After Sumatra and Bali, it was time to move to phase 3 of our Indonesian trip, dedicating a few days to Lombok, the volcanic island sitting just east of the better-known Bali. Although Lombok rivals Bali in beauty, it is known for being a little less touristic and more peaceful. It is nevertheless a large island, with plenty of possible activities and sites to visit, and again we had to make choices about where to spend the few days we had left.
In the end, we decided to go for two highlights — no time to explore off the beaten path. First, a few days of rest in Gili Meno, a tiny island near the north-west coast; then one last adventure hiking to the top of Mount Rinjani, an active stratovolcano reaching over 3,700 metres in altitude, the highest point in the region.
Gili Meno is part of a trio of islands all very well known for their beautiful, calm waters and coral reefs that make for accessible snorkelling. However, they each have a different reputation: to the west, Gili Trawangan — Gili simply means island — is known for its nightlife and loud music; in the middle, Gili Meno is the quietest, with the most beautiful beaches; and to the east, Gili Air is the most developed of the three.
The time in Meno was very enjoyable, even though I came down with a bad flu and needed to rest. You can walk around the whole island in less than an hour, the beach resorts offer good food and drinks, and there is even a freshwater lake with a small but interesting birdwatching area. I photographed a beautiful kingfisher there!
Most of all, though, Meno is a place to snorkel. Just grab fins and a mask and enter the water from the shore. Unfortunately, the part closest to the shore is largely dead white coral — the result, I believe, of irresponsible and excessive tourism. There is not much to see there, aside from the “occasional turtle” (Gili Meno is famous for turtles spotting). Though I did spend a good half hour drifting alongside a huge turtle in shallow water at one point. If you are a confident swimmer, you can venture further out, where the water remains relatively shallow — 5 to 12 metres — warm and without strong currents. There, sandy seabeds alternate with colourful coral reefs, and things are noticeably more alive. That said, it is quite far from the shore, so if you are not confident in your swimming, it is better to join a boat tour that will take you around the best snorkelling spots on the island.
RI JANI — AMAZING AND DANGEROUS
After two days of sun and rest, we were ready for the big hike up Rinjani. We had booked our guides in advance, including transportation from Gili Meno to Sembalun village, one of the starting points for the trek.
We opted for a three-day, two-night trek, which is quite demanding both physically and mentally. There is a lot of altitude to cover in a very short time, the heat is tropical, and the terrain is steep. On the first day, after a 5-hour hike, you reach an incredibly beautiful ridge with a view over the vast volcanic crater, which is also a lake (See featured image). I have climbed many mountains, but this landscape is truly unique. It is cold up there and quite exposed to the wind. Darkness falls, the tiny outline of Bali visible far on the horizon, the sun sinking quickly behind the mountain as the sky keeps changing colour, as if alive.
The alarm sounds at 3am. We get ready to begin the walk towards the summit. It is dark and bitterly cold, and the higher we climb the colder and windier it gets. The path leading up is very sandy — for someone heavy like me, this means three steps forward and two back, which is exhausting. I need to stop frequently to catch my breath. The altitude is not extreme, but we arrived in just one day and are far from properly acclimatised. Still, up we go, through the clouds, the sweat and the pain.
We reach the top earlier than expected — our guide had probably assumed we would be slower. So we wait in the dark and the wind at 3,700 metres, along with all the other freezing tourists, for an hour before the long-awaited sunrise above the clouds. It is grand! Magnificent! And so is the view of the volcanic lake from the summit. Just a few minutes, a few photos, and then we begin our descent back to camp. Going down is much easier and faster, sliding along the sandy slopes.
By the time we reach camp it is breakfast time, around 9am. We eat, the summit behind us but still very much present in our minds, then pack up and set off again. We still have three hours downhill to reach the shores of the crater lake, followed by three hours uphill to the other side of the ridge, where we camp for the second night. In total, we walked for 12 hours, covered more than 2,000 metres of altitude difference, and are utterly exhausted.
On the third day it is a pleasant walk downhill through the greener reaches of the Rinjani National Park, encountering some wildlife along the way and enjoying the warmth of the tropical sun once more. High peaks are thrilling, but the middle elevations — where nature is alive, the climate is bearable, and animals are all around — are a joy in their own right. What a beautiful and unique place!
Mount Rinjani was without a doubt a remarkable adventure. However, a terrible accident occurred the very day after our summit. A Brazilian girl became separated from her group while hiking towards the top, and for reasons unknown, she fatally fell from the path down the mountainside. She was part of a group of more than 20 people — a classic backpacker tour — with only one guide. We had come across many young men and women during our hike; Rinjani is a popular destination for tourists in Indonesia, particularly the younger crowd.
But many of them were clearly poorly prepared, without proper mountain equipment, and insufficiently guided. One guide cannot look after 20 people — it is simply impossible. Moreover, if something goes wrong, as in the case of that poor Brazilian girl, these guides are completely ill-equipped to respond. They carry no ropes or climbing equipment whatsoever. They know the route, which is easy enough to follow as there is only one path — not a particularly exposed or technically difficult one either. The problem is not the route itself; it is a matter of safety, and of money.
The only way to recover the girl was by helicopter, which in that case was severely delayed by bad weather — weather conditions that had not been taken into account. Needless to say, this is because factoring them in would cost these tour operators money: money for the agencies, money for the guides, money for the porters, who are, broadly speaking, poor families in need of income. Money made through tourism, and with a profound disregard for danger. Mountains are unforgiving of this kind of behaviour.
I did not follow what happened afterwards. I believe the authorities closed Rinjani to tourists for a few days, conducted some kind of investigation, and then everything went back to business as usual. I am not sure there is an easy solution — better-trained guides, stricter safety rules including closure during bad weather forecasts, limits on group sizes, a maximum number of people per guide, and so on? Probably the best thing is simply to be aware of the situation and try to be a responsible traveller. This applies to matters of sustainability and the preservation of nature and wildlife, but also to personal safety. Be prepared, for instance, to pay a little more to join a small group with a dedicated guide for two to four people, and to approach any mountain adventure with properly equipped for all scenarios.
Our holiday came to an end. We spent our last night in Lombok at a resort on the west coast, for one final look at the sea and at that red ball of fire sinking into it. The following day we flew back to Jakarta, and then home to Europe.
