Guide to Climbing Mt Rinjani, Lombok
- margauxgathy6
- Jun 8
- 4 min read
Mt Rinjani is the second highest volcano in Indonesia, standing at 3,726m. It was one of the most difficult climbs I’ve done. Here is my guide to climbing it, including how to book, everything you need to bring, a play-by-play of this trek, and some of my thoughts as well.
Contents
Booking
You can either book a 2 day 1 night climb, or 3 day 2 night climb, which gives you an extra day hiking in the region and a trip to the hot springs. I booked the 2 day 1 night climb through Senaru Trekking mostly because they included pickups and dropoffs from anywhere in Lombok. It cost $220 (approx. £160) which included food, a hotel the night before the trek, guides, porters, camping equipment, and transfers.
Senaru
You will arrive the day before the trek and get dropped at a hotel in Senaru. I highly recommend going to visit the famous Sendang Gila and Tiu Kelep waterfalls on that day. It costs 20,000 IDR (approx. 90p) to enter the area, and both are absolutely stunning. It’s a very easy 10 minute walk down to Sendang Gila, and then a longer but flat 25 minute walk to Tiu Kelep from there.
There will be people there who will try and tell you that it’s a very difficult trek through the jungle and that you need a local guide, but this is not true at all. It’s a very easy walk and you can’t get lost. There are a couple of river crossings so you will need water shoes, but they aren’t deep at all. At the waterfalls, you’ll get wet with spray, but there’s no opportunity to swim. They are both gorgeous so don’t miss out on the opportunity!
The Trek
The trek started in Sembalun, which is where everyone who aims to summit starts. The first day is tough in the heat, and is a long walk uphill on very slippery and dusty terrain which makes it difficult. It took our group about 7 hours, including a break for lunch and a few other shorter stops.
You’ll arrive to the campsite which is on the ridge, and you can settle into your tent there. It is very basic: no toilets (literally a hole in the ground surrounded by a sheet), and obviously no showers. It’s also very dirty and full of rubbish which isn’t the most pleasant experience (see more of my thoughts on this below). You’ll be given an early dinner and then go to bed as you’ll be getting up early for the summit push.
It will be about 2am when you wake up to go for the summit. It’s very cold and much harder than yesterday. You walk through lots of deep sand and gravel, which makes it very difficult to go uphill. Your mental strength is everything here because it’s honestly the hardest hike I’ve ever done. Unfortunately, I was subject to food poisoning overnight, which meant I could not make it all the way up. I got about two thirds of the way before my body fully gave in, but it will take anywhere from 3-5 hours depending on how fast you are. The view of the sunrise and the crater is beautiful.
If you booked the 2 day trip, you’ll go all the way back down to Sembalun on the second day. This is very tough because it’s so slippery. I fell easily 10 times. You’ll need shoes with very good grip, but even then you will slide around on the dust. It’s exhausting and mentally taxing.
What to Pack
Here is my list of essential things to pack. You will get completely covered in dust so make sure you pack all of this:
Good walking shoes
Snacks
Warm clothes for the night and summit
Wet wipes (for the dust!)
Hand sanitizer
Tissues
Change of socks and underwear
Clean tshirts
Suncream
Mosquito repellent
Head torch
Walking poles: these saved me on the way down! Your trekking organiser will probably have these available to rent.
My Thoughts on Rinjani
Unfortunately my experience on Rinjani was tainted by getting food poisoning, but there were a few other things I also want to highlight. As someone who loves being in nature, Rinjani didn’t give me the same enjoyable experience. It was really, really polluted: plastic waste and food waste lined the entire trail and the rest stops and campsites were absolutely filthy. It really ruined the whole experience for me. I almost feel like I don’t want to support more tourism in the area until they have a solution for dealing with waste on the mountain. This is something to bear in mind when deciding whether to book a climb. There are so many other beautiful places to hike where the environment is not being taken for granted.
If you do decide to try Rinjani, please be sure to not contribute to the problem. Take all of your rubbish out with you, and encourage your guide and porter to do the same. As always, leave only your footprints behind.
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