Climbing to the top of a volcano was one of the many things I wanted to do in Indonesia. I did some research and Mount Rinjani appeared to be one of the many winners. Mount Rinjani is one of the largest volcanoes in Indonesia and dominates Lombok Island. What we did not know was that the hike would not be for the faint hearted.
We were picked up from our bungalow in Senggigi Beach at 05:00 and drove to Rinjani as the sun rose over Lombok. We watched Lombok wake up with more scooters, livestock and people taking to the road. There was a smell of burnt firewood in the air. That same morning ash smell as in many parts of Africa – a smell related to poverty.
The TV-Game of dodging potholes, skinny dogs and overloaded scooters was soon over as we reached the starting point for our hike to the crater rim of Mount Rinjani.
Hiking to the top of Rinjani must be done with an accredited tour operator. They provide you with guides and porters who carry all your sleeping goods and food. These are the rules set out, but I met many solo travelers on a budget who paid their park fee and hiked alone. There is only one way to the top and you don’t need a guide. There’s enough hiker traffic on this route to not get lost or in trouble.
Paying the operator gives you the benefit of not carrying any food, sleeping bags, tents, mattresses or water. The porters carry everything and make this trek seem effortless as they carry the heavy load. All you take is your warm clothes, a camera and some extra’s you might need.
What they don’t give you is the energy required to conquer this mountain. Hiking through a humid rainforest of mud and rain can be tiring. I did not struggle too much but Clementine soon informed me what I think most people think when climbing Rinjani:
“Al-Ber, the more I look at that Mountain, the more I want to vomit!”
It’s an 8 hour hike to the rim of the volcano crater where you set camp for the night. Throughout the hike the guides give you water and prepare meals. Good Indonesian food of fried rice with chicken and some biscuits on the side. There are a few sheltered stop over spots as you make your trip up and the smell of human poo informs you that you will be reaching one of these stopping points soon.
The night was cold, really cold.
“I think I can die now” were Clem’s words as the wind woke us up during the night.
We were up just before sunrise and hiked the last 20 minutes to the top where we were treated with one of the most spectacular views I’ve ever seen. Watching the sunrise over Mount Rinjani made it all worth it. Our tired muscles, dirty bodies, desire to take a civilized shit and lion smelling breath was put on hold as we looked in awe at the beautiful surroundings we found ourselves in.
A filling breakfast and 4 hours later and we were back at the starting point. We did the 2 day hike only to the crater rim at around 2600 meters above sea level, but many hikers take the grueling 3 day hike to the summit of Mount Rinjani at 3726 meters. The weather conditions were perfect with only a little rain. Rinjani was a hike recommended to me and one I can recommend to anyone visiting Lombok.
From the bottom at Senaru it was back on the TV-Game route and off to the Gili Islands to relax and recover.
