Gunung Rinjani rises from the north of the island and is visible from almost everywhere on Lombok, and from Bali on a clear day. Inside its summit caldera lies Segara Anak, a crescent-shaped lake at about 2,000 metres, with hot springs on its shore and the still-active cone of Gunung Barujari rising from the water. The whole massif is protected as Gunung Rinjani National Park and is part of a UNESCO Global Geopark.
For Lombok’s Sasak people and for the island’s Balinese Hindu community the mountain is sacred, and pilgrims still walk to the lake to pray and bathe in the springs. For visitors it is the island’s great adventure: a two- to four-day trek with a licensed guide and porters, to a crater rim with the lake below or to the summit for sunrise.
Senaru is the green, village-lined road that climbs the northern flank to the park gate. Even without trekking it is worth a day or a night for its two waterfalls, a traditional Sasak hamlet and the old thatched mosque at nearby Bayan. The eastern trailhead, the high valley of Sembalun, has its own guide.
Highlights
- Sunrise from the 3,726 m summit, with Bali’s Mount Agung and Sumbawa on the horizon
- The first view of Segara Anak lake from the Senaru crater rim
- A soak in the hot springs beside the lake after a long descent
- Wading upriver to the curtain of water at Tiu Kelep
- The 15-minute stroll down to Sendang Gile, Lombok’s easiest big waterfall
- Bayan Beleq, the thatched mosque at the heart of the Wetu Telu tradition
In pictures: Mount Rinjani & Senaru
How long to stay and where to base yourself
For the waterfalls alone, Senaru works as a long day trip from Senggigi or the north coast, but a night in the village makes it far more relaxed — you can walk to Sendang Gile before the tour groups arrive. Trekkers usually sleep in Senaru or Sembalun the night before starting; most packages include that night and the transfer.
Typical trek lengths are 2 days, 1 night to a crater rim (or, for very fit walkers, to the summit), 3 days, 2 nights for summit, lake and hot springs, and 4 days for a gentler full traverse. Plan an easy beach day afterwards.
Senaru’s guesthouses line the main road; the higher ones have views over the valley to the sea. Expect simple rooms, cool nights and early starts.
