Four options are available to anyone interested in visiting Gunung Rinjani National Park: (1) 1N/2D to the crater rim, (2) 2N/3D to the rim and the lake, (3) 2N/3D to the summit, and (4) 3N/4D to the summit, up from Sembalun Lawang, down to the lake and ending at Senaru.

16 of us from different parts (Penang, Ipoh and Klang Valley) of Peninsular Malaysia flew to Bali Island on 24.07.2007. From there we flew by Trigana Air to Lombok Island. The flight only took 19 minutes. We were then transferred from Selaparang Airport in Mataram to Senaru Village 76 km away, putting up a night at Segara Anak Lodge.

We had signed up for a 3N/4D package to climb Mt. Rinjani.

After an early breakfast on 25/07, we left in 2 jeepneys for Sembalun Lawang. Our porters left earlier in another vehicle with our food, cooking utensils, camping gear and our baggage. We registered ourselves at the Gunung Rinjani Information Centre in Sembalun Lawang before getting to the trail head to start trekking at 09:15 hrs. It was a very pleasant walk through savannah with Gunung Rinjani looming majestically in front of us with a veil of clouds at its waist. We stopped for lunch on the dry river bed beneath a concrete bridge. After that the trail became steeper and steeper until we reached the crater rim at 2,725m a.s.l., 8 hours after we started. Sembalun Lawang was about 1,000m a.s.l.

We camped on the crater rim. Sitting in our tents to rest our tired bodies, we were rewarded for our effort with a spectacular sunset over a sea of clouds within the crater.

On 26.07, 12 of us got up at 02:00 hrs and started to climb the last stretch for the summit at 03:00 hrs. 4 of our team-mates decided to stay at the crater rim. It was a most energy-sapping climb right from the beginning as the steep slope was covered with a thick layer of scree and for every step we made we slipped back half a step. We reached a higher point on the crater rim at 04:15 hrs. The trail became gentler from there onwards but was still full of scree.

At 06:00 hrs we were still struggling against gravity when the sun broke through the clouds and lit up the crater lake Segara Anak and the small volcanic cone (Gunung Baru) in it. Some of our team-mates were so tired that they decided to give up and turn back. Only 5 of us made it to the peak. I was the last among the 5 to make it to the peak and I had only 15 minutes to make my pictures and enjoy the views before joining my friends on the downward journey at about 08:30 hrs.

Going down was much easier and faster. Following the advice of our guides, we took big strides and allowed ourselves to slide with the movement of the scree, using our walking pole for support to prevent ourselves from falling. In spite of the caution, however, I still fell a few times and dirtied my pants and bruised my left hand.

We took less than 2 hours to get back to our camp at 10:30 hrs. It had taken me more than 5 hours to reach the peak. Breakfast was waiting for us. We had lunch at 12:30 hrs and started to go down the inner slope of the crater at 13:20 hrs, reaching our campsite beside the crater lake Segara Anak at 17:00 hrs. The level there was about 2,000m a.s.l.

There was a hot spring about 10 minutes’ walk from the campsite and some of us went there to soothe our aching muscles in the pools.

Dinner was ready at 19:00 hrs. The air temperature dropped rapidly after sunset and it was cold at night. Not even the surreal atmosphere of a most serene lake under bright moonlight could lure us out from our tents.

We spent the morning of 27.07 enjoying the beauty of the surrounding and watching local anglers going about their business. Deciding that we should reward ourselves with a better meal after the effort we put in thus far, we paid our guide Rp150,000 to buy 3 large carps from one of the anglers for our lunch.

After our lunch, we started trekking again at 12:30 hrs going round to another side of the lake and then climbing up the inner slope following a different route, reaching the rim after 3 hrs 30 mins. We had a spectacular view of the crater lake and Gunung Baru on one side and Gunung Agong on the other. Gunung Agong is the highest peak on the neighbouring Bali Island.

From the rim it was downhill all the way towards Senaru, but the initial stretch was not easy as we encountered scree again on the trail. We reached Position 3 (2,300m a.s.l.) at about 18:00 hrs and we camped there for the night.

On 28.07, we had breakfast at 06:30 hrs under the watchful eyes of several long-tailed macaques on the adjacent trees. We started our last day of trekking at 07:15 hrs. The going was much easier than before and we were mainly walking in thick forests. We encountered quite a number of trekkers, both local and foreign, going in the opposite direction.

We reached the entrance gate of Gunung Rinjani National Park at 11:30 hrs and had our lunch there. The altitude there was about 800m a.s.l.

We reached Rinjani Trek Centre at 13:20 hrs. Except for 3 who decided to go back to the Segara Anak Lodge, we walked on to visit Sindang Gila Waterfall not far away, and thence to Tiu Gelep Waterfall some distance away, following an irrigation canal.