If you're planning a surf trip to Indonesia, sooner or later you'll probably face the question: Bali or Lombok? Our answer might be slightly biased, but it's also very simple. Why choose? Bali and Lombok sit next to each other, separated by the Lombok Strait, but a surf trip on each island can feel surprisingly different. In Canggu, you can wake up, walk or ride down to Batu Bolong and be surrounded by surf culture before you've properly finished your first coffee. In Kuta Lo

If you tell someone you're going surfing in Kuta Lombok, there is one thing worth knowing before you even start talking about waves: Kuta and Tanjung Aan are not the same place. Kuta is the main surf town on Lombok's south coast. It is where many travellers stay, where you'll find hotels, restaurants, surf shops and plenty of scooters with boards strapped to the side. Tanjung Aan is a beach and surf area further east along the coast, around 15 minutes from Kuta by car or scoo

If you arrive at Batu Bolong early in the morning, Canggu feels a little different. The road that will be packed with scooters a few hours later is still relatively quiet, the first warungs are opening and surfers are already standing at the edge of the black sand, watching the ocean before deciding where to paddle out. Beginners carry soft-top boards towards the water, more experienced surfers sit further outside, and somewhere between all of that, daily life in Bali simply

Ready to move beyond beginner whitewater? Learn when to start catching green waves, how to read the line-up and what you need to surf independently.

How many surf lessons does a beginner need? Discover what to expect from your first lessons, how surfers progress and when you may be ready to surf independently.

Not sure what surf level you are? Learn the difference between beginner, intermediate and advanced surfing and discover which skills to work on next.