Pink Beach Lombok and Pink Beach Komodo are two of the most famous pink beaches in Indonesia, and travellers often wonder which one to visit, or whether they are even different places. They are: one lies on the south-east coast of Lombok and is reached by road, the other lies on Komodo Island, inside a national park, and is reached by boat. Both owe their colour to the sea, both have clear water and both are beautiful, but the experience of visiting them is very different. This guide compares where they are, how to get there, why the sand is pink, the snorkelling and the crowds, and how to see both on one trip.
In short
- Pink Beach Lombok is in East Lombok, about two hours by road from Lombok’s airport.
- Pink Beach Komodo is on Komodo Island and is part of most liveaboard trips in the national park.
- In both places, red fragments from the sea mix with the white sand to give the pink colour.
- On the route from Lombok to Komodo by boat, you can see both on one trip.
Pink Beach Lombok vs Komodo at a glance
| Pink Beach Lombok | Pink Beach Komodo | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Sekaroh village, Jerowaru district, East Lombok | Komodo Island, Komodo National Park |
| How to get there | By road, about two hours from Lombok’s airport | By boat, on a liveaboard or a day trip from Labuan Bajo |
| Why it is pink | Red fragments from the sea mixed with white sand | Tiny red organisms called foraminifera mixed with white sand |
| Snorkelling | Possible, with gear rented locally | A reef a few strokes from the shore, gear on board |
| Nearby | The quiet south-east coast of Lombok | The Komodo dragons, Padar and Manta Point |
| Park fee | Not in a national park | Part of the Komodo National Park fee |
Both beaches are worth the journey. The choice depends less on the colour of the sand than on the rest of your trip: a road trip through Lombok, or a boat trip through Komodo.
Where is Pink Beach Lombok?
Pink Beach Lombok, called Pantai Pink in Indonesian, lies on the south-east tip of Lombok, in Sekaroh village in the Jerowaru district of East Lombok, according to Antara. It is a quiet corner of the island, far from the busier beaches of Kuta and Senggigi, with dry hills, small bays and views across the water.
The beach itself is a curve of pale pink sand between rocky headlands, with clear, shallow water in front. The pink is soft rather than bright, and it shows best where the waves wash over the sand and in the light of the morning and late afternoon.
The south-east of Lombok feels very different from the rest of the island. Instead of the green rice fields and the volcano of the north, you find dry hills, small fishing communities and a coast of bays and headlands. A visit to the beach is a good reason to explore this quieter side of Lombok, and the drive itself, past villages and viewpoints, is part of the experience.
Lombok is the island east of Bali, and many travellers combine it with the Gili islands or with a boat trip to Komodo. Our guide to 10 days in Indonesia shows a route through Bali, Lombok and Komodo.
Getting to Pink Beach Lombok
Pink Beach Lombok is reached by road. Antara described it as about 100 kilometres and around two hours’ drive from Lombok International Airport, with a final stretch on a rough, unpaved road at the time of its report. Roads change, so ask your driver or your hotel about the current conditions, and plan a full day for the trip.
Most visitors go with a driver or on a day tour from Kuta Lombok, Senggigi or Mataram. Local boatmen offer trips along the coast and to nearby snorkelling spots, and you can usually rent snorkelling gear there. Bring water, sun protection and some cash, because facilities near the beach are simple.
The south-east of Lombok is dry and hot for much of the year, so an early start is a good idea. You avoid the midday heat on the road, and you have the beach at its quietest in the soft morning light.
If you plan to combine the beach with the boat trip from Lombok to Komodo, keep the beach day separate from the day you board. The boats collect their guests in the morning, and a long drive to the south-east and back the day before is enough for most travellers. A night in Kuta Lombok after the beach day leaves you close to one of the pick-up areas.
Where is Pink Beach Komodo?
Pink Beach Komodo lies on Komodo Island, inside Komodo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991. There is no road: you arrive by boat, and the beach is a stop on almost every liveaboard trip in the park, usually on the same day as the dragons on Komodo Island and the climb on Padar.
