Indonesia
Climbing the non-forgiving Rinjani volcano
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Johan Kruseman
Updated on 22 August 2024
Updated on 22 August 2024
Indonesia, without claiming this is a unique poetic discovery, I would call the land of islands and volcanoes. From Gili Air, a small paradise island perfect for snorkeling, cocktails, and tuna steak, Mount Rinjani, a continuously smoking, sometimes active volcano, beckoned. One day, I looked from my beach chair at this mighty volcano, and the next day, I looked down from its summit at a tiny island where presumably another traveler had taken my place on the beach chair, thinking about tomorrow.
The journey began with a minivan, and upon arriving at the foot of the volcano, the man next to the driver started walking without saying a word. We assumed he was our guide and decided to follow him. After a long trek, he started setting up tents on top of the mountain, and it turned out it had been a good decision to follow him, as he assigned each of us a tent. The mat inside the tent was so thin that you couldn‘t tell if you were lying on it or next to it, but we didn‘t miss much sleep because at 2:00 AM the man woke us up. After not sleeping for five hours and having a princely breakfast of three biscuits and tea, we were prepared for the final stretch: a 2.5-hour climb uphill in the pitch dark, gaining 1,000 net meters in altitude. Due to the challenging terrain, it felt like climbing 2,000 meters. Those who made it in time were treated to a sunrise at the top, with the shadow of the volcano projected in the clouds... and frozen toes. After taking hundreds of selfies, we were able to slide down the long ash slope on the other side of the peak: with each step you took, you easily slid the same distance, transforming the gross altitude difference of 2,000 meters into a comfortable 500.
Back at our basecamp, we got hit with an unpleasant surprise – we had to descend and climb another 600 meters on the same day to reach a halfway hot spring. Normally, you wouldn‘t get any cleaner from that deep yellow-green sulfuric volcano water, but after a few hours of stomping through volcanic ash, we were covered in black from head to toe. My leg muscles almost killed me when they realized we had to leave the bath shortly after for another two hours of climbing and descending. While other groups stayed by the lake, we ended up doing most of what you‘d usually do on day 3. The next day, it became clear why: our guide wanted to be on time for Friday prayers. We had more than enough time, which meant a long Friday rest for the non-believers.
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Traveled route: Bali, Denpasar, Buleleng, Boengkoelan, Gili Air, Lombok, Pemenang, mount Rinjani, Komodo Island, Flores, Labuan Bajo, Sumatra, Medan, Bukit Lawang, Banda Aceh, Pelabuhan Balohan, Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Imogiri Pine Forest, Borobudur Temple, Malang, Mount Bromo, Ijen, Banyuwangi, Surabaya
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