And I found them. Here are five of the most memorable.

A jetty in the Southern Gili islands of Lombok. Photo: Ian Neubauer

1 Gili Sudak

An archipelago of 12 mostly uninhabited islets off Lombok’s sheltered southwest coast, the lesser known Southern Gilis are surrounded by coral reefs, carpeted with thick jungle and dotted with chalk-white beaches.

The most westerly island, Gili Sudak, measures only 500 metres from end to end. On the southeast corner stands Nirvana Gili Sudak, a micro-resort with eight wooden cottages, run by a Balinese man called Gede, along with his extended family. Accommodation is only 250,000 rupiah (US$16) per night, including breakfast.

On my visit there is only one other guest: a Russian draft dodger who has been here for weeks.

2 Tanjung

A district and village close to the popular northern Gili Islands, on the northwest coast, Tanjung is another slow and disconnected part of Lombok.

Children here are still excited by the sight of foreigners; they wave and yell out hello, while the village moves to ancient rhythms: fishermen casting their nets into the water and farmers planting or harvesting rice.

Tanjung is also home to a small, close-knit community of expatriates and yachties who have escaped the rat race and now run small businesses elsewhere on Lombok or just while away their time in the tropics.

3 Ekas beach

“Ekas” is used interchangeably to describe a district in Lombok’s southeast, a village and world-class surfing breaks around Awang Bay – a large estuary edged by dramatic sea cliffs at one end and mangrove forests at the other.

Ekas is a hub for watersports, not only surfing on long, barrelling waves that run for more than 150 metres, but also diving and snorkelling at spots such as Pink Beach and white-water rafting on a nearby river.

Consistent offshore winds during the dry season, from May to October, have made Ekas the kitesurfing capital of Indonesia and there are a number of schools here offering multiday courses in the sport.

Accommodation options at Ekas range from simple guest houses that charge around 150,000 rupiah per night to architecturally designed villas that cost 50 times as much.

4 The Eastern Gilis

The undisputed highlight of my trip is Gili Lawang, which is one of two small, forested islands comprising the almost unknown Eastern Gilis of Lombok. The other is Gili Sulat.

Designated as a marine conservation area because of their rich mangroves, sea grass and technicolour coral reefs, these two islands are uninhabited and have no infrastructure apart from three small wooden gazebos at a landing point on Gili Lawang.

To get to them, I crossed the 2km channel separating the islands from Lombok on an inflatable kayak and I spent a night camping under the stars at Lawang Sunset, a beach on the north coast. The sunset was sublime, as were the bird calls that sang me to sleep.

In the morning, I snorkelled in the channel between the two islands. Parrot fish, lionfish, clownfish, half a dozen green turtles, a harmless carpet shark and a large amount of stunning soft and hard corals help confirm that this is the healthiest and most biologically diverse marine ecosystem in Lombok waters.

5 East Lombok Dive Hotel

The guest house at Gili Lampu Beach is run-down, but 10 minutes to the south by motorbike, in Pringgabaya District, is the East Lombok Dive Hotel, one of the smallest and most serene places to stay in Lombok.

The accommodation is simple, but large and clean, with oversized picture windows that look out onto the beach and a tropical lagoon that turns pink and orange at sunset.

There are only three rooms, so it’s advised to book in advance, and a little restaurant that sells well-presented Indonesian staples such as satay sticks and nasi goreng.

This is a great hotel in which to spend a day or two chilling out and reading on the veranda, as I do, or as a base for diving. On hand is a Padi-certified instructor who knows all the best spots and has scuba gear for rent.