Camping and trekking gear is available for hire. The centre is right by a huge garlic statue on the main road.
4Sleeping & Eating
Sembalun Lawang village is rustic; most guesthouses will heat mandi water for a fee. The Rinjani Information Centre (RIC) can direct you to small homestays where rooms cost between 150,000Rp and 500,000Rp.
Lembah RinjaniLODGE$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0818 0365 2511, 0852 3954 3279; Sembalun Lawang; r 300,000-400,000Rp)
This property has 15 basic, clean tiled rooms with private porches and breathtaking mountain and sunrise views.
Maria GuesthouseGUESTHOUSE$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0852 3956 1340; Sembalun Lawang; r from 250,000Rp)
Choose one of three large tin-roofed bungalows at the rear of a family compound. Digs are bright with vibrantly tiled floors; the family vibe is fun and the garden location sweet.
8Getting There & Away
From Mandalika bus terminal in Mataram, take a bus to Aikmel (20,000Rp) and change there for a bemo to Sembalun Lawang (15,000Rp).
There's no public transport between Sembalun Lawang and Senaru, so you'll have to charter an ojek for a potentially uncomfortable ride costing about 200,000Rp.
Gunung Rinjani
Lording over the northern half of Lombok, Gunung Rinjani (3726m) is Indonesia's second-tallest volcano. It's an astonishing peak, sacred to Hindus and Sasaks who make pilgrimages to the summit and lake to leave offerings for the gods and spirits. To the Balinese, Rinjani is one of three sacred mountains, along with Bali's Agung and Java's Bromo. Sasaks ascend throughout the year around the full moon.
The mountain also has climatic significance. Its peak attracts a steady stream of swirling rain clouds, while its ash emissions bring fertility to the island's rice fields and tobacco crops, feeding a tapestry of paddies, fields, and cashew and mango orchards.
Inside the immense caldera, sitting 600m below the rim, is a stunning, 6km-wide, turquoise crescent lake, Danau Segara Anak (Child of the Sea). The Balinese toss gold and jewellery into the lake in a ceremony called pekelan, before they slog their way towards the sacred summit.
The mountain's newest cone, the minor peak of Gunung Baru (2351m), emerged just a couple of hundred years ago; its scarred, smouldering profile rising above the lake is an ominous reminder of the apocalyptic power of nature. This peak has been erupting fitfully for the last decade, periodically belching plumes of smoke and ash over the entire Rinjani caldera. Also in the crater are natural hot springs known as Aiq Kalak. Locals suffering from skin diseases trek here with a satchel of medicinal herbs in order to bathe and scrub in the bubbling mineral water.
2Activities
Organised Hikes
Treks to the rim, lake and peak should not be taken lightly, and guides are mandatory. Climbing Rinjani during the wet season (November to March) is usually completely forbidden due to the risk of landslide. June to August is the only time you are (almost) guaranteed minimal rain or clouds. Be prepared with layers and a fleece because it can get cold at the rim (and near-freezing at the summit) at any time of year.
Roughly the same trek packages and prices are offered by all operators (base guide and porter prices are set by RTC and RIC), though some outfitters have a 'luxury' option. Treks from Senaru to Sembalun Lawang via the lake summit are very popular, and the return hike from Sembalun Lawang to the summit is another well-trodden trail.
Prices get cheaper the larger the party. A three-day hike (including food, equipment, guide, porters, park fee and transport back to Senaru) to the summit and lake costs from US$300 per person based on a group of two to four. An overnight trek to the crater rim costs about US$150 to US$200. Note that almost all the costs are negotiable.
Operators
In addition to local companies, operators in Mataram, Senggigi and the Gili Islands can organise Rinjani treks too, with return transport from the point of origin. Recommendations include Rinjani Information Centre; Rinjani Trek Centre and Rinjani Trekking Club.
John’s AdventuresHIKING
(%0817 578 8018; www.rinjanimaster.com; Senaru)
John's Adventures is a very experienced outfitter that has toilet tents, thick sleeping mats, and itineraries that start from either Senaru or Sembalun. The Senaru office is 2km below the park office.
