Category: mountain

Rinjani 3-day trek from Sanaru

A hiking trip for Mount Rinjani in Lombok

This guide is based on a trip I made I made this trip 24th – 27th June (2025).

Rinjani is a semi-active volcano on the Island of Lombok. At 3,729m it’s the highest peak, and towers over the rest of the island on days when it is visible.

A view of the summit obscured by cloud.
A view of the summit obscured by cloud.

There’s a 2 day or a 3 day trek option. With Rinjani 2 day trek option, you spend one night on a lower ridge see the crater lake and the active volcano, then begin your descent back to Senaru in the morning.

With the 3 day trek, you see the crater lake, active volcano, walk down to the lake and hot springs. On the second night, you will walk and camp on a higher altitude ridge at 2,800m. At 2/3am on day 3, your guide will take you and a thousand other visitors up to the summit of Rinjani ,3927m, for Rinjani summit sunrise which is quite spectacular, if you make it up! Believe me, not everyone does.

I can’t think of any reason why you would do the 2 day trek. The 3 day is much harder, but it’s so much more rewarding. 2 days is like eating half an ice-cream then having it whipped out of your mouth as you’re about to take a mouthful.

The prices I’m giving here and all the experience are from the 3 day trek from SENARU. I booked it in Bang Sal, Lombok with my homestay owner.

If you want to, you can book online.

Rinjani trek price

Prices to climb Rinjani
Prices to climb Rinjani

I paid 2,678,000rp (including card fee). This was for the 3 day, 2 night trip going to the summit and crater lake from Senaru. I believe the opening price was above 3 million. Over the course of my travels, I bartered it down to this level. The company I booked with was called ‘Go Rinjani’. Go Rinjani is one of the main tour organisers for Rijani trips.

I didn’t book it directly with the tour company, I did it with one of my homestays. The owner gave me a better price than anyone else was offering.

The price in UK pounds was £127. That includes meals for the 3 days you will be hiking. Breakfast on day one to lunch on day three. You get a tour guide; he will speak English or other languages, (you must check), will talk to you about the hike and deal with any problems or questions. You get one night’s accommodation in a homestay in Senaru and two nights accommodation on the mountain. This is in two man tents. As I was a solo traveller, I got a tent to myself. You also get a sleeping bag. You may be able to hire essential kit, like boots or a jacket from your tour company. You should check with them if you require these items.

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Trip to yellow mountain – Huangshan Hot Springs

You’ll find the Huangshan Hot Springs a short ride down from the west entrance to the park.

Buy a ticket on the bus for 8 yuan. Alternatively , walk down , it’s 1.5km and signposted.
I’d done enough walking for the day.°

Hot Springs Roman Bath
Hot Springs Roman Bath

Best Western – Huangshan Hot Springs

These springs are run by Best Western. A hotel chain that Franchises residences worldwide.
They aren’t the best hotels, but they do have a good general standard. Some of them are in unusual locations, like this one, and the quality is generally good.

There were a selection of 8 different pools, all fed from the natural hot springs at the foot of the mountains. Each spring had a different property introduced by the owner. There was —

Citrus Spring – Infused with lemon and other citrus. The spring was said to introduce the natural vitamin C through the skin. 38°C

Tea Spring – Infused with green tea. Didn’t see any leaves. Felt like a normal spring. Said to aid the dissolution of anti-oxidants in the skin. 40°C.

Sand bath – Basically, pebbles of sand in a deep pool of hot, sulphourus spring water.

Fish Spring – Filled with tiny living fishies. The fishies come up and eat your dead skin. You have to be careful as not to stand on the little blighters when you get in. Tickles at first. This was definitely fun, and something I’ve not seen before. 40°C

Hot Springs Fish Pool
Hot Springs Fish Pool

Hot Spring – Just a normal hot spring. 40°C.

Monkey Spring – Hot with a large monkey pouring out water on the Chinese below… Hot 40+°C.

Roman Spring – In a Roman style. Large and opulent. 38°C

Roman Bath – In a circular ‘bath’ style. 30+°C

As well as the facilities which included a steam room and sauna, (my favorite).

Came out of here feeling a lot better for my soak. Took the taxi down to town which cost another 20 yuan.

Comes well recommended if you happen to be up that way.

Nice.

Trip to Yellow Mountain – Preparing for your trip and getting up the mountain

So…..

This is a journey in several stages.

1) Haul yourself out of bed at 3am.
2) Haul your ass down to the transit interchange. (Almost directly opposite the KFC and NEXT TO THE SINOPEC).
3) Queue for a ticket to catch the bus . You will need to catch a bus into the park this is the only way.

image
“You buy ticket to wicket?!!?”

 

4) Arrive at the park and buy a ticket for the MOUNTAIN and the CABLE CAR , to reach the Goose peak plateau for sunrise.
5) Prepare for some walking…

I walked around most of the sights, but the signs aren’t that good.

Take your own food and water. You’ll be paying out of the nose for these.

Mount Sinai

KML 28.539 33.975

Background

Also known as Mount Horeb. It was here Moses witnessed the burning bush whilst tending Joseph’s flocks. ‘The bush burned but was not consumed’ is the common theme. There are different versions.

Sinai derives from the Semitic, Sin or ‘Sun God’ OR sin-ah, meaning hatred referring to the Jealousy people felt against the Jews. I’ve been to many places where the sun rises, and this isn’t the greatest amongst them.

Definitely a place for reflection.

Moses received the ten commandments here.

Ascent

Mount Sinai is a journey reachable from St. Katherine (town). Where there are a few hotels.

They say that Mount Sinai is best viewed at dawn, when one can wonder at the true spectacle of this desert mountain landscape and the beauty of it all etc. etc.
The truth is, if you attempted in the day, you would suffer heat-stroke, exhaustion or both.

This is a 2 hour, 3 mile jaunt ascent of roughly 1500ft along dusty track followed by steps which last for 700 steps.

Expect to be fit or fast if you want to get there at dawn.

Here are the rewards.

mount sinai @ dawn
mount Sinai at dawn

sinia highest point
chapel at mount Sinai

Descent
Took the descent down the 7,000 step route.

This is the original, steep route, and the one we hear so much about. You will know you are on the right track as you pass through 2 arches.

It descends from the mountain taking in 7,000 rock hewn steps, although I didn’t count them so I can’t be sure where this statistic was coming from.

One thing I can be sure of was there were no Camel trip or attractions to plunder your money on.

I enjoyed the silence and was able to reflect on how Moses must have been thinking in order to wonder up to such a wild and desolate place and what inspired people to hate the Jews so much..

mt-st-katherine_0026
rocky descent, 7000 steps

The chances of death are high. You’re on your own, in every sense. Perhaps more than anywhere else I’ve ever been. But the silence is great. Shame there are so many tourists around :)