one minute IG hit or a brief online article, but since World Surfaris is having an early bird special on trips, we figured we best conjure up three Indonesian exemplars.

Waves for kooks people who surf like me, the pig-dogging adept, and your CT stars. A spot for the bloke who’s a few weeks late on rent, and zones for someone with a little extra coin to drop.

To be precise, G-Land, Mentawais, Sumbawa.

Our second article in this mini-series covers Lakey Peak Haven. A cheaper joint in Indo, but don’t go correlating cost with wave quality – in this case, they’re inversely related.   

Jamie Krups sampling some Sumbawan sweets.

This isn’t the sort of dirt cheap joint that charges by the hour. It’s homely, and be real, you’re hear to go surfing anyway, not to impress your partner with how far your cash flys.

On another note, Sumbawa is like Bali was a few decades ago. So if you’re a nostalgic soul, it’s worthwhile in its own right. 

Getting there

4620 kilometres from Sydney to Denpasar with around five flights running per day. One you land in Bali, you’ll need to cop another short flight over to Sumbawa. This’ll cost around $100 if you fly cheap. But if you want to save on added baggage charges, we recommend flying Garuda where they throw it in for free. 

Getting around

You can walk to Lakey Peak and Pipe from the hotel. If you want to surf elsewhere, simply get a private transfer, ride a pushy, or get on a motorbike (but these aren’t covered under insurance). 

Price of accomodation

It’s around $100-$150 a night but you’re always best booking a package deal.

Eight rooms total, 26 surfer max, all with private bathrooms, air-con throughout, a view of the waves, views of the pool, and a TV when you’re feeling lazy. It’s cheap, but far from ‘cheaping out’.

Trust me, we’d rather be sitting here than simply writing about it.

Waves

There’s nine spots within 20-minutes of the accomodation: Lakey Peak, Lakey Pipe, Periscopes,  Nunngas, Cobble Stones, Nunga Doro’s and other novelties

Lakey Peak picks up the most swell of the main spots, but the waves will vary in their shapes depending on the tides and the swell direction. If it’s too big, there’s a few protected zones. And if you hate crowds (who the fuck doesn’t?) sacrifice a slither of quality to slide along a more uncrowded peak.

If Lakey Peak is somehow flat, then Nunga Doro’s is a friendly spot that sucks in and augments even the smallest swells. It’s a bit on the novelty sides

You’ll cop waves all year round, but you’re best around May till August.

Meals and other essentials

Lakey Peak Haven has it’s own restaurant which provides breakfast, lunch, and dinner – meat, seafood, veggies, whatever you need. They have their own vegetable garden and also provide a range of seasonal smoothies.

Meals are around $5-15 Australian, but brekky is already included included in your cost; so ensure you fill up before you head out to surf in the morning, or get back in time if you’re an early riser.

And if you want to venture beyond the in house restaurant, the best warung in town is a short walk away. 

Flat days

You can go fishing, kiteboarding, snorkelling, SUPing (if you’re that way inclined) on days you’re still keen to get wet.

Contrarily, if sight-seeing is up your alley, then there’s hot water springs as well as Japanese WWII relics nearby. Or if you’re less into guided sights, you can always trip around on a hire bike by yourself. 

Lakey Peak Haven itself is also decked out: swimming pool, volleyball, badminton, basketball court, darts and a myriad of DVD’s – a welcomed break from Netflix. 

After Dark

The local community is mainly Muslims – who aren’t exactly known for late night debauchery. There is a small and grimy town, Dompu, about an hour drive away, but it’s not thriving by any standards – picture Maroubra junction on a Tuesday night. It’s more of a day time activity if you’re really stinging.

If you want to surf hungover, you’re best off inebriating yourself at the bar at the haven too. They have plenty of beers, but you’ll need to bring your own spirits.

Noteworthy tips

It’s worthy investing in some anti-malarial tablets and mozzie spray, it’s not rife, and the risk is low-ish, but better safe than sorry.

Best to buy a pre-paid simcard while you’re there; there’s not a tonne of internet so you’re better off hotspotting from your phone on the 3G than slogging it out on dial-up-like wifi.

Go to Dompu before heading to Lakey Peak. There’s no ATM’s in Lakey, so grab all the cash and supplies you need before you slide on in.

Don’t be dumb, bring your own boards – two or three. You can hire boards, but they’ll be torched, so bring a small quiver along, something if it’s small, and may two boards for when you think you’ll be knifing tubes or setting a heavy rail.

World Surfaris is currently offering their early bird – hefty – discount, but it runs out very soon! So quit wasting the precious, little time you have left on this planet and slide over to their site, talk dates, and lock yourself wherever you please. It might be our favoured options above, or perhaps there’s another corner of Indo (or the globe) where your surf-trotting desires lie. 

Head here and peruse.