Mount Rinjani

Welcome to Mount Rinjani, the majestic soul of Lombok and the second highest volcano in the Indonesian archipelago. As we stand here at the edge of Sembalun village, the starting point for many intrepid trekkers, we are preparing…

We have now entered the lower slopes of the mountain, a sprawling expanse of open savanna that characterizes the Sembalun approach. Notice how the tropical sun beats down upon these rolling, golden hills, largely unmitigated by…

We have finally arrived at the Pelawangan Sembalun crater rim, our high altitude encampment situated at roughly two thousand six hundred meters above sea level. The physical relief of reaching this plateau is almost immediately…

The hour is two a.m. The ambient temperature hovers near freezing, and the wind chill is frequently severe, sometimes generating gusts up to sixty miles per hour. …

Having successfully navigated the rapid, sandy descent from the summit and dismantled our high camp, we have plunged six hundred vertical meters down into the heart of the caldera itself. We are now standing on the shores of Lake…

Just a short, undulating hike away from the main shoreline of Lake Segara Anak, we arrive at one of the caldera's most celebrated features: the Aik Kalak hot springs. After days of intense physical exertion, battling dust, sweat,…

For our final descent, we have selected the Torean route, a pathway that diverges drastically from the barren, alpine environments we have previously navigated. As we exit the caldera through a dramatic breach in the crater wall,…

We have finally arrived at the conclusion of our expedition, standing at the trailhead in Torean village. Your boots are undoubtedly covered in a mixture of volcanic dust and jungle mud, and your muscles are likely voicing their…