MOUNT RINJANI - Climbing & Trekking

Mount Rinjani in Lombok, a 3,726 m high active volcano, is one of the highest mountains of Indonesia. The mountain and its satellites form the Rinjani National Park. Rinjani erupted three times in 2010 with ash rising up to two km into the atmosphere. For the people of Lombok, Sasak as Balinese, the volcano is a sacred place and abode of gods. The crater lake is the destination of thousands of pilgrims who offer sacrifices in the water.

Mount Rinjani is the recommended joice for hikers. Rinjani offers adventure and great scenery. You can visit waterfalls, caves and hot springs. And the fauna changes from tropical rainforest at the beginning of your trek, to European like forests in the middle, that change to alpine flora above the treeline. Here hikers will even see the Eternal Flower or Edelweis, which must not be taken.
However, Mount Rinjani is not an easy trekking tour. See our recommendations above and have a safe journey.

Mount Rinjani can be accessed via Senaru or via Sembalung. Sembalun Lawang is a traditional village set in an ancient caldera to the east of Mount Rinjani. This is the preferred starting point for summiteers. Senaru is an 2.5 hours drive away from Mataram and Senggigi. This is the main access to the Rinjani National Park. The Rinjani Trek Centre is located here, offering ecotourism activities, and visitor information.

• Technically, the mountain is easy to climb up, but however, a very high level of fitness is necessary. Proper hiking boots are an absolute must, as is a substantial waterproof and windproof jacket. The use of walking sticks are recommended. An if you are going to the summit, a head lamp and hand gloves are usefull.
  It gets very cold on the mountain above 2,000 metres and nears freezing at the summit. Warm clothing is an absolute must. Be prepared for rain and strong winds.
  Be aware the the Rinjani National Park might be closed during the rainy season from December to March due to bad weather and landslides. In addition, access to some sections of the Mountain might be closed due to vulcanic activities of Rinjani.
• On the mountain several caves can be visited. The Susu Cave is a good place for self reflection and is often used as a place to meditate.
  Hiring a local guide is strongly recommended. If you don't want to book a complete arrangement, you should check the Rinjani Trekking Club for hiring your own guide.
• Heilende heiße Quellen können auf dem Weg zum Kratersee besucht werden. Sie werden von Einheimischen genutzt um alle möglichen Krankheiten zu behandeln.

Bandara Internasional Lombok is Lombok’s new international airport in central southern Lombok near the city of Praya. This airport replaces the old Selaparang Airport and is approximately 40 km south of Mataram, and 55 km southeast of the established Senggigi area. You can go from Bandara Internasional Lombok to Mataram or Senggigi by bus. The fare to Mataram’s Mandalika Bus Terminal is Rp 15,000 and to Senggigi it is Rp 25,000. The bus service runs every 1.5 hours.
Frequent domestic connections from Jakarta, Denpasar and Surabaya are available, and an international connections is available from Singapore operated by Silk Air.

By sea Lombok can be reached by ferry departing from Bali - Padang Bai every two hours, the trip takes 4 hours and costs Rp.25.000 for foot passengers.
The luxury alternative is the Mabua Express catamaran from Bali - Pelbuhan Benoa. This trips takes only 2.5 hours, but costs about Rp. 300.000.
Perama offers maybe the most complete travel service by sea. The company connects bus services between the touris centres in Bali and Lombok with a boat service between the two islands.
And the Pelni cruise ships connect Lombok with many other islands of Indonesia.

• The Rinjani Trekking Club is probably the most established tour operator at Rinjani mountain.
• The Rinjani National Park website offers additional information and also several trekking tour packages in Lombok and particularly around Mount Rinjani.
• Lombok Rinjani Trek offers not only the hardcore Rinjani trekking tour packages, but also some soft alternatives like walks to waterfalls and wildflowers in Lombok.
• Many usefull additional information can be found at The Lombok Guide.