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.
Sometimes seen early in the morning is the rare black ebony leaf monkey, known locally as lutung. Males of the long-tailed gray macaque monkeys frequently roam the crater rim of Lombok. Rusa deer live in forests and are occasionally seen on the Rinjani trek train.
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 has been foraging. Also found in the forest are the leopard cat, palm civet, and porcupine, or Landak, are also found in the forest.
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 as a provider of food and shelter.
The pine-like Casuarinas species, Cemara, is a feature of the grassy higher slopes. Orchids are also a feature of the grassland areas, as is edelweiss growing above the tree line; it is a beautiful icon of the park, one of the parks, and one of our best-known sub-alvine plants. The smaller barking deer makes an alarm call with a distinctive dog-like bark. Look for the disturbed ground where the wild pig has been foraging. Also found in the forest are the leopard cat, palm civet, and porcupine.
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, located 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. Trekkers should exercise caution due to the steep slopes at this point.
Half Way Point (Pos II Campsite): At the second resting place (Camp II), there is a stone called Batu Penyesalan. This marks the point where trekkers grapple with the decision to continue or turn back, given the distance we still have to cover to reach our destination. Usually, it takes about two hours to walk here from Bunut Ngengkang.
Caves: One of the three famous caves (Goa Susu, Goa Payung, and Goa Manik), Susu Cave is a good place for self-reflection and is often used as a place to meditate. People with unclean and envious minds will have difficulty entering Susu Cave, which has a narrow entrance, but 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 (hothouse), which is also sometimes referred to as Rontgen (X-ray).
Healing Hot Springs: Aiq Kalak means hot water, and it is used to cure various diseases. Pangkereman Jembangan is the name of one of the hot springs, designed for dipping. The water that spurts out of the spring is very hot. The spring tests the magic power of weapons such as keris, swords, big knives, and lances. 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. We utilize the medicinal oil for beneficial purposes, referring to it as Siu Satus Tunggal, or Siu Satunggal in the Bayan language, signifying its capacity to heal a multitude of ailments.
Segara Anak Crater Lake: Segara Anak Lake is so wide that it appears 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 old age, or if the lake seems narrow, it is a sign of a shortage. 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. In the area around the lake, it is forbidden to have sexual intercourse, complain, or say dirty things. 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 You should not take the plant or flowers, as they thrive in the park and the enigmatic 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 southeast 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 in 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. According to some, spirits engaged in construction caused the 1994 Gunung Baru eruption, as evidenced by the orderly and attractive arrangement of erupted stones at the base of Gunung Baru.