Mount Rinjani

Mount Rinjani

Mount Rinjani is a volcano in the northern part of the island of Lombok. It is the highest point on the island (3726 m) and one of the highest in all of Indonesia.

General Information

Climbing Rinjani usually starts from the village of Senggigi. The route passes through Anjar, Anchak and Bayan, climbs up the serpentine foothills of Rinjani and ends at Senaru village at an altitude of 600 meters. From here you can enjoy magnificent views of forested slopes and rice terraces. Life in Senaru is simple and still far from total commercialization. The pleasant cool climate makes it ideal for walking around the area, for which the Senaru Panorama Walk, a 4-hour hike with a local guide (50,000 Rp), is designed. If you wish, you can limit yourself to the short one-hour “Rice Terraces and Waterfalls Walk” – appropriately named, to rice paddies and the small monkey waterfall of Sindang Gile. Accommodation for mountaineers is scattered along the road between Batu Coq and Senaru. In the latter, the Rinjani Trek Centre is open to trekkers, where you can hire a guide and choose from several programs designed for 2 to 4 days.

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There is also an alternative route for climbing from SembalunLawang village. The 16-kilometer road to it starts from Buyan and winds up the slopes in a southeastern direction. A similar center is present at the beginning of the trek, where local hooters collect money to enter the park (Rp 150,000). A 2-day climb with guide and porter is priced at $100 per person, 3-day at $150, in Senaru the prices are similar. For groups of 2 or more people, the price per person is reduced, but not by a factor.

The laziest can order an all-inclusive tour in Senggigi, which includes round-trip transportation, food, lodging, entrance to the National Park, services of porters and guides, and additional equipment (offered at any Regatta office and Senggigi travel agencies).

By and large, it is possible to get from Senaru to the edge of the crater on your own without paying anything at all. The trail is well marked, a distance of 12 km one way with an altitude difference of 2000 meters. Experienced trekkers make this way and the descent back in a day, using special shoes, flashlights and GPS-navigators. On the way there are three parking lots in the form of open balees, where you can spend the night (you should hide valuables from monkeys).

Point coordinates:

• Tour.office – S08°18.189′ E116°24.056
• Gate to the National Park – S08°19.180′ E116°24.133′
• Parking Lot 1 – S08°19.705′ E116024.113′
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• Parking lot 2 – S08°20.936′ E116°23.721′
• Parking lot 3 – S08°22.155′ E116°23.960′
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• Krajkratera – S08°22.742E116°24.081′

For others, who do not have such preparation, it is only necessary to hire helpers and spend 6 – 7 hours to climb to the crater, the views from which cause admiration even for those who have seen in their lives, and the night trek through the jungle with their rustles, whistles and glowing eyes of monkeys will be remembered for a long time.

A couple more hours of the way down – and you are at the unusually beautiful crater lake Segara (Danau Segara) with the size of 8 x 6 km with piercing blue clear water. You can bathe in the hot springs. It is better to start climbing so that you reach the summit at 7 a.m. and see one of the most marvelous sunrises of your life. You can descend along the same road, or you can walk to Sembalun Lawang, which will take a few hours, but will reward you with a new generous portion of impressions and photos from the series of “I will not forget until death.”

Transportation

Rinjani Volcano is usually accessed from Mataram and Senggigi.

Mataram’s Bertais bus station equips bemos to Anyar (2 hrs), traveling with numerous stops. At Anyar you have to make a transfer to Bayan and there to Senaru or Sembalun Lawang, the cost is low everywhere. In Senggigi, it is easier to hire a motorcycle and go to Anyar or take a cab. As always, a cheaper alternative can be found at the Regatta offices with their charter buses.

Tourists arriving at Labuan Lombok East Port from Sumbawa can reach Bayan by bemo in 2 hours.