Gerupuk Beach, Lombok, Indonesia

Gerupuk is a village that spills down the hillsides of southern Lombok east of Kuta Lombok – the island’s premier surf hub. It’s a small place, with a few nascent surf hotels and a couple of old-school rental spots, but it’s given its name to the whole bay that opens up in front of the town. And that’s where the action lies, in the form of some seriously high-quality reef breaks that cater to just about all levels, no matter the swell.

There are about five named breaks within Gerupuk Bay but only three that really hit the headlines: Inside (the best of the lot), Don Don (a mushy marshmallow for improvers), and Outside (big and often shifty rights with short lefts). All of them – bar the very tiny rollers at Kiddies point – have to be accessed by boat and the whole bay at Gerupuk is now favored stomping ground for many of the surf schools that base themselves in nearby Kuta. That means crowds can be a problem but also that there’s good infrastructure and plenty of boat options when it comes to getting out.

We’d say you have two options when it comes to hitting the Gerupuk surf. You can book into a stay in Gerupuk village itself (we have some thoughts on those below) and mosey over to the boat station whenever you want a ride to the waves. Or you can book into a surf camp in Lombok, 99% of which will hit at least Gerupuk Inside at least once throughout the week. There are pros and cons to both options, which we’ll consider in this guide.