Meet Zainal

Most trekking websites show you a mountain. This page shows you a person. Zainal was born in Sembalun, at the foot of Rinjani, and has guided more than 500 treks to the summit. When you book here, he is who you are booking with.

500+
treks guided to the summit
2015
guiding on Rinjani since
Sembalun
born where the trek begins
Zainal, lead guide of Mount Rinjani Adventures, on the crater rim of Mount Rinjani
Zainal on the crater rim

The guide is the difference

Rinjani is not a walk. It is loose volcanic scree at two in the morning, weather that turns in minutes, and a summit push that asks everything you have. On terrain like that, the person leading you matters more than anything else in the package.

Zainal grew up in the village where the Sembalun route begins. He knows the mountain the way most people know their own street: every loose rock, every weather sign, every shortcut that saves an hour when the clouds roll in. He built this operation himself, with a team of guides and porters from the villages around the mountain.

There is no call centre and no reseller in between. Send a booking request and Zainal reads it. Message on WhatsApp and Zainal answers. Climb, and Zainal or one of his senior guides climbs with you.

What you can check

Plenty of operators promise the world online. Rather than stacking badges, here is the concrete, checkable core of who we are.

National park registration
Every guide and porter on the team carries an official TNGR / eRinjani ID card from Rinjani National Park. This is the same card rangers check at the trailhead gate, so you will see it verified in front of you on day one.
Zainal's guide number
ER202508033780, issued by Balai Taman Nasional Gunung Rinjani, the national park office.
Registered business
CV. Mount Rinjani Adventures, registration S.2653KT/WPJ.31/KPO603/2017.
Local association
Member of the local guide and porter association.
Professional training
Part of the team has completed the HPI (Indonesian Tour Guide Association) guide training and holds the certificate. Training places are limited, so more of the team join as new sessions open.
Insurance, checked for real
Travel insurance is a park requirement, and we actually check yours before arranging permits. No policy? The mandatory permit insurance is IDR 290,000, arranged for you.
Reviews with real names
5 stars on Google and TripAdvisor, written by guests you can find. Read them on the reviews page.

You climb with a team

Nobody guides Rinjani alone. Alongside Zainal walks a crew of guides and porters who carry the camp, cook fresh meals on the mountain and set up your tent before you reach it.

Sun is one of the senior team members. He helps lead the treks, looks after guests from start to finish and makes sure everything runs smoothly and safely. Many guests remember him by name, and you will find him in the reviews.

Zainal's trekking group at the Sembalun gate of Rinjani National Park Fresh meal cooked by the porter team at camp on Mount Rinjani Tents set up by the team on the crater rim of Mount Rinjani

Zain and Aman were the best guides I could ever have. I started Rinjani feeling like I made a mistake, but Zain and Aman kept spirits up the entire time.

Zach Hamilton, Google review, June 2026

They fed us really well and made sure we were always taking the safe route. Zain was also always singing and making the atmosphere fun.

Melanie Wong, Google review, July 2026

Thank you again to Zainal and Sun! Can't wait to come back and do the hike again!

Guest review, TripAdvisor

Trek with Zainal

Sending a request is free and commits you to nothing. Zainal confirms your date personally, and you reserve with a small fee that comes off the trek price. Prefer to talk to him first? He answers his own WhatsApp.

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