Hi! Lombok!! The main reason why I came to Lombok was to hike Mount Rinjani! ! I was in Lombok back in 2012, but I hadn’t had a chance to hike so I’ve decided to come back and explore Rinjani this time. Unlike Gili islands and Bali, Lombok is very laid back and less touristy, which makes the island even more special. In 2012, it was very rare to see non-locals, but now Lombok gained popularity among those who like the laid-back vibe and hiking. Even so, it’s still not very crowded compared to the Gilis or Bali and therefore it’s a perfect place to connect with the locals and learn their culture.
Accommodation
Many people stay in Senaru or Sembalun to hike Rinjani. Both villages are near the trailhead, making it accessible for people to stay overnight before going on the hike. I stayed in a hostel called Lala Salama Backpacker, located between Bangsal Port and Senggigi. It was about a 1-hour car ride from the hiking place, but I only stayed couple nights in Lombok, so I decided to stay close to the port. I booked the tour through my hostel since most tours run privately or in private groups. I was looking for group tours that I could join so I could stay cost-effective and still meet other travelers. I also received great deals booking through the hostel, so consider staying in Lala Salama when hiking Rinjani. They provided transportation to and from Rinjani, and one night after you come back from the hike for free. For more information, please contact me!
POS Shots :)
Quick run down of the itinerary (Overnight Camping)
Day 1 Rinjani Hike
5:30am Hostel Pick-up. Headed to Senaru (it was the village where meeting point was located.) from Sengiggi
7am Arrived in Senaru, rented hiking poles & headlamp. Ate breakfast while waiting for the rest of the hiking group to show up.
7:50am Met up with hiking group and took a truck to get to the national park.
9am Arrived in the medical check up center, got vitals checked
9:30am Headed over to the ticket office to get our tickets verified by showing our passports
10:05am arrived at the hiking trail and started hiking
11:20am arrived at POS 1
12:05pm arrived at POS 2 and had lunch around 1pm
14:20pm arrived at POS 3
15:10pm arrived at POS 4
16:55pm arrived at basecamp
19:10pm Dinner
20:07pm Sleep
Day 2
01:50am wake up/prep for summit hike
3am started hiking up to the summit
7:30am 30min before the summit arrival
9:45am back to basecamp
10am breakfast
11am left basecamp to head down
3:30pm lunch at POS2
5:30pm Back to pickup point
**please note: there are 2D1N (2days 1night), 3D2N, 4D3N options to hike Rinjani. Each option has its own itinerary and I decided to go for 2D1N since I had to take a ferry back to Bali to head to Java Island**
Day 1 Hike
The very first thing our group did was to get our vitals checked. Yes- seriously every single person had to fill out a health form (nothing too crazy, just name, age, height, weight, etc.) and had to get oxygen level and blood pressure checked. The “medical checkup” was 15K IDR. Then we had to go to the National Park office and register our names to check in. Make sure to have a photo of your passport ready (no need to bring a physical copy) to validate yourself. (Pre sign-ups are made by guides when you book for the tour).
Hiking Day 1 wasn’t too bad. There were a total of 4 hiking points to get to the base camp. We hiked through hiking points (aka POS 1 through POS4) to get to the rim of the crater, where our base camp was located. We had multiple breaks throughout the hike and had lunch on our way up at POS2. The guide and the people who carried food for the entire hike prepared food for us. As a vegan, I had almost the same meal each time (a small portion of rice, veggies sautéed with chili sauce, fruits, etc.) which was fine. I brought my oatmeal (I can’t hike with oats) and snacks (which didn’t last long) to fuel myself. Make sure to bring snacks with you to fuel yourself. Dinner at the campsite was good. We had tempeh (people here call it tempe) curry with rice!
Our campsite was amazing. We were right by the rim of the crater of the volcano, and it felt like we were floating over the clouds. We were above the clouds (that’s how high we were) and we saw the sunset over the mountains, which was nice. The tent was nice and cozy and I passed out as soon as I laid myself in the sleeping bag. I didn’t feel cold at all so I had quality sleep.
Day 2 hiking
We woke up at 1:50 am (we went to bed around 8pm the day before) to hike the summit & to see the sunrise. Other groups started hiking around 2 or 2:30am but our team left the basecamp around 3am after having a quick breakfast.
Hiking on the second day was pretty strenuous. It was uphill all the time, the trail was sandy and I was slipping all the time even with my sturdy hiking shoes on. But we saw stars along our hike as it was still dark, which was really nice. We also saw the sunrise on our way to the summit. I only made it to 2/3 to the summit (couldn’t make it to the very top but I was close 🥲) since my knee was hurting a bit and I knew I would hike for a very long time that day, so I decided to take it easy. We hiked 14 hours total including the breaks/breakfast &lunch, and it was a smart decision to make it to 2/3 to the summit only. I still had a great view; I saw the crater from the top, the villages around Mt. Rinjani, the sunrise on my way up, and the stars along the way. I felt accomplished at the end of the hike.
Heading down was challenging too. Everyone was basically sliding through the sands and a lot of people slipped and fell. I had to put all my pressure on my toes so that I don’t slip on my way down. After the hike, we came back to the entrance of the national park to check ourselves out. I think they are doing head counts so that no one is lost.
Overall, I think it was a fun hike although it was challenging to hike the summit. My group was amazing and it was a great group to hike with. I also enjoyed all the views and camping at night. If you are into hiking with good views, Rinjani mountain is a good option. Highly recommended! If you have more time in Lombok, doing 3D2N (or even longer) hike would be fun too!
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