What's it like climbing Mt. Rinjani
• Best month to climb Mount Rinjani is between May to December as they are the dry season
• There are two different routes to hike Mount Rinjani. One route starts from Senaru, the other starts from Sembalun.
• You can choose how many nights you want to stay on the mountain depending on your fitness level. The longer the program, the easier it is on you. The minimum is one night.
Day 1
• The day of the hike you might feel overwhelmed as there are many people at the starting point; hikers, guides, porters, and local people all at the same area. Your guide will be the one getting the ticket for you at the starting point.
• We start the hike (Senaru) at around 9am. It starts out relatively easy. Walking in dry grassland (savannah feel) gradually ascending. Porters carrying maybe 20 kg per person walking pass you on flip-flops with loud music playing on their portable speakers
• The heat comes quickly as the sun is making its way up overhead
• After 3 hours you will arrive at the first shelter. You will have lunch there. There are some vendors selling drinks as well as toilet at this spot
• After lunch break the climb gets immediately challenging. You feel the elevation right away
• There are a few more places you can have a rest along the way up to the crater rim where your porter will set up camp for you
• Be careful of the monkeys around the campsite area as they are looking for food and can be quite sneaky and aggressive
• On the crater rim, the temperature drops down to around 10 degree Celsius and lower during the night
• There is one last vendor in the area. Last chance to get your cold Bintang to sip while you enjoy the sunset over the crater
• Early bed time after dinner as we would have to get up at 2am the next day. It gets very cold at night. I need 3 layers of clothing to be able to sleep
Day 2 (Summit Day)
• The day starts at around 2am. We eat a hot noodle soup and get prepared to head out for the summit. Take only what you need. Maybe a small pack with water and snacks
• We turn the head lamp on and start the journey
• The first section of the hike is pretty much just you climbing tree roots in volcanic sand and it only goes up. Trekking poles become a bit of a burden at this stage as you need two hands to grip onto the trees most of the time
• Once you manage to get to the second section you will get a bit of a breather at the beginning as the trail gets a bit flatter with rocky terrain
• But as soon as you get to the third and last section, here comes the mental game. It is nicknamed 'Zombie slope' for a reason. You are now on a 45 degree angle slope of volcanic sand. Each time you take a step, you slide down. You naturally get into a meditation state where you just have to focus on your steps the whole way up until you reach the summit
• This is the point where several people give up. It took me maybe 2 hours to get through this last section
• Once you are on the summit. You can enjoy the sunrise and a breathtaking paranoic view of a beautiful blue lake inside the crater as well as the whole Rinjani national park
• After taking it all in. You make your way down the same way and go back to the camp to have a well deserved meal!
• After this meal and an hour of us hanging around and packing up, we make our way down to the lake. This takes maybe another 3 hours or so
• As you used up all the energy summitting in the morning, this part can get pretty rough on you legs and knees. A lot of this trail is you walking down a rocky terrain. Your legs will start to shake. Take your time!
• The team set up camp next to Lake Segara Anak and we can relax and decompress at the waterfall and a hot spring nearby
• We go to sleep under a star filled night sky
Day 3
• For typical 3D2N program today is the day people make their way out of the mountain but since we opt for 4D3N today we continue our way deeper in the mountain. We continue to Torean
• The trek today is relatively moderate. A lot of ups and downs. There are some parts with ladders to climb. A lot of ups and downs. There are some parts with ladders to climb. Monkey at the lunch spot of course and small hot spring to soak your feet
• This route is scenically breath taking. It is one of the most beautiful landscape I have ever seen. You are walking in the lush green grassland. Walking through rivers and ravines. You are literally in Jurassic park. So pristine!
• Today is the longest day of trekking/hiking. We arrive at our final campsite at 7pm ready to take our shoes off
• Celebrate our journey over the last dinner in the jungle
Day 4
• Today is super easy 2 hour trek through the jungle and coffee plantation to the final destination, Torean village
• You can hire a motorcycle taxi to shorten your trek for one hour
• Our transport waits for us at the finish line ready to take us out of the mountain, get our luggage and to our next hotel
Tips
• The program of 4D3N via Torean is highly recommended. You get to see more than the mountain. You get to enjoy the lushes forest you will ever see
• Do not underestimate the difficulty of this hike. You need some condition training to be able to do this hike and avoid injuries
• I recommend bringing hiking sandals for the day in Torean to help decrease the friction between your toes and the hiking boots
• You can leave your luggage that you don't need with the tour and pick it up after the trip
• We booked everything through Yannick Trekker. They arrange everything; all transport, accommodation on the night before the hike, porters and guides including all meals in the mountain
• Pack for cold weather for the summit day. It is very cold and windy. A down jacket and a beanie come in very handy
• Please tip the guides and porters as they work really hard carrying all things, setting up camp, and cooking for you
• The meals that are cooked for you are simple meals but delicious. A lot of mii goreng and tempeh. Also lots of chocolate wafer snacks along the way.
• If you are not too much of a picky eater, you will be fine. If you do have diet restrictions, tell them in advance (when booking) so they can plan the meals out for you.
• You pay everything at the end of the trip
• Please make sure you don't leave any trash behind on the mountain or in the jungle. As much as it is beautiful, I was surprised how much trash are there in the mountain
• After sleeping in a simple accommodation and in a tent for 3 nights straight, we chose to stay in Novotel after the hike to reward ourselves
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