Published on Sep, 2024
It's hard to describe the 4 days and 3 nights tour to Mt. Rinjani with words or pictures we (2 people) did with our Guide Al, our two porters Salam and Ajud, as well as with the little brother Mu. Everything was perfectly organized from the start, and communication via Mail and WhatsApp was smooth. We got picked up at the ferry in Lombok, received a briefing for the tour, and checked in to a nearby hotel (HaLoMi Trekker organizes pick-up from anywhere on Lombok, and it's included).
On the first day, we started our trek to BaseCamp, enjoying good talks with Al and the meals our porters prepared for us (always plenty of delicious and nutritious food). The hike to BaseCamp is quite easy; we did not have much training for mountain hiking before as we are from the flat North of Germany, and there are many people who do the hike in sneakers. After a beautiful view and sunset at BaseCamp (Al avoided staying at the overcrowded Camp1 and went straight to Camp5), we started the ascent to the summit at 2 am. It was quite an experience due to a slippery and steep (but safe) climb. The sunrise on Mt. Rinjani (3-4 hours later) at 3721m was 100% rewarding. The ascent is of medium difficulty but due to its sheer length you need willpower. But if you have a guide like ours (ask for Al!), he will support you all the way with BengBeng, water, and pep talks.
After sunrise, we went down for a short breakfast and then further down to the crater lake, where (again) Al and the porters passed by the crowded campsites and prepared the most beautiful place for our camp on the other side of the lake. We were the only tent at that spot, which was mostly free of trash and waste (which is probably the only negative thing to say about the Mt. Rinjani trek). We went swimming in the lake and then to the hot springs (where we were luckily alone for a while). The next day, we did another 3-hour hike to the next camp on another ridge with a beautiful panoramic view and incredible sunset (you can see mountains from Bali and Java even with a cloudy sky). The last day is a nice trek, 3-4 hours all along the jungle. It felt like a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and it’s really hard to express how grateful we are to our guide and porters for all the guiding, carrying, and preparing all of this for us.
Thanks again to HaLoMi Trekker for making this trip such a memorable experience, which we will never forget.
PS: Do the 4 days / 3 nights if you don’t want to rush through all the nice spots!
