Lombok is an island next to Bali with many beautiful beaches along its coasts and among them is the very unique Tangsi Beach. It used to be a fishing village, but now the beach is getting popular among domestic and international tourists because of its phenomenon that can rarely be found in other beaches. People come here to swim, snorkel or simply enjoy the views of the sea. Some also ride a boat to nearby small islands. The water here is calm, so it is safe for swimming and snorkeling.
Pink beach due to dead corals
Located on the eastern part of Lombok island, Tangsi beach is one of the three beaches in Asia and 10 known beaches in the world with pink sand. Two beaches are known to be in Greece, one in Italy, one in Bermuda, one in the Bahamas, two in the Caribbean, one in the Philippines and two in Indonesia (the other one is on the island of Flores).
You may wonder why the sand is pink. The sand is no different from those of other beaches, which are white. However, at beaches like Tangsi, the incoming sea water often bring millions of dead red coral fragments from the seabed. When the fragments get to the beach, they blend with the sand and gives the beach a pinkish hue. Mother Nature’s work of art is indeed phenomenal!
Hike the cliff for better views
Thinking about enjoying the sea’s beauty from a cliff? You can do it here. Tangsi is one of the cliffy and hilly beaches with some ‘berugaks’ (i.e. an open bungalow with thatched roof and pillars, which is the traditional house of the local tribe of the island) built on the cliff where visitors can enjoy the view of the open sea. The cliff is very easy to climb. You don’t need a rope and safety equipment. Simply hike from the east of the cliff, where the pathway isn’t steep. It takes less than 30 minutes to get to the top of the cliff.
Meet local shepherds and their goats
On the west of the beach, there is a green hill where some locals herding their goats everyday. You will see how the goats graze grasses and leafy plants that grow on the hill. They normally take their cattle to the hill in the morning before 12pm, prior to having lunch. Make sure you arrive at the beach before noon in order not to miss this opportunity. This might be something that you do not normally see in your home country. Take as many pictures as you like for free. The villagers are really nice people. They will let you get close to the goats and watch them eat. They will also be very happy to have some photo sessions with tourists!
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Ride a boat to nearby islands
During your visit, you will see several motor boats floating on the water. These boats take visitors to some nearby ‘gilis’, which is a local term for small islands. Each boat can take up to 10 people and it costs 21 USD for approximately one-hour ride. Among the small islands, Gili Petelu is most popular, as the corals and some colorful fishes in the water near the island can be seen from your boat. Bring your snorkeling equipment (you can rent these from Mataram city) and immerse in the wonders of underwater world. The water around the area is pretty quiet with only small waves, which is perfect for snorkeling and swimming.
Minimum infrastructure
Despite the increasing number of tourists due to Tangsi beach being one of the world’s very few pink beaches, the infrastructure is still very basic. Around the beach, you will find some hawkers selling cold drinks (mostly coke and local iced tea), but there is no restaurants around. So bring your food supplies if you want to stay longer here.
The road to the beach has been asphalted since tourism began to take place a few years ago, but unfortunately, the road is badly damaged because of poor maintenance. The road gets narrower when you get closer to the beach and you have to share it with some motorists. It is only 50 km from Lombok’s capital city of Mataram, but it can take up to 2 hours to get to the beach. You may do so by using a rental car from the city (be prepared for a bumpy ride).
Now is the best time to go
Tangsi beach is very tranquil. Not too many people go there yet. This is one of its attractive features. Now is the best time to visit because when the beach gets more crowded with visitors in the future, tranquility will likely to be lost forever.
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