Air
Sumbawa Besar on the western side of the island and Bima on the eastern side both have daily flights to and from Denpasar, Bali and Lombok. Sekongkang also has small airport but flights were suspended after the regional airline servicing it went belly up. However, as always in Indonesia, things can change quickly and frequently so for the latest information about flights check out tiket.com.
Sea
The easiest way to get to Sumbawa is by fast boat from Lombok’s eastern sea port, Labuan Lombok to Poto Tano in Sumbawa. The crossing takes 1.5 hours and boats run 24 hours a day except in bad weather.
Alternatively, if you’re heading to the surfing destinations of Maluk, Jalenga, Sekongkang or Tropicals on the Sumbawa’s south-west coast, the most direct access is via the Newmont mine KSB Fast Boat service which operates twice daily between Kayangan passenger terminal (Labuan Lombok) and Benete passenger terminal (Maluk, Sumbawa). At the time of writing, departure times from Benete were 8:00AM & 2:00PM, or from Kayangan 10:00AM & 4:15PM. The crossing takes 1.5 hours on a comfortable, modern ferry. Tickets cost Rp 135.000 for adults, Rp 75.000 for children. No need to book ahead as tickets can be purchased at the terminal prior to departure, but be sure to arrive at least 30 mins prior to departure.
Coming from Bali, take the slow ferry from Pandang Bai, Bali to Lembar Harbour, west Lombok (approximately 5 hours), then grab a car for the 3 hour trip travel overland to Labuan Lombok, on the east coast to hook up with the fast boat to Sumbawa.
To or from Labuan Bajo in Flores, there’s a daily slow ferry or a fast boat which runs three times a week. Both services land at the small port of Sape on the east coast of Sumbawa. The slow boat also goes to Sumba twice a week. You can try contacting Kapal Cepat Express Bahari on 0823 592 8 7 257 in Sape, 0822 373 68 767 in Labuan Bajo or 0812 3743 6447 in Waikelo (Sumba).