Rudy TrekkerHIKING
(%0818 0365 2874; www.rudytrekker.com; Senaru)
Rudy Trekker is a conscientious organisation based in Senaru. It has a variety of itineraries; most hikers prefer the three-day, two-night package starting from Sembalun Lawang. The office is near the entrance to Air Terjun Sindang Gila. It has a great list of what to pack displayed on the wall.
Sinaru TrekkingHIKING
(%0818 540 673)S
The monosyllabically named Gul is an excellent Rinjani guide. He offers 5% off his fees if you'll help him carry trash down from the mountain.
Guides & Porters
Hiking independently is simply not allowed, and deeply unwise. People have died on Rinjani, with or without guides, and only the most skilled climbers should consider themselves qualified to undertake such a journey.
Guides and porters operate on loosely fixed fees, which are included in whatever trekking package you purchase. Tips of 30,000Rp to 50,000Rp per day are sufficient and can be paid at the end of the trip.
Entrance Fee & Equipment
Entrance to Gunung Rinjani National Park is 150,000Rp per day – you register and pay with your trek organiser or at the park office. Note that there are proposals to raise these fees even higher.
Sleeping bags and tents are essential and can usually be hired from your trek organiser. Decent footwear, warm clothing, wet-weather gear, gloves, cooking equipment and a torch are important (all can be hired if necessary). Expect to pay upwards of 100,000Rp a head per day for all your hired gear. Muscle balm (to ease aching legs) and a swimming costume (for the lake and hot springs) could also be packed. Discuss what to bring with your trekking organisation or guide.
Bring home your rubbish, including toilet tissue. Sadly several Rinjani camps are litter-strewn.
Food & Supplies
Trek organisers will arrange trekking food. Mataram is cheapest for supplies, but many provisions are available in Senaru and Sembalun Lawang, too. Take more water than seems reasonable (dehydration can spur altitude sickness), extra batteries (as altitude can wreak havoc on those, as well) and a back-up lighter.
CLIMBING GUNUNG RINJANI
The most popular way to climb Gunung Rinjani is the five-day trek that starts at Senaru and finishes at Sembalun Lawang. Other possibilities include a summit attempt from Sembalun, which sits higher on the slope and can be done as a gruelling two-day return hike.
DAY ONE: SENARU POS I TO POS III (FIVE TO SIX HOURS)
At the southern end of Senaru is the Rinjani Trek Centre (Pos I, 601m), where you register, organise your guide and porters, and pay the park fee. Just beyond the post, you'll head right when the trail forks. The trail climbs steadily through scrubby farmland for about half an hour to the entrance of Gunung Rinjani National Park (Taman Nasional Gunung Rinjani). The wide trail climbs for another 2½ hours until you reach Pos II (1500m), where there's a shelter. Another 1½ hours' steady walk uphill brings you to Pos III (2000m), where there are two shelters in disrepair. Pos III is usually the place to camp at the end of the first day.
DAY TWO: POS III TO DANAU SEGARA ANAK & AIQ KALAK (FOUR HOURS)
From Pos III, it takes about 1½ hours to reach the rim, Pelawangan I (2641m). Setting off very early promises a stunning sunrise. It's possible to camp at Pelawangan I, but level sites are limited, there's no water and it can be very blustery.
It takes about two hours to descend to Danau Segara Anak and over to the hot springs, Aiq Kalak. The first hour is a very steep descent and involves a bit of bouldering. From the bottom of the crater wall it's an easy 30-minute walk across undulating terrain around the lake's edge. There are several places to camp, but most locals pr
efer to be near the hot springs to soak their weary bodies.
DAY THREE: AIQ KALAK TO PELAWANGAN II (THREE TO FOUR HOURS)
The trail starts beside the last shelter at the hot springs and heads away from the lake for about 100m before veering right. It then traverses the northern slope of the crater, and it's an easy one-hour walk along the grassy slopes before you hit a steep, unforgiving rise; from the lake it takes about three hours to reach the crater rim (2639m). At the rim, a sign points the way back to Danau Segara Anak. The trail forks here – straight on to Sembalun or along the rim to the campsite of Pelawangan II (2700m).
