Senaru - Pelawangan I (Gn. Rinjani crater rim) (Tropical approach)

Access to starting point:
The village of Senaru is located in the northern part of Lombok island in Indonesia (east of Bali). The trail begins at the end of the road in Senaru village.

Route description:
The trail from Senaru village is known as the tropical approach. The trekking adventure usually starts in the late morning hours at the Rinjani trek centre at the top of the road in Senaru village at approx. 600 m above sea level. Upon entering the national park, one must sign in and pay the entrance fee (approx. 10 euros per person per day). Due to our late departure time, the first hour of ascent was really hellish, as it took place in the heat and 100% humidity. The trail otherwise reaches supply point POS I at 934 m after the first hour. In this initial section of the trail, I pulled a stick from the jungle, which was very useful to me for the next 3 days of hiking. The trail then ascends somewhat more steeply and after 2 hours reaches POS II at 1500 m, where groups usually stop for a snack and a short rest. The temperature here is already more tolerable. There are numerous macaque monkeys in the forest that lurk for food scraps. From here on, the forest begins to thin out barely noticeably, but it is still quite dark, as dense clouds begin to gather at this elevation depending on the time. In case of rain, it is not wise to touch tree trunks (and other vegetation), as I got a leech that way on a hike 85 km away during the ascent of Gunung Agung on Bali island. Anyway, after two hours of walking from POS II, the forest suddenly disappears, just like that without a gradual transition to conifers. The world here is dominated by tall grass and here and there a bush. Already after the next 5 minutes, one reaches POS III at an elevation slightly above 2000 m. The trail ahead is initially relatively flat, later increasingly steep, until reaching the very edge of the crater at around 2640 m, where the night is spent in tents. The area is called Pelawangan I. The trail to the crater rim greatly resembles the trail to Stol from Breginj, as the distant ridge is visible for more than one hour. Visiting the crater rim already on the current day is a mandatory part, although the air is much more filled with mist than in the morning. From the crater rim opens the view of the gigantic crater of dimensions 6 km x 8.5 km, which descends 600 m in depth to the huge turquoise lake named Segara Anak, which translates to “Child of the Sea”, as the lake got this name due to its color that resembles the sea.

Along the route: POS I (934m), POS II (1500m), POS III (2027m)

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