About Mount Rinjani

Lombok Rinjani Mountain, A Must Destination for Mountain Climbers

One of Lombok best icon of tourist destination is no other than Rinjani Mountain. Its summit is the second highest volcano mountain summit in Indonesia after the summit of Kerinci Mountain in Sumatera. Its 3726 meters above sea level point enable you to enjoy almost the entire island of Lombok.
Trip to Rinjani summit is a must for Indonesian mount climbers. Its caldera with Segara Anak Lake and Baru Jari Mountain in the centre of caldera as the icon becomes one complete package attracting local and international tourists.

History of Rinjani
History records that the largest eruption of Mount Rinjani in 1847 AD left a caldera of 50m2. The caldera eventually became Segara Anak Lake. Years later, around 1994 to 1995, spates of volcanic activities generate Baru Jari Mountain. Located fairly close to the peak, and in the south side of Lake Segara Anak, the mountain that is still growing has become the target of climbers’ achievement in addition to its 3726 peak.

Rinjani Mountain is set to become National Park Area of Mount Rinjani (TNGR) covering an area of 41 thousand hectares and in proposing process of the expansion region area to be almost 70 thousand ha.
The Indonesian government in 2008 proposed TNGR to become an official geopark area. If it is approved, TNGR will be the first geological tourism park area in Indonesia.

Rinjani Climbing Routes
Generally there are two climbing routes with the most complete accommodation: First, the route from Sembalun village in East Lombok; Second, the route from the Senaru village in the latest district of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), namely North Lombok district.

Both routes can be customized with your other travel trip. For example if you want to combine the trip to the Three Gilis -Tiga Gili- (Gili Trawangan, Gili Air and Gili Meno), you should use the route Senaru.
It is highly recommended to choose climbing trip through Sembalun village entrance, then climb down through the Senaru village with an additional trip to the three beautiful waterfalls in the village of Senaru, namely Sendang Gila, Tiu Kelep and Betara Lenjang.

The Sembalun village route can be accessed from BIL (Lombok International Airport) using a rental car, or using Damri until Masbagik village in East Lombok and continue the trip using public transportation (minibus which is usually called ‘engkel’). The other option is, from Masbagik village you can ask to get off in the Aikmel market, East Lombok, then negotiate with the driver of pickup car selling vegetable who usually return home to Sembalun village. It is always better to discuss the fare before you get into modes of transportation above.

The Senaru village route is almost similar. It should be noted that Engkel serving transportation from Mataram to Senaru is very limited. It is highly recommended that you use a rental car if you have limited time to visit. Renting a car also allows you to enjoy more tourist attractions, for example the three waterfalls on the way down the lane in Senaru village

These two common routes can be exchanged initially. You can enter and come back through Senaru; enter from Sembalun and climb down in Senaru, or special summit trekking package from Sembalun and go back through Sembalun as well. You can do this special summit package just two days.
Some of new routes have also been frequently used by climbers. For example Torean route in the north of Lombok Island and south lines, the latest service as well as extreme. South lines is not particularly recommended for novice climbers

The Torean route is through the river valley of Kokoq Putih. You can add in your agenda to visit several waterfalls and cave tours as the must one if you use this route. Of course, your climbing time is relatively longer compared to the Sembalun or Senaru routes.

Top Sights and Activities while in Rinjani
Choosing a climbing trip through the village Sembalun, then climb down in Senaru village promises a full view. Savana lays down as far as your eyes can see in the track until the 3rd post Sembalun, pine forest with mist that accompanies your climb before reaching Pelawangan Sembalun base camp. The first night at base camp can be used to capture the sunset around the caldera with the icon of Rinjani Mountain National Park: the Segara Anak Lake and Baru Jari Mountain.

The 2nd day of Summit trip agenda promises the best sunrise, all landscape of Lombok Island, and all blue silhouettes of the mountains in the island of Sumbawa and Bali. And in the brightest moments of sunrise, the eastern tip of Java Island can be witnessed. In the afternoon, when you are at the base camp at Segara Anak Lake, you should take the time to soak in hot spring. If still possible, Gua Susu exploration that can be accessed from the location of the hot spring is also highly recommended. The view of the lake with the Baru Jari Mountain peak ejecting the thin smoke can be the best background photo on your way down to the Senaru village. Pine forests, some trunks of redberry, black berry are also in some resting points on your way down.

Three posts on the way down are located in a forest that is still quite dense. In some trips that are not too crowded, jungle cock crowing in the distance could be your travelling companion. However, if you choose a package trip of more than three days, camp in Pelawangan Senaru could be an alternative.
The suggested best time to get a moment of climbing with a perfect view is in April until October. Generally, in the cold season (the rainy season) from October to February, climbing lanes are often closed. Of course, it is with the best judgment of the TNGR rangers, and to avoid incidents which caused casualties. The closure of the climbing lane is more often due to the cold storms or volcanic activity of Rinjani Mountain

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