The beach is a curve of pink sand between dry, golden hills, with a coral reef that starts a few metres from the shore. In August 2025, the travel company Explore Worldwide named it the most beautiful beach in the world, a sign of how special it is. Our full guide to Pink Beach Komodo covers the beach, the reef and the best time to go.
Because it is reached by boat, the experience is different from a beach on a road. You arrive from the sea, swim straight off the boat or the tender, and leave the beach as it was, with no buildings or stalls on the sand.
Why the sand is pink
Pink beaches are rare, and they always owe their colour to the sea. In Komodo, the pink comes from tiny red organisms called foraminifera, among them a species known as Homotrema rubrum, which live on the reef. When they die, their red shells break into small grains that mix with the white sand and give it a pink tone.
For Pink Beach Lombok, sources describe the colour in different ways: Antara credits red algae in the sea mixing with the white sand, while other reports mention fragments of red coral and shells. Whatever the exact mix, the principle is the same: red material from the reef and the sea, washed onto a white beach.
The pink shows best when the sand is wet and the light is low. In bright midday sun, both beaches can look paler than in photos; at the water’s edge, or in a handful of wet sand, you can see the tiny red grains among the white ones.
Snorkelling and swimming
Both beaches have clear water, but the snorkelling in Komodo is the bigger draw. At Pink Beach Komodo, the reef begins a few strokes from the shore, with colourful corals and plenty of fish, and on a liveaboard the snorkelling gear is on board, so you simply slip into the water.
At Pink Beach Lombok, the water in the bay is usually calm and good for a swim, and local boatmen can take you to snorkelling spots along the coast. Bring your own mask if you prefer, and ask about the current before you swim beyond the bay.
The reefs are what make the sand pink, so protecting them is in everyone’s interest. In both places, never stand on the coral, keep your fins away from the reef and follow the guide’s advice about where to swim. Our guide to responsible travel in Komodo explains how to snorkel without harming the reef.
Crowds and the best time of day
Pink Beach Komodo is on the route of most boats in the park, so it can be busy in the middle of the day in the high season, from July to August. On a liveaboard, the crew can sometimes plan the stop at a quieter hour, early or late, which is one of the advantages of sleeping on a boat in the park.
Pink Beach Lombok is far from the main tourist areas of Lombok, so it is often quieter, especially in the early morning. On both beaches, the early morning and the late afternoon give the softest light and the deepest pink.
Seeing both pink beaches on one trip
If you travel between Lombok and Komodo by boat, you can see both. On this site, three boats sail the route between Lombok and Labuan Bajo in four days and three nights: Alfathran 3, Lady Grace and Sukha Sail 1. They pick up their guests in Kuta, Senggigi or Bangsal and set sail from Kayangan Harbour on the east coast of Lombok.
Pink Beach Lombok is not a stop of these boats, but you can visit it on a day trip by road before you board, staying a night or two in Kuta Lombok. Then, on the third day of the boat trip, inside Komodo National Park, the boats stop at Pink Beach Komodo, together with the dragons and Padar. Our guide to the whale sharks in Saleh Bay covers another highlight of the same route.
The trips of 4 days and 3 nights page shows the boats on this route, with their stops, cabins, live prices and departures, in both directions.
Which pink beach should you choose?
Choose Pink Beach Lombok if you are already on Lombok, enjoy road trips and want a quiet beach without a national park fee. It fits well into a few days in the south of the island, with surf beaches and viewpoints nearby.
Choose Pink Beach Komodo if you want the pink sand as part of a bigger adventure: the dragons, the climb on Padar, the manta rays and the nights at anchor in quiet bays. It is the more famous of the two, and the reef just off the beach makes it a highlight for snorkellers. If you have the time, the boat route from Lombok lets you enjoy both.
