Selong Belanak Beach
A long crescent of soft sand with mellow beginner waves and rows of surf schools.
At a glance
- Entry fee
- A parking collection in cash. Lessons are separate: as a reference point rather than a market rate, one school on the beach, Doyock, publishes a one-hour first-timer session at IDR 250,000 per person and a two-hour beginner lesson at IDR 350,000. Bring cash for parking, food and the lesson.
- Opening hours
- No gate. Mornings are the better half of the day here, before wind and crowds.
- Time needed
- Half a day, or a full one if you take a lesson and stay for sunset.
About Selong Belanak Beach
Selong Belanak is where most people in south Lombok stand up on a surfboard for the first time. The bay is a wide, shallow crescent with a sandy bottom and no reef to fall on, and the wave arrives slow and already broken, which gives a beginner a long, forgiving ride and enough time to actually get to their feet rather than being pitched. The western end holds the softest whitewater. Sets reform further out for people who have progressed past the foam.
Surf schools work directly off the sand and there are a great many of them, which is good for choice and bad for peace. Prices are set by individual operators rather than any fixed tariff, so they vary and are negotiable. As a reference point rather than a market rate, one school on the beach, Doyock, publishes a one hour first-timer session at IDR 250,000 per person and a two hour beginner lesson at IDR 350,000 as of 2026. Agree the duration, the price and how many students each instructor is taking before you get in the water, because that last one makes more difference to a first lesson than anything else.
Non-surfers get a genuinely good beach out of the deal. The crescent is long enough to walk end to end, backed by green hills, with warungs and beanbags along the back of the sand and an open western horizon for sunset. Selong Belanak sits outside the Mandalika special economic zone boundary, so it has not seen the beach clearance and construction that reshaped Tanjung Aan in 2025, although the road in has quietly filled with new cafes and villas.
The bottom is sand, so reef shoes are unnecessary. Shallow is not the same as currentless, and you should not assume there is lifeguard cover.
Getting there
Selong Belanak is about a 25 to 30 minute drive west of Kuta on a winding but properly paved road, easiest by scooter, and straightforward by hired car or Grab. The route runs through several villages and over a rise that gives you a first look down onto the bay, which is worth stopping for. There is a parking area behind the beach with a small cash charge collected locally. From Lombok International Airport (LOP) allow around an hour, and note that the airport has only two international routes, to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, so most overseas visitors connect through Bali or Jakarta.
Best time
The dry season, roughly May to September, gives the cleanest, most reliable beginner conditions. Whatever the month, mornings are the window: the wind picks up through the day and the bay gets choppier and busier with it. Lessons run year round. Sunset here is unobstructed to the west, which makes late afternoon the second-best time to be on the sand even if you have stopped surfing by then.
Good to know
Agree the lesson price, the duration and the instructor-to-student ratio before you start, and check whether board rental is included afterwards or charged separately. A rash guard is worth more than sunscreen here, because two hours of paddling on a foam board rubs skin raw and the sun on this coast is fierce. Bring cash for parking, food and the lesson itself. The sandy bottom means you do not need reef shoes, but the bay is exposed enough that conditions change through the day, so if the whitewater looks bigger and faster than when you arrived, it probably is.
Things to do at Selong Belanak Beach
Take a beginner lesson
Mellow waves over a soft sand bottom and rows of surf schools along the back of the beach. This is one of the gentlest places in Indonesia to stand up for the first time.
Walk the crescent end to end
Long enough to be a proper walk, backed by green hills, with warungs and beanbags along the back of the sand.
Wear a rash guard, not sunscreen
Two hours of paddling on a foam board rubs skin raw, and the sun on this coast is fierce.
Stay for the sunset
The horizon here is open to the west, which not every south Lombok beach can say.
Selong Belanak Beach FAQs
Is Selong Belanak good for first-time surfers?+
It is one of the friendliest beginner waves in Lombok. The wave is slow, breaks well offshore and rolls in as whitewater over a sandy bottom, so there is no reef to fall on and plenty of time to pop up. Several schools operate directly off the beach with foam boards.
How much does a surf lesson cost at Selong Belanak?+
Prices are set by individual operators, not a fixed tariff, and are negotiable. As one published reference point, the Doyock school on the beach lists a one hour first-timer session at IDR 250,000 per person and a two hour beginner lesson at IDR 350,000 as of 2026. Confirm duration and group size before paying.
How far is Selong Belanak from Kuta Lombok?+
About 25 to 30 minutes by road heading west, on a winding but paved route. Most people ride a scooter or take a hired car or Grab.
Has Selong Belanak been affected by the Mandalika development?+
Not in the way Tanjung Aan has. Selong Belanak lies outside the Mandalika special economic zone boundary, so the 2025 beach clearance and hotel construction inside the zone did not apply here. The surrounding area has still seen steady growth in cafes and villas.
Can non-surfers enjoy the beach?+
Yes. It is a long, shallow crescent of white sand backed by hills, with warungs and beanbags and an open western view for sunset. Do not assume lifeguard cover, and remember that a shallow bay can still hold currents.
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