Mt. Rinjani (1N2D), Lombok, Indonesia

After a gloriously disastrous attempt to climb Mt. Merbabu in Java, Indonesia, on my own, without a partner, by driving myself to the basecamp on a scooter that I did not know how to drive (a story for another time), I decided to book myself a tour for Rinjani (3726m) in Lombok, the third highest mountain in the whole Indonesia archipelago. It was the first time for me to book any tour for a hike like this, since I really like the freedom to climb in my own pace and the accomplishment that comes with being self-dependent in the navigation and carrying the weight.

How much did it cost? What was the itinerary?

Due to the earthquake in 2018, the summit was closed which meant that the only trekking option was the 1night/2days hike to the rim of the crater.

I used a company called Rinjani Trek Adventure and according to them, there are about 92 agencies in Senaru, one of the basecamps for Mt. Rinjani and they all offer the same package at around the same price. I’d say the price varies depending on where you start but the average is around 1.4M ~ 1.8M IDR for the 1night/2days trek package including transport (shuttle buses) to and from, all meals, one night accommodation at the basecamp, one night on the mountain, guides and porters, permit fee etc. It’s cheaper to book it if you have a partner so I found someone to hike with through facebook (there is a backpacking community of facebook).

My Personal Itinerary: August 14th~16th 2019

DAY 0

12:00am Picked up from KUTA LOMBOK in a private car

17:00 Arrived in Senaru, got myself my own room (double bed with bathroom)

Went for a run, ate dinner and drank rice wine with the people from the trekking company. They told us about the devastating affect of the earthquake that happened the previous year and destroyed a lot of their properties and the trails.

22:00 Good night!

DAY 1

7:00am Breakfast. Banana Pancakes

8:30am Joined with anther group (booked with a different company)

9:00am Arrived at the gate (start of the trek)

(6h of hiking with lunch and breaks in between, lunch was rice with veggies)

3:00pm Arrived at the rim of the crater. The clouds cleared at the top and we watched the sunset. Dinner was Mie Goreng, Indonesian fried rice with Tempe and prawn crackers.

8:00pm Sleep!

DAY 2

6:30am Wakie wakie rise and shine!

7:00am Walked around the rim watching the early sun warming the earth. Breakfast: Banana pancakes and toasts for the guests, Indomie instant noodles + rice for the guides & porters.

7:30am Started walking, the hike down was pretty quick and arrived at the entrance gate around noon.

13:00 Back to our hostels for a shower (we all got really dusty) and then popped on the shuttles that took us to our respective destinations

16:00 Already on the boat to Gili Air, an island just a 15 minute boat ride from the harbor in North Lombok

After-thoughts.

The overall experience has been really wonderful. I got to make a lot of new friends there, the guides and porters we crossed while hiking, the people I hiked with. The food was amazing and I honestly don’t know how they carry all the food and equipment up there and cook it so amazingly. The hike was steep and slippery so I can’t imagine how I would’ve managed that if I had carried everything myself. The view from the top was superb.

However, it was a little too crowded for me. It was also very touristy and no room for the spontaneous breaks and naps, freedom to camp anywhere anytime etc. It was a little too touristy which made it less of a personal experience for me. The view from the top was nice but the climb up was quite monotonous and it was a shame that the summit was closed because I could see the trail from the rim to the top and it looked absolutely dead-gorgeous.

All in all, I’m happy I did it. I’m also grateful that I got the chance. Maybe Ill come back for the summit opening.