Published on May, 2024
Amazing trip! Hard, but Rinjani is worth pushing through all types of suffering one faces on the trek - the altitude, the crowds (be sure that you will NOT be alone on the track..), the trash along the path (yup, there is a lot of it unfortunately).
The owner Sultan and his Cakrawala team were effective and no-bulls*it from the moment we got in touch. Transfers, accommodation, park tickets, guides - all was arranged in a couple of messages and execution was flawless. We asked for a 3D 2N group tour to the summit but pretty much ended up with a private one for the price of a group tour (the first day we shared the porters with another two hikers who did the 2D 1N tour, but they had their own guide and went with their own pace).
Food was great and diverse. We had good tents, warm sleeping bags, Beng-Beng energy bars along the way, all the water we could drink, even a table and chairs for lunches and dinners.. Communication with the team was limited due to the language barrier, so no deep conversations happened, but they made us feel safe and certain that we know what we are doing.
We would be happy to do the trek again with Cakrawala, and even more so seeing how some other groups do their thing (especially the large mixed groups with loud or physically poorly prepared individuals). Price-wise we think they deliver unbeatable value for money and in a very kind and professional manner. If you are reading this because you are looking for a tour operator for Rinjani, look no further as Cakrawala is the team you need.
