Asik Travel
Whale Shark Snorkelling, Saleh Bay
1 day
- Snorkel with whale sharks at dawn
- Fishing platforms in Saleh Bay
- The best value wildlife trip on the island
$50 per person
Book this trip
West Nusa Tenggara
Tours in Sumbawa
Sumbawa is the large, dry island between Lombok and Flores that most travellers fly over. Surfers know it for Lakey Peak and Scar Reef. Almost everyone else misses it, which is a shame, because Saleh Bay has a resident whale shark population you can snorkel with for around $50, Moyo Island has waterfalls and reef, and Tambora, whose 1815 eruption was the largest in recorded history and cooled the entire planet, can be climbed.
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What Sumbawa is actually good for
Whale sharks in Saleh Bay
Whale sharks gather around fishing platforms in the bay and can be snorkelled with in the early morning. At roughly $50 this is one of the cheapest whale shark experiences in Indonesia.
Moyo Island
A small island off the north coast with tiered waterfalls, swimming holes and reef offshore. It has a luxury resort at one end and almost nothing at the other.
Mount Tambora
The 1815 eruption was the most powerful in recorded history and caused the year without a summer across the northern hemisphere. The crater is enormous and the trek to the rim takes a couple of days.
Surf breaks with room to breathe
Lakey Peak, Scar Reef and Yoyos draw a committed crowd but nothing like the numbers on Bali. This is where people go when Bali's line-ups get too full.
Empty coast
Long stretches of the south and east coasts have no development at all. If your idea of a good beach is one with nobody on it, Sumbawa delivers repeatedly.
When to go
April to October is the dry season and the best window overall. Whale sharks in Saleh Bay are most reliably seen in the calmer months, and the surf season on the south coast runs roughly April to September.
Getting there
Fly into Bima in the east or Sumbawa Besar in the west, or take the ferry from Lombok to Poto Tano, which is the common overland route. The island is large and travel across it takes hours, so pick a coast rather than trying to see all of it.
What it costs
Inexpensive by Indonesian standards outside the surf resorts. The whale shark trip at around $50 is the single best value experience on the island.
Worth knowing first
- Sumbawa is big and transport is slow. Do not plan Saleh Bay, Lakey Peak and Tambora in one short trip.
- It is a conservative, predominantly Muslim island. Dress modestly away from the surf and resort areas.
- Whale shark encounters happen very early. A dawn start is not optional.
- The ferry from Lombok is cheap but slow, and connections onward are not always same-day.
Sumbawa questions people actually ask
Can you really snorkel with whale sharks in Sumbawa?
Yes, in Saleh Bay, where whale sharks gather around fishing platforms called bagan. Trips run at dawn and cost around $50, which is considerably less than comparable encounters elsewhere in Indonesia. They are wild animals, so no operator can guarantee a sighting.
Is Sumbawa worth visiting if I do not surf?
Yes. The whale sharks, Moyo Island and Tambora have nothing to do with surfing. Sumbawa's reputation as a surf island undersells the rest of it.
How hard is the Tambora trek?
It is a multi-day trek to the crater rim rather than a day hike, and you need a guide and camping equipment. The reward is the scale of the caldera left by the largest eruption in recorded history.
How do I get to Sumbawa from Lombok?
The ferry from Kayangan on eastern Lombok to Poto Tano on Sumbawa is the standard route, and it is cheap. Allow most of a day including the road journeys either side, and do not count on an onward connection the same evening.
Elsewhere in Indonesia
Photographs by Asik Travel.
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