Might to see on Rinjani

Over 20 villages surround Mt. Rinjani, and there are many routes up the mountain, but the main access is from Senaru in the north and Sembalun Lawang to the east.

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. The long-tailed grey macaque of Kera is common in Lombok, and older males are seen on the crater rim. Rusa deer are forest dwellers and are occasionally seen along the Rinjani trek trail.

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 babi hutan has been foraging. Also found in the forest are the leopard cat, or bodok alas; palm civet, or ujat; and porcupine, or landak.

Various colourful birds live in the forest of the park. The crested cockatoo, which is 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 Casuarina species, Cemara, are 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 it is one of the park's and our best-known subalpine plants. 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 babi hutan has been foraging. Also found in the forest are the leopard cat, or bodok alas; palm civet, or ujat; and porcupine, or landak.

The following stories are a selection taken from a booklet for village guides containing a collection of traditional stories that have been related for generations by the people of Dusun Senaru.

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. We warn the trekkers at this point to be careful of the steep slopes.

Halfway 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 conflicted about whether to continue or 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: One of the three famous caves (Goa Susu, Goa Payung, and Goa Manik), Susu Cave is a beneficial place for self-reflection and is often used as a place to meditate. The people with unclean and envious minds will have difficulty entering Susu Cave, which has a narrow entrance, but people with noble and pure minds will easily enter the cave. Inside the cave, water drips from the tip of a stone, which looks like a nipple, so people say the water in Goa Susu tastes different. Inside Goa Susu is hot, and there is a lot of smoke, which looks like cooking steam, so people call this Mengukus (hot house), and sometimes people call it Rontgen (X-ray).

Healing Hot Springs: The 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. Weapons such as kerises, swords, big knives, and lances are dipped in the spring to test their magic power. If the weapon becomes sticky, it means that it's harmful and has no magical power. However, if the weapon does not change, it indicates that it possesses supernatural power, leading to an increase in its power and strength. 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 the medicinal oil is used for beneficial things and is called Siu Satus Tunggal, or in the Bayan language, Siu Satunggal, which means that it can be used to cure a thousand kinds of diseases.

Segara Anak Crater Lake: Segara Anak Lake is so wide it appears like the sea with its blue water. The name Segara Anak means child of the sea.

Segara Anak Lake holds various mysteries and invisible power.
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 at 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 and calm souls and looking at the lake contentedly. In the area of the lake, it is forbidden to have sexual intercourse, to complain, or to 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 a strawberry. It has a sweet and slightly sour taste and is good to eat when trekkers are hungry and thirsty.

Eternal Flower or Edelweiss The plant or the flowers should not be taken because it grows 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. The flower's name, Sandar Nyawa, reflects this. The flower has never wilted and 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 from 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, she was the daughter of a king who would not allow her to marry her boyfriend. At a spring called Mandala, she disappeared and changed from the real world to the spirit world.

Gunung Baru Jari Gunung Baru is the name of a new volcano that emerged at the centre of Segara Anak Lake. People believe that Gunung Baru is the navel of Mt. Rinjani. That is why if Gunung Baru erupted, it would not harm the people of Lombok unless it was from the peak of Mt. Rinjani. Some people said that the 1994 Gunung Baru eruption was caused by spirits who were building something because the stones that erupted were arranged in an orderly and attractive way at the foot of Gunung Baru.