Gunung Rinjani

Description of peak:
Gunung Rinjani, 3726m, is the second tallest mountain / volcano in Indonesia and a picturesque symbol of the island of Lombok. The mountain can also be seen from the Bali island, which is located 85 kilometers away.







Mt. Rinjani is an active stratovolcano in the area of the Pacific ring of fire and on the edge of the Australian tectonic plate. The view on the summit is awesome. In the west, the prominent Bali volcano can virtually be seen above the distant horizion, Gilli islands look so tiny (even smaller as they really are), and in the east Sumbawa island opens up. Rinjani is sacred to Hindus and Sasaks, along with Bali's Gunung Agung and Java's Bromo (this volcano woke up again in July 2016). Sasaks ascend Rinjani the year around but usually at the time of the full moon.







Rinjani's caldera is also a spectacular sight. It is between 6 and 8,5 km wide with a turquoise lake inside it. The lake itself is 200 meters deep, its surface is 2000 meters above the sea level. The crater rim is 600 meters higher than the lake (at basecamps Pelawangan I and II). The mountain's newest cone (Gunung Baru) appeared a few hundred years ago and is now rising from the center of the lake some 300 meters above it (so it is still well below the rim). According to scientific literature, Rinjani used to be 5500 meters high, until the biggest volcanic explosion in the last 2000 years shook the world in 1257 A.D. and started a mini ice age in the decades and centuries afterwards. In the recent history many smaller eruptions occurred, e.g. in 2010, 2009, 2004, 1995, 1990, 1966 and in 1945 when the world's record lava flow was measured by Global vulcanism program.







A 10 euro fees (IRD 150.000) need to be paid at the entrance to the "Taman Nasional Gunung Rinjani / Mt Rinjani National Park". If you book a tour, the fee is included in the price. The organised tour costs around 120 euros per person in a group of 5 to 10 people (for a three day trip that includes a guide, porters, water, food, spending two nights in the tent at the crater rim, spending one night in Senaru or Sembalun, a transportation to a desired location in Lombok).







In general, two approaches lead to the summit. The tropical forest approach begins in Senaru at 600 meters of altitude. The other is the savannah approach from Sembalun Lawang village at 1150 meters of altitude. A three day tour is usually a combination of both approaches, along with a lake visit and with soaking the weary bodies in the hot springs at 45 degrees C. Occassionally a (friendly) dog joins the group. Makaki monkeys are more temperamental and seek opportunity to wreck havoc upon personal belongings of an unaware travellers. Monkeys come to the crater rim during the day, but they never stay there to spend the night (they find it too cold).







The best time for a hike to the summit is in the dry season (from May to September). There is no snow on the summit, but the temperature can fall to near zero in the night time but never bellow freezing. Wind can also be quite strong.

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