DAY FOUR: PELAWANGAN II TO RINJANI SUMMIT (FIVE TO SIX HOURS RETURN)
Gunung Rinjani's summit arcs above the campsite at Pelawangan II and looks deceptively close. You'll start the climb around 3am to reach it by sunrise. Depending on wind conditions, it may not be possible to attempt the summit at all, as the trail is along an exposed ridge.
It takes about 45 minutes to clamber up a steep, slippery and indistinct trail to the ridge that leads to Rinjani. Once on the ridge it's a relatively steady walk uphill. After about an hour heading towards a false peak, the real summit of Rinjani (3726m) looms. The trail then gets increasingly steeper. About 350m before the summit, the scree is composed of loose, fist-sized rocks. This section can take about an hour. The views from the top are truly magnificent. In total it takes around three hours to reach the summit, and two to return.
DAY FOUR/FIVE: PELAWANGAN II TO SEMBALUN LAWANG (SIX TO SEVEN HOURS)
From the Pelawangan II campsite, it's a steep descent to Sembalun; you'll feel it in your knees. From the campsite, you head back along the crater rim. Shortly after the turn-off to Danau Segara Anak, there's a signposted right turn down to Pada Balong (also called Pos 3, 1800m). The trail is easy to follow; it takes around two hours to reach Pada Balong shelter.
The trail then undulates toward the Sembalun Lawang savannah, via Tengengean (Pos 2, 1500m) shelter, beautifully situated in a river valley. It's another 30 minutes through long grass to lonely Pemantuan (Pos 1, 1300m), and two more hours along a dirt track to Sembalun Lawang.
8Information
Rinjani National ParkTOURIST INFORMATION
(Taman Nasional Gunung Rinjani; %0370-660 8874; www.rinjaninationalpark.com)
The official website for the park has good maps, info and a useful section on reported scams by dodgy hiking operators.
Rinjani Trekking ClubTOURIST INFORMATION
(%0370-693202; www.info2lombok.com; Jl Raya Senggigi, Senggigi)
This group sells treks on the mountain but it also has a very worthwhile website and organises sustainable programs.
Tetebatu
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Laced with Rinjani spring-fed streams and blessed with rich volcanic soil, Tetebatu is a Sasak breadbasket. The surrounding countryside is quilted with tobacco and rice fields, fruit orchards and cow pastures that fade into remnant monkey forest gushing with waterfalls. Tetebatu's sweet climate is ideal for long country walks (at 400m it's high enough to mute that hot, sticky coastal mercury). Dark nights come saturated with sound courtesy of a frog orchestra accompanied by countless gurgling brooks. Even insomniacs snore here.
The town is spread out, with facilities on roads north and east (nicknamed 'waterfall road') of the central ojek stop, which happens to be the town's main intersection and a basis for all directions.
1Sights & Activities
A shady 4km track leading from the main road, just north of the mosque, heads into the Taman Wisata Tetebatu (Monkey Forest) with black monkeys and waterfalls – you'll need a guide.
On the southern slopes of Rinjani, there are two waterfalls. Both are accessible by private transport or a spectacular two-hour walk (one way) through rice fields from Tetebatu. If walking, hire a guide (150,000Rp) through your guesthouse.
A steep 2km hike from the car park at the end of the access road to Gunung Rinjani National Park leads to beautiful Air Terjun Jukut, an impressive 20m drop to a deep pool surrounded by lush forest.
4Sleeping & Eating
Cendrawasih CottagesCOTTAGE$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0878 6418 7063; r from 250,000Rp)
Sweet little lumbung (rice barn)–style brick cottages with bamboo beds and private porches, nestled in the rice fields. Sit on floor cushions in the stunning stilted restaurant (mains 20,000Rp to 45,000Rp; open 8am to 9pm), which has Sasak, Indonesian and Western fare, and take in 360-degree rice-field views. It’s about 500m east of the intersection.
