APRIL – MAY marks the start of the trekking season at Mount Rinjani, one of the most popular mountains to hike in Lombok Indonesia. The Mount Rinjani trek is infamously known for its beautiful view of the active volcano at the crater rim, that still erupts and gives out smoke till date.
I was glad to be able to do a detour with 2 friends from my Bali trip to Lombok to do the 2 Day 1 Night Mount Rinjani Trek to the crater rim. For those who are more physically fit and active, you may want to consider aiming for the summit, which warning, consist of a lot of scrambling and sandy ‘2 steps forward 1 step back’ climbing.
Love a challenge? Why not consider doing the Everest Base Camp Trek or Kanchenjunga Circuit in Nepal.
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What to expect on the Mount Rinjani Trek
1. Sufficient Pit Stops and Breaks
The hike was a pleasant one, with good amount of pit stops and little breaks by the guides along the way, I believe at least 3 in total. The guide group we signed up with were constantly fed us with lots of little energy bars, biscuits and drinks on top of the yummy lunch and dinner meals provided.
2. Changing Landscapes and Weather
The weather and scenery were constantly changing along the way, which was very interesting to observe, just like my Philippines trek. It can switch from sweltering hot to cloudy to showers on the way up. Thankfully we were all equipped with our outdoor hiking equipment like waterproof jackets/ shoes and bags, if not we and all our items will be soaked.
Hiking can be dangerous, especially high altitude hiking, so always make proper plans to pack your backpacks well before each hiking expedition.
The scenery was also beautiful to observe, from rainforest, narrow dirt paths, walking through long ferns and overgrowth to the higher lands where it is wide expanses of land and big smooth rocky granite pavements.
Before going on your next travel adventure, consider booking Affordable Travel Insurance from US$14 onwards for that peace of mind! 🙂
If you love hiking and want to check out day-hike options within Asia, look no further!
More photos on the way up while climbing up Rinjani Mountain
3. Overnight in our cosy tents on the mountain
It was such a relief to finally reached our final point at the crater rim just before it got dark, where the tents were set up and dinner already cooking. That’s the luxurious bit when you go with a tour guide and a package, where you can just rest your tired bodies and just get ready to be served food, eat and sleep.
Sleeping overnight in our beautiful yellow tent was such a refreshing experience. It reminds me of school days. However, prepare to ‘sleep’ through the night hearing the guide dogs howling and calling out to each other outside your tent door. That was unexpected:/
If you are someone afraid of the cold, remember to bring a pair of warm socks, beanie and extra windproof jacket to survive the night. It does get pretty cold in the middle of the night and in the morning and you do not want to shiver in cold.
Always note not to leave your socks or clothes to dry outside your tent overnight, as the morning dew will soak everything.
4. The Majestic Sunrise on the Mount Rinjani Trek
The morning sunrise was truly spectacular and beautiful. The whole sky was lit up in a golden bronze brown colour and transformed the whole landscape.
5. Yoga moments on the Mt Rinjani Hike
Attempting a yoga dancer pose on the Mount Rinjani Trek. Read about the best photo moments to create.
Thus concludes my post about my great adventure in Lombok hiking to Mount Rinjani Crater Rim. If you are an intermediate to advance trekker, I would highly recommend this hike as it is both rewarding beautiful, and not dangerous at all, compared to some other more risky mountain terrain treks around the world.
6. Preparations to make before the trek
It’s always great to do some training and preparation prior to the hike to make it more enjoyable and not feel overwhelmed by how difficult it is. It can also minimise all the aches and sores you get for days after the trek.
Overall cardio fitness training is always something very good to have, and one should mix up daily running and steps climbing to improve it. Regardless if you are office-based person or constantly traveling for work, you can put in place a training regime even while travelling, you just need to be disciplined and manage your time well as you lead up to your hiking and mountaineering trip.
Loving the Lombok Indonesia Mountains…
Do check out the local tour packages beforehand to see what is available. All hikes on Rinjani mountain needs to be lead by a registered tour operator and cannot be done without one.
What is the best mountains you have climbed? Drop me a beep if you would like to know more about other unique volcanoes like Mayon Volcano at Bicol or outdoor hiking in Asia and all around the world.
6 Comments
heyhoxy
November 29, 2016 at 2:23 amHi Lydia, may I know which tour agent you engaged for this Rinjani trek? thank you.
Lydiascapes Travel
January 5, 2017 at 4:45 amHi Hoxy! sorry for the late revert as I was travelling the whole of Dec!
The company I used was Green Rinjani. They gave a very affordable rate, our guide was lovely and condition of tent/ food was pretty good. Hope you have a great time at Rinjani! Do share the story with me;)
Yannick Lombok
January 21, 2019 at 3:29 amThank you very much for visit Lombok island and climbing Mount Rinjani.
The photoes and article are very amazing.
By climbing rinjani, it is very helpful for us as locals.
More peoples coming means more jobs created for the local people.
Lydia Yang
February 6, 2019 at 10:29 amYes Yannick, the memories in Rinjani with the local guide and porters were truly memorable. I won’t forget it easily.
Image Earth Travel
May 6, 2019 at 11:12 pmGreat post and reminded me (although looks more organised) of when I did this back in 1998 – spent 4 months travelling through Indonesia.
Many thanks for stopping by my Travel and Photography blog.
Lydia Yang
May 9, 2019 at 2:03 pmMount Rinjani was really spectacular wasn’t it Maureen.
The hike was intense, but the view at sunrise was worth it all. Would love to have 4 months to be base in 1 place as well!