Families with young children may find Komodo easier, because the boat brings everything to the beach and there is no long drive on rough roads. Independent travellers with a scooter or a driver and a free day on Lombok will enjoy the road trip to the south-east. And if you only have a few days in Indonesia, a trip of three days and two nights from Labuan Bajo gives you Komodo’s beach together with the dragons and Padar.
Photographing the pink
The colour that looks so strong in photos can be subtle in real life, and the camera needs a little help to show it. Shoot in the soft light of the early morning or late afternoon, when the low sun brings out the warm tones, and look for the wet sand at the water’s edge, where the colour is deepest. A polarising filter cuts the glare on the water and makes both the turquoise and the pink richer.
Height helps too. From a hill behind the beach, or from the deck of the boat as you arrive, the whole curve of the shore shows its colour against the sea. In Komodo National Park, drones need a permit and a daily fee, so check our guide to flying a drone in Komodo before you fly, or let the crew take the aerial shots. Our Komodo photography guide has more tips.
What to bring for the day
Whichever beach you visit, the basics are the same: swimwear, a towel, a hat, sunglasses and reef-friendly sunscreen, or better, a long-sleeved swim shirt. Bring a reusable bottle of water, because there is little shade on either beach, and a small bag for your rubbish.
For Lombok, add cash for parking, snacks and a local boat, and your own mask and snorkel if you prefer them to rented gear. For Komodo, the boat provides the snorkelling gear and the drinking water on most trips, so you only need your personal things. Our Komodo packing list covers the rest of the essentials for a trip on the water.
Keep the sand pink
Pink sand is fragile. The red grains come from a living reef, and if the reef suffers or visitors take the sand home, the colour fades. Never take sand, shells or coral from either beach, not even a small bottle as a souvenir.
Take all your rubbish with you, use a reef-friendly sunscreen or, better, a sun shirt, and stay off the coral when you snorkel. Our guide to plastic-free travel has simple ideas for keeping the beaches clean.
Our view
Pink Beach Lombok and Pink Beach Komodo are two sides of the same small miracle: red grains from the sea turning a white beach pink. Lombok’s is a quiet road-trip beach on a dry and peaceful coast; Komodo’s is the famous one, reached by boat and surrounded by dragons, hills and reefs. If you can, see both. If you can only choose one, let the rest of your trip decide.
Two islands, two pink beaches, one secret: the colour always comes from the sea.
Want to see Pink Beach Komodo? It is a stop on most sharing trips in the park. Compare the boats, their routes and their live prices, from Labuan Bajo or from Lombok.
Questions
Is Pink Beach Lombok the same as Pink Beach Komodo?
No. Pink Beach Lombok is in East Lombok and reached by road; Pink Beach Komodo is on Komodo Island and reached by boat.
How do I get to Pink Beach Lombok?
By road, about two hours from Lombok International Airport, usually with a driver or on a day tour from Kuta Lombok.
Which pink beach is more beautiful?
Both are lovely. Komodo’s is more famous and has a reef just off the shore; Lombok’s is often quieter.
Can I see both on one trip?
Yes. Visit Pink Beach Lombok by road, then take a boat from Lombok to Labuan Bajo, which stops at Pink Beach Komodo.
Why is the sand pink?
Red material from the sea, such as tiny red foraminifera or fragments of red coral, mixes with the white sand.
Do I need to pay a park fee for Pink Beach Komodo?
Yes, it is inside Komodo National Park. On a liveaboard, the park fee is added to your booking.
When is the best time to visit a pink beach?
Early morning or late afternoon, when the light is soft and the pink looks deepest, and before the midday crowds.
Can I snorkel at Pink Beach Lombok?
Yes, in the calm water of the bay, and local boatmen can take you to other spots along the coast. Bring your own mask if you prefer it to rented gear.
Can I take some pink sand home?
No. Leave the sand, shells and coral where they are, on both beaches, so the colour lasts for the visitors who come after you.
How long do boats stay at Pink Beach Komodo?
It depends on the boat and the day’s schedule, but most trips leave time for a swim and a snorkel on the reef off the beach.
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