Mountain Rinjani is the third highest mountain in Indonesia (3,720 m). The community live around believe this mountain save many mysteries. One of the mysteries is the legend of goddess Anjani. She is considered as the ruler and the queen of the mountain Rinjani. They believe that Anjani goddess born from the marriage with a man Goddess Sasaknese Lombok, a certain kind of face is still beautiful and the descendants of King Selaparang. To honor Anjani goddess, the public often holds a religious ritual ceremony on the mountain Rinjani and Segara Anak Lake, with the release of fish-small fish made of gold thin to Lake Segara Anak.
Two routes up the mountain which are Sembalun Lawang route and Senaru Route:
1. Sembalun Lawang Route
Sembalun Lawang is in the east of the mountain. Its lie about 139 kilometres north-east of Mataram. This is a starting point that is usually used by professional climbers, who have all their own trekking gear and don’t need a guide. So if you want to use this trek, you better prepare your stamina and equipment well. It is a long route. And also if you intended to climb to the peak, it is recommended trek but if the final destination is the Segara Anak Lake, you should choose the other shorter route, The Senaru Route.
Climber is recommended to start from Sembalun Lawang in the morning (7-9 am) so the climbers could arrive in the Plawangan II in the afternoon (about 4-6 pm). The trek of Sembalun starts with a gentle ascent walking through open grassland used as cattle grazing by local people. After 2 hours walking, the climber will arrive in Pos 1 Pemantauan (1,300). It’s better to take a rest here for a while. From Pos 1 need about 1 hour to Pos 2, Tengengean (1,500 m). The climber willd enjoy the beautiful views of Mt. Rinjani summit. There is a small river here. You can take some water here. But sometimes the river is dry. So you better prepare your own water. After another hours ascent to Pos 3, Pada Balong (1,800 m). We start the step 3,5 climb amidst the pine-like Casuarinas species locally known as Cemara, perhaps seeing evidence of wild pigs and the long-tailed grey macaque monkeys to the camp site at Plawangan II Sembalun crater rim (2,639 m). You should make a camp and sleep here before climb to the peak of mountain. The best time for climbing is on 2 am so you can enjoy the beautiful sin rise from the peak.
2. The Senaru Route
Senaru is name of a village in the north side that is being one of the starting points for the Rinjani trek. Before climbing you can visit Sendang Gile waterfalls and traditional Sasak housing. There are a number of losmens (small home stays) with cheap price. You can find also many restaurants so that make the village a comfortable place to spend the night before making the climb. It is highly advisable to climb with a guide, a number of whom can be employed as part of a choice of three packages. A 3-day climb includes a guide, a porter, a cook and takes climbers as far as Lake Segara Anak. Sleeping bags, jackets and tents are also part of the package, so climbers barely need take anything. A four-day trek includes the same facilities and takes climbers to the Rinjani summit. Or you can only order the porter alone. Its easier to find those kind of service than in Sembalun.
It is recommended to start in the morning around 7-8 am. Don’t forget to bring plenty water since there no water before you reach the lake. You will take 10 -12 hours to reach the Segara Anak Lake. So it would be great if you have been at the lake before dark since the trek from Plawangan I down to the lake is very dangerous.
It is a half way point, the second resting place is a stone which is called Batu Penyesalan. This marks the place where the trekkers feels a conflict about whether to continue or to turn back because we still have as far to go to our destination as we have already walked. Usually it takes about two hours to walk here from Bunut Ngengkang.
You will enjoy spectacular view from here. The lake and the Baru Jaro Mountain are visible. Besides that, you can see the beautiful of sunset and sun rise from here. Many climbers decide to stay and make a camp here for one night before go down to the lake at the next day in the morning.
Some Interesting Places in Rinjani :
1. Caves
One of the three famous caves (Goa Susu, Goa Payung, dan Goa Manik), Susu Cave is a good place for self reflection and is often used as a place to meditate. The people with unclean and envious mind will have difficulty entering Susu cave which has a narrow entrance, but people with noble and pure mind will easily enter the cave.
Inside the cave water drips from the tip of a stone which looks like a nipple, so people say the water in Goa Susu tastes different. Inside Goa Susu is hot and there is a lot of smoke which looks like cooking steam so people call this Mengukus (hot house) and sometimes people call it Rontgen (X-Ray).
2. Healing Hot Springs
Aiq Kalak means hot water and it is used to cure various deseases. One of the hot springs is named Pangkereman Jembangan which is meant a place for dipping. The water which spurts out of the spring is very hot. Weapons such as keris, swords, big knives, and lances are dipped in the spring to test their magic power. If the weapon becomes sticky it means that the weapon is bad and has no magical power. However if the weapon remain unchanged it means that the weapon has supernatural power and the power and the strength will be increased.
People also use the hot spring to make medicine from coconut cream. After dipping a bottle of coconut cream in the hot spring if the liquid becomes clear oily it can be used as medicinal oil. Then the medicinal oil is used for good things and is called Siu Satus Tunggal or in Bayan language Siu Satunggal which means that it can be used to cure a thousand kinds of diseases.
3. Segara Anak Lake
Segara Anak Lake is so wide it appears like the sea with its blue water. The name Segara Anak means child of the sea. Segara Anak Lake holds various mysteries and invisible power.
People feel content to stay a long time in this place because of the large community of mysterious spirits which live arround the lake. The local people believe that if the lake looks wide when seen at a distance it is a sign they will live to an old age; or if the lake seems narrow it is a sign of a short age. So in order not to be pessimistic, people quickly purify themselves by lifting up their spirits and calm soul and look at the lake contentedly.
In the area of the lake it is forbidden to have sexual intercourse, to complain or say dirty things. We must be patient when facing problems.
4. Eternal Flower or Edelweis
The plant or the flowers should not be taken because it grows in the park and in the mysterious world of the spirit kingdom. In the past, someone who wanted this flower must be brave enough to fight and gamble his soul. That is why the flower is called Sandar Nyawa. The flower has never wilted and is as old as the mysterious spirits.
5. The Peak of Rinjani
The people of Lombok believe that the peak of Mt. Rinjani is where Dewi Anjani, the queen spirit and ruler of Mt. Rinjani lives. To the south-east from the peak in a sea of dust called Segara Muncar is the invisible palace of the queen Dewi Anjani and her followers. They are good spirits. According to a story about the Queen Spirit Dewi Anjani she was the daugther of a King who would not allow her to marry her boyfriend. At a spring called Mandala she dissappeared and changed from the real world to the spirit world.
6. Mount Baru Jari
Gunung Baru is the name of the new volcano which emerged in the center of Segara Anak Lake. People believe that Gunung Baru is the navel of Mt. Rinjani. That is why if Gunung Baru erupted it will not harm the people of Lombok unless the eruption is from the peak of Mt. Rinjani. Some people said that the 1994 Gunung Baru eruption was caused by siprits who were building something because the stones that erupted were arranged in an orderly and attractive way at the foot of Gunung Baru.
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