When you are visiting Indonesia, you need to put Mount Rinjani on your itinerary. Located in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, this mountain offers a lot of things for tourists. Serenity, beautiful scenery, and even challenges. You can connect with nature during your hike in this second-highest active volcano in Indonesia. But before you do so, here is all the information you need to know about this mountain.
Mount Rinjani Facts
It’s still up for debate whether Indonesia is included in the Ring of Fire or the Alpide Belt. Both are volcanic chains in the world. But either way, there are many volcanoes that are still open for visitors in Indonesia. One of them is Mount Rinjani. With an altitude of 3.726 meters above sea level, this mountain is located inside Mount Rinjani National Park. The mountain itself falls under three different administrative areas which are West Lombok, Central Lombok, and East Lombok. The distribution of area is 30% in West Lombok, 53% in East Lombok, and 17% in Central Lombok.
When you join Rinjani trekking, you will also learn some of the myths in this place. Be mindful of the locals’ rituals because you will witness them a lot along the trekking way. You might also find some sacred places around the corners where you will see offerings placed in traditional trays.
Preparation
Trekking Rinjani requires a lot of preparation. Especially for you who want to reach the summit. The climb takes at least 3 days and 2 nights for experienced hikers. Some might even need 4 days and 3 nights. You can also do a one-day hike but only up to the crater rim. Most people say that climbing up the summit is not an easy task. The extreme terrain is challenging but the scenery from the top is worth it. So, the first thing you need to prepare is your fit stamina. Hiking is no easy task, especially for beginners. Bring a water bottle for yourself to avoid dehydration. You also need to have comfortable hiking equipment. Shoes are a must. You need to make sure that your shoes are suitable to climb the sandy terrains but also the rocky terrains. These shoes also need to be comfortable for more than a day’s use. You can also pack sandals for when you are taking a long break. It’s essential for Rinjani hike.
For hiking attire, dry-fit materials are the most suitable for this occasion. It helps your skin to breathe better and not collect sweat. However, it gets very cold at night so make sure you pack a jacket if you can’t stand a little cold. Pack additional shorts and shirts if you choose more than a day trip. It will be useful if you feel sticky and want a change of outfit. Don’t over-pack because you will only burden yourself. You can also ask your Rinjani trekking services if they provide porters. You will need a headlamp to help you during the nighttime trekking. If you choose a one-day trip you might need to start after midnight in order to reach the crater rim before sunrise. It is a useful piece of tool that you can also use when you need to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. You can ask your Rinjani trekking company if they provide headlamps. Another thing you might need is a mask to prevent from inhaling too much sand that could make your throat dry.
You can also apply gaiters for your boots to prevent too much sand getting in your shoes. If you have the budget, opt for the waterproof gaiters so that if you accidentally step into a body of water, you don’t need to worry too much about drying your shoes. Another thing you could use is a trekking stick. It helps you to climb more easily. You can shift some of the weight on that stick instead of relying on your knees. Even though it’s not a piece of required equipment, you will be very thankful for this tool. Most Rinjani trekking company will offer you this before starting the hike. For other equipment such as tents, sleeping bags, or even cooking utensils, you can check if it’s included in your Rinjani trekking package. Most of them do for an additional cost, but others might include it in the package. Either way, you don’t need to collect them all by yourself.
Hiking Trails Option
When trekking Rinjani, there are several trail options you can choose from. Here is the full review of each hiking trail in Rinjani.
- Sembalun
Sembalun is the most famous hiking trail in Rinjani. You will walk through the savanna in the early morning which will wake you up. There are no meaningful obstacles during the first half of Mount Rinjani climbing. After you get to the third post, the terrain will shift drastically. - Senaru
The second famous hiking trail is Senaru. but this trail is highly recommended for starting the hike for beginners, family trip and reccommended for one day trek special for who have limited time and budget Because you will walk in the jungle start an altitude 720masl to 2000 masl with cooler temperatures in the morning and evening and then you can see the black monkey in the jungle and go out from the jungle reach to pos 3 we called (mondokan lokaq 2000m) from here to get the crater rim you’ll walk 1, 8 km with hiking time around 1 hours 40 munutes to get the senaru campsite for see the Lake Segara Anak and Volcano Eruption and from there in the morning and evening you hear various of bird sounds that indicate sunrise and sunset.At Arrival day to Senaru Village There are many sceneries such as panorama with women guide to sendang Gile and Tiu Kelep Waterfall and even see the black monkey, walk around Senaru Traditional village and to rice field and seeing the sunset from the Local village that you can witness before trek start to the Mount Rinjani or after trek is done if you have time. - Tetebatu
Tetebatu is located in the East Lombok area. It is an interesting Lombok trekking trail. It is a hill where you will get a view of the majority of the Mount Rinjani area. This is a great starting point if you also want to witness the Tetebatu Monkey Forest. From this point, you can also visit the edelweiss flower garden. This is a new hiking trail so expect natural surroundings. - Torean
Located about 40 minutes from Senaru village, this is a new hiking trail for climbing Mount Rinjani. but from here you can go straight to the hot springs and Segara Anak lake. the total climbing time is around +-10 hours and it is recommended because it is easier and flatter, lots of springs, can see the waterfall and pass through the valley between the two cliffs and there is a part also you must climb the wood stairs, through cliffs very steep to continue the journey up or down so you have to be really careful at every step but the scenery of this route is stunning. - Aik Berik
If you want to witness something new in your Rinjani trekking, Aik Berik is recommended. It is one of the most exciting trails for trekking in Indonesia. Throughout the trail, you will be walking side by side with water springs. This trail is new to the public but has been used by locals for years to reach Segara Anak.
That concludes all the information you need to know before climbing Mount Rinjani. It is essential to have mature preparation because Rinjani is known to be the hardest mountain to climb in Indonesia. Be mindful of your body and know when to take a rest and when to push through. You can also visit other places around Mount Rinjani to explore nature. There are many sceneries such as waterfalls, caves, and even monkey forests that you can witness along the way to the summit.
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