Pondok TetebatuLODGE$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0818 0576 7153; r 150,000-250,000Rp; W)
These 12 detached, ranch-style rooms set around a flower garden 500m north of the intersection are basic. The lodge offers guided walks through farming villages to the falls.
oTetebatu Mountain ResortLODGE$$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0819 1771 6440, 0812 372 4040; r 450,000-650,000Rp; W)
These two-storey Sasak bungalows with 23 rooms in total are the best digs in town. There are separate bedrooms on both floors – perfect for travelling buddies – and a top-floor balcony with magical rice-field views.
8Getting There & Around
All cross-island buses pass Pomotong (15,000Rp from Mandalika terminal) on the main east−west highway. Get off here and you can hop on an ojek (from 20,000Rp) to Tetebatu.
Praya
%0370
Sprawling Praya is the main town in the south, with tree-lined streets and the odd crumbling Dutch colonial relic. The bemo terminal is on the northwest side of town.
Lombok International Airport
Surrounded by rice fields and 5km south of Praya proper, the modern Lombok International Airport (www.lombok-airport.co.id) has become an attraction in its own right: on weekends you'll see vast crowds of locals sitting around watching and snacking. They're not waiting on anyone, rather they are hanging out for the day enjoying the spectacle of people flying in and out.
The airport is not huge, but is very modern and has a full range of services such as ATMs (and convenience stores with ludicrous prices). There is a useful NTT Tourist Office in the arrivals area with maps and brochures.
Flights from Lombok
Destination Airline Duration Frequency
Bali Garuda, Lion Air/Wings Air 20min several daily
Bima (Sumbawa) Garuda 45min daily
Jakarta Garuda, Lion Air 2hr several daily
Kuala Lumpur Air Asia 3hr daily
Makassar Garuda 1¾hr daily
Singapore Silk Air 3hr daily
Sumbawa Besar Garuda 30min daily
Surabaya Citilink, Lion Air 1½hr several daily
8Getting There & Away
Thanks to wide new roads, the airport is only 30 minutes' drive from both Mataram and Kuta, and is well linked to the rest of the island. Note that some airport road signs simply say 'BIL', an acronym for the Bahasa Indonesia name Bandera Internasional Lombok'.
ABus Damri operates tourist buses; buy tickets in the arrivals area. Destinations: Mataram's Mandalika terminal (25,000Rp) and Senggigi (35,000Rp).
ATaxi The airport taxi cartel offers fixed-price rides to destinations that include: Kuta (100,000Rp, 30 minutes), Mataram (165,000Rp, 30 minutes), Senggigi (200,000Rp, one hour) and Bangsal (260,000Rp, 90 minutes), from where you can access the Gili Islands.
Around Praya
Penujak
Penujak is well known for its traditional gerabah pottery. Made from chocolatey terracotta-tinted local clay, it's hand-burnished and topped with braided bamboo. Huge floor vases cost US$6 or so, and there are also plates and cups on offer from the potters' humble home studios, most of which huddle around the eerie village cemetery. Any bemo from Praya to Kuta will drop you off here.
Rembitan & Sade
The area from Sengkol down to Kuta is a centre for Sasak culture – traditional villages full of towering lumbung (rice barns) and bale tani (family houses, made from bamboo, mud, and cow and buffalo dung). Regular bemos cover this route.
Both villages are worth a look but it's not possible without a guide (around 40,000Rp).
Kuta
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What could be a better gateway to the wonderful beaches of south Lombok? Imagine a crescent bay, turquoise in the shallows and deep blue further out. It licks a huge, white-sand beach, as wide as a football pitch and framed by headlands. Now imagine a coastline of nearly a dozen such bays, all backed by a rugged range of coastal hills spotted with lush patches of banana trees and tobacco fields, and you'll have a notion of Kuta's immediate appeal.
Kuta's original attraction was the limitless world-class breaks, and now even as developers lick their chops, the sets still keep rolling in.
Lonely Planet Indonesia Page 60