Everything you eat and drink on this mountain is already carried up for you. All meals, snacks, fresh fruit, hot drinks and drinking water sit inside the package price, and the porters cook fresh at camp. You do not need to bring food, and you do not need to carry it either. The one thing we do need from you is a clear note about your diet, because the team shops for the trek before you ever reach the trailhead.
What is on the table
The catering side of the trek in six lines, before we get into the detail of diets and allergies.
What you actually eat up there
A cooking crew walks up the mountain with you, and by the time you arrive at camp a kitchen has appeared: a stove going, pots out, and a meal being cooked from ingredients they carried themselves.
Your porters cook fresh on the mountain: rice, noodles, vegetables, eggs, fruit, and plenty of it. On the shared trek you get three meals a day, plus snacks, fresh fruit and hot drinks. A two-day trek is shorter than two full days of walking, so the count follows the time you actually spend on the mountain rather than the calendar.
The team carries the stove, the pots, the plates and the cutlery as well, so there is nothing to set up and nothing to wash. You walk, they cook.
"It was nothing short of a miracle how they managed to cook such fantastic food in the middle of the mountain. The porters were also incredibly friendly and hardworking, making sure we had everything we needed, from a cozy tent to a small camping bathroom. Every detail was taken care of."
What the package covers, and what stays with you
The kitchen is ours. Your medication and your dietary note are the two things only you can bring.
Carried and cooked for you
- All meals. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, freshly prepared by the team.
- Fruit and hot drinks. Fresh fruit and hot drinks at camp.
- Drinking water. We carry your drinking water for you, the whole way up and the whole way down.
- Cooking gear. Stove, pots, plates, cups, cutlery.
- Special diets. Vegetarian, vegan, halal and gluten-free, arranged in advance.
Yours to sort out
- Your own medication. Antihistamines and an adrenaline pen if you carry one.
- A clear note when you book. Written down, not mentioned in passing at the gate.
- A refillable bottle. The team tops it up at camp.
Vegetarian, vegan, halal, gluten-free
All four are ordinary requests on this mountain, and the kitchen deals with them the same way it deals with everything else: by shopping for them before anyone starts walking. Tell us once and it is taken care of.
Vegetarian and vegan turn up in our booking notes regularly enough that the kitchen treats them as normal. Nobody needs to eat around a menu built for someone else, and you do not need a private trek for a dietary preference. Halal and gluten-free meals can be arranged in the same way. The only condition is that we know in advance, because the shopping happens before the trek starts and there is no shop at 2,641 metres.
Allergies, and the fish nobody warns you about
Nuts, dairy and the rest can be worked around. The one that catches people out is fish, because of where it hides.
Tell us clearly what you react to and the kitchen cooks around it. Nut and dairy allergies are the ones we see most, and both are workable when we hear about them at the time of booking.
Fish and shellfish need one extra warning. Indonesian cooking uses them in places you would not think to look, so a plate that has no fish on it can still have fish in it:
- Fish sauce. A base ingredient in a lot of cooked dishes.
- Terasi. Shrimp paste, and a standard ingredient in sambal rather than an optional one.
- Krupuk. The crackers served alongside rice, usually made on a prawn base.
If you are allergic to fish or shellfish, say those words when you book. A general note about allergies is easy to read as "no fish on the plate", and that is not the same thing.
A preference and a serious allergy are not the same request
Both are welcome. They just need a different setup, and it is worth knowing which one you are asking for before you pick a trek.
A dietary preference
Vegetarian, vegan, halal, gluten-free, or simply not eating something. The kitchen cooks around it on any trek, shared or private, as long as it is in your booking notes.
- No need to change your trek
- Guide and porters briefed before you leave
- You eat with everyone else
A severe allergy
On a private trek the team shops and cooks only for your group, so the allergen never comes up the mountain in the first place. On a shared trek the kitchen cooks for the whole group at once. Cooking separately is possible, but private simply removes the risk instead of managing it.
- Nothing containing the allergen is bought
- No shared pans, no cross-contact
- Private also means your own group, not solo
Private does not mean alone. It means the trek is yours and no strangers join, so a couple or a group of friends counts. The cost page shows what the difference works out at per person.
Bring your own medication, and show it to your guide
One small habit on day one that makes a bad moment much less bad.
Whatever you normally carry for a reaction, bring it: antihistamines, an adrenaline pen, anything prescribed. Then show your guide where it is on day one, before you start walking. The mountain is remote, and we would rather be over-prepared. It takes twenty seconds and it means somebody other than you knows which pocket to reach into.
The Rinjani preparation kit
I wrote down everything I’d tell you in person: training, timing, and the summit push, hour by hour. Free.
Inside: whether you can actually do this, the month I would pick, how to train for it, and the summit push step by step.
The kit is on its way to your inbox. Sometimes it lands in spam.
Zainal, your guideTen years of walking people up this mountain, written down.
Drinking water
We take care of your water. It is carried for you from the first morning to the last, and it is already in the price you pay.
Drinking water is part of every package, and bottled water can be provided if you would rather have it. Hot drinks come with meals at camp. Bring a refillable bottle and the team fills it up when you stop. One rule holds for everyone: do not drink untreated water from the streams or rivers on the mountain, however clean it looks.
How to tell us
When you send a booking request there is a field where you can leave a note for Zainal about your diet or your allergy. He reads it himself, and he passes it on to the guide and the porters before anyone starts shopping.
You will find it on the last step of the booking request, under Anything we should know. Write it in plain words, the way you would say it out loud, and do not worry about keeping it short. A vegetarian who also avoids dairy is easier to cook for than a note that just says no meat.
Sending a request is free. Zainal confirms your date, usually the same day, and then you reserve with a USD 30 deposit per person that comes off the price. The rest is cash to your guide on Lombok. And changing your date afterwards is free. And if you would rather talk it through first, or something comes up after you have booked, you can always message Zainal on WhatsApp. Mention your booking