Might to See

Mt. Rinjani is surrounded by over 20 villages, and there are many routes up the mountain, but Senaru in the north and Sembalun Lawang in the east are the main access points.

Gunung Rinjani National Park lies within the major transition zone (Wallace), where the flora and fauna of Southeast Asia make a dramatic transition into that which is typical of Australia. The park has a rich variety of plants and animals, although they can be difficult to spot due to the terrain and rainforest cover.

LAKE

Sometimes seen early in the morning is the rare black ebony leaf monkey, known locally as lutung. Lombok is home to the long-tailed gray macaque of Kera, with males frequently spotted on the crater rim. The Rinjani Trek train occasionally encounters Rusa deer, forest dwellers.

The smaller barking deer, or kijang, has an alarm call with a distinct dog-like bark. Look for the disturbed ground where the wild pig or baby hutan has been foraging. Also found in the forest are the leopard cat, or bodok alas; the palm civet, or ujat; and the porcupine, or landak.

In the park’s forest, there are a variety of colorful birds. The crested cockatoo, a species unique to Lombok, is perhaps the park’s most well-known icon. Many of the forest-dwelling animals, insects, birds, civets, and monkeys owe their survival to the wild fig tree, or beringin, as a provider of food and shelter.

The pine-like Casuarinas species, Cemara, is a feature of the grassy higher slopes. Orchids, or anggrek, are also a feature of the grassland areas, as is edelweiss, or bunga abadi, growing above the tree line. It is a beautiful icon of the park and one of our best-known sub-alvine plants.

The following stories are a selection from a booklet for village guides that contains a collection of traditional tales that the people of Dusun Senaru have told for generations.

Andongan Tambing
The first place to rest is where the paths from Senaru and Semokan meet. Andongan Tambing is one of the forest entry gates and the first camp on the Rinjani Trek. We warn the trekkers at this point to be careful of the steep slopes.

Half Way Point (Pos II Campsite)
A stone known as Batu Penyesalan marks the second resting place (Camp II). This marks the place where the trekkers feel a conflict about whether to continue or to turn back because we still have as far to go to our destination as we have already walked.
Usually, it takes about two hours to walk here from Bunut Ngengkang.

Caves
Susu Cave, one of the three famous caves (Goa Susu, Goa Payung, and Goa Manik), is a popular spot for self-reflection and meditation. People with an unclean and envious mind will struggle to enter Susu Cave, which has a narrow entrance, whereas people with a noble and pure mind will easily enter the cave.
Inside the cave, water drips from a stone tip that looks like a nipple, so people say the water in Goa Susu tastes different. Inside Goa Susu, the temperature is high, and a thick layer of smoke, resembling cooking steam, gives rise to the nickname Mengukus (hot house), which is also sometimes referred to as Rontgen (X-ray).

Healing Hot Springs
Hot water, known as Aiq Kalak, serves as a cure for various diseases. Pangkereman Jembangan, one of the hot springs, serves as a place for dipping. The water that spurts out of the spring is very hot. We dip weapons such as keris, swords, big knives, and lances in the spring to test their magical power. If the weapon becomes sticky, it means that it is bad and has no magical power. However, if the weapon remains unchanged, it means that it has supernatural power, and the power and strength will increase.
People also use the hot spring to make medicine from coconut cream. If you dip a bottle of coconut cream in the hot spring and the liquid turns clear and oily, you can use it as medicinal oil. Then, people utilize the medicinal oil for beneficial purposes, referring to it as Siu Satus Tunggal or Siu Satunggal in Bayan, signifying its ability to heal a multitude of ailments.

Segara-Anak Crater Lake
Segara Anak Lake is so wide that it appears to be like the sea with its blue water. The name Segara Anak translates to child of the sea.
Segara Anak Lake holds various mysteries and invisible powers.
People feel content to stay a long time in this place because of the large community of mysterious spirits that live around the lake. The local people believe that if the lake looks wide when seen from a distance, it is a sign they will live to an old age, or if the lake seems narrow, it is a sign of a short age. So in order not to be pessimistic, people quickly purify themselves by lifting up their spirits, calming their souls, and looking at the lake contentedly.
It is illegal to engage in sexual activity, voice complaints, or use derogatory language near the lake. We must be patient when facing problems.

Local Strawberry
This plant grows along the route to Mt. Rinjani. It has thorns like the rose, and the fruit is red like the strawberry. It has a sweet and slightly sour taste, and it is good to eat when trekkers are hungry and thirsty.

Eternal Flower or Edelweis
The plant or the flowers should not be taken because they grow in the park and in the mysterious world of the spirit kingdom. In the past, someone who wanted this flower must have been brave enough to fight and gamble his soul. This is the reason the flower bears the name Sandar Nyawa. The flower has never wilted, and it is as old as the mysterious spirits.

Summit Rinjani
The people of Lombok believe that the peak of Mt. Rinjani is where Dewi Anjani, the queen spirit and ruler of Mt. Rinjani, lives. To the south-east of the peak, in a sea of dust called Segara Muncar, is the invisible palace of the queen Dewi Anjani and her followers. They are positive spirits. According to a story about the Queen Spirit, Dewi Anjani was the daughter of a king who would not allow her to marry her boyfriend. She vanished at a spring named Mandala, transitioning from the physical world to the spirit realm.

Gunung Baru Jari
Gunung Baru is the name of the new volcano that emerged in the center of Segara Anak Lake. People believe that Gunung Baru is Mt. Rinjani’s navel. That is why if Gunung Baru erupted, it would not harm the people of Lombok unless the eruption was from the peak of Mt. Rinjani. Some individuals attributed the 1994 Gunung Baru eruption to spirits engaged in construction, as evidenced by the well-organized and visually appealing arrangement of erupted stones at the base of Gunung Baru.