'A DREAM WEEK IN KERTASARI & WEST SUMBAWA
- AN ITINERARY'
As of December 2025
What would we do, which places we would explore, what adventures we wouldn't miss, for when our friends and family come visit?
Behold, below is our dream itinerary for staying in the area for a week or so. All tried, tested, always loved. You do what you will with it, mix and match, take sum, leave sum. For your pleasure:
Day 1 – Arrival in Kertasari
Arrive in Kertasari, settle into your accommodation (see our recos at the end of the article) and get oriented.
Swim or snorkel straight from the house reef in front of our dive shop. Vibrant corals and fish 30 meters into the ocean.
Sunset drinks and dinner at Kertasari Lodge for what we consider the best sunset spot in West Sumbawa (after our beach front of course! ;) ).
Day 2 – Diving Kertasari sites & sunset surf
Morning scuba diving adventure at local Kertasari sites: manta point, shark point, anemone garden. Lush, healthy reefs and a lovely morning in and on the water.
Afternoon surf session at Dirty Hippies, Middle Reef or Northern Rights. All next to each other at Moro Bay.
Optional sport massage in the village to recover from the day.
Day 3 – Poto Tano diving day
Early start for a half a day dive exploration in Poto Tano. Different topography and marine life, excellent visibility. One of the liveliest reefs we've seen in Indonesia.
Return to Kertasari for sunset surf or a relaxed evening and dinner at Living on Air, and their green palm grove restaurant.
Scroll down for rest of the itinerary...
Day 4 – Coral nursery, yoga & Taco Tuesday
Morning spent at the coral nursery on the house reef: help tend and plant baby corals.
Afternoon free:
Yoga session at Whales & Waves, or
Snorkeling, freediving, or simply chilling on one of the numerous white beaches in the area.
Evening: Taco Tuesday & Latino beats at the dive shop beach restaurant.
Day 5 – Jungle Trek to Agal waterfall (Marente village)
Full-day jungle adventure to Agal waterfall, one of the highest in Indonesia.
Approx. 1.5 hours driving to Marente. Another 1,5 h trekking each way, following the river deep into rainforest. Monkeys, wild pigs, jumping over river rocks. Thousands of butterflies. Also creepy crawlies, you are in the jungle, remember!
On the way back, golden hour in Marente Village as pink skies glow over green rice fields. Truly one of the most beautiful sights we've experienced here in the northern parts of West Sumbawa. Slowly and quietly scoot your way back to Kertasari and enjoy the views.
Return to Kertasari for the night. Enjoy a dinner at Bukit Samudra, and if you get lucky, they have their live music night on the agenda that night.
Day 6 – South Coast road trip: Scar Reef → Yoyos (overnight)
Hop on a scooter or car and head south. Expect quiet, winding roads, very enjoyable cruising. The more south you get, the more mountainous and rain forest-y it gets.
First stop at Scar Reef Beach: an electric-blue water so bright you’ll want sunglasses.
Lunch at Shardana, an authentic Italian pizza resto, in a lush garden courtyard (get yourself some shade after the blindingly bright beach).
Continue to Yoyos:
Beach time or surfing at famous breaks.
Cold Bintang and beach chilling at Castaway Surf Resort
Sunset cocktails at Sapphire Restaurant (Kini Resort), perched on the mountain side, above the roaring sea. Views galore.
Overnight in Yoyos (we warmly, warmly recommend Kirana, Kini's sister hotel just a stone throw away).
Day 7 – Yoyos morning & return to Kertasari
Breakfast at Kirana’s restaurant overlooking its private bay. A gorgeous spot nestled in a narrow bay, giving Mediterranean vibes. Breakfast or lunch at Kirana's is one ouf our fave day off activities.
Snorkel, freedive or scuba dive directly from the bay. They even have a freediving platform!
Midday return to Kertasari for your final night. This night might be the perfect goodbye-night original Kertasari style: Beach bonfire, beers from a cooler, local lads playing guitar, quiet chatter and a cheeky late night dip into the dark sea. Dreamy (and romantic!)
Pro tip and strong recommendation for coupla more days: Moyo Island (2–3 nights)
Have extra time? Head to Moyo Island marine park.
Dive, snorkel and jungle trek on this wild, untouched island, famously loved by Princess Diana.
Stay at Blue Emocean jungle resort a couple kilometers up the coast from the main (and only!) village.
This is deep nature: expect wildlife, insects and raw jungle beauty.
From Moyo you can:
Take a morning boat and fly out from Sumbawa Besar (11:00 flight to Bali), or
Travel back east to Poto Tano and ferry to Lombok.
LOGISTICS
Our accommodation recommendations:
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Top tier: Kertasari Lodge
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Mid-tier: Living on Air, Bukit Samudra, Whales and Waves, Coco Mimpi
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Budget tier: Kurniawa Homestay 2, Medya homestay
Transport:
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Absolutely recommend you arrive with, or rent here, a scooter. The experience of cruising down these roads on a bike is part of the adventure. It's an absolute pleasure scootin' here: Very little or no traffic, views are breathtaking, and with these narrow roads: let's be honest, driving a car can be a tad stressful.
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There are couple of lads in the village who organise scooter rentals. One of them being Kertasari Connect.
Service providers:
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Surf teaching, guiding and board rentals and sport massage with Surfing Kertasari
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Scuba diving, snorkel rental, with our dive shop obviously!!! @sumbawa_adventure_dive
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Need to get some work done? Best WiFi in all of Sumbawa at Living on Air. They have a dedicated co-working space as well, so if you need to take a call in the middle of the night, no problem.
You'd rather someone else plans and sorts out your dream itinerary here in West Sumbawa? No probs, we gotchu. Get in touch below and we'll sort you and your family out. That's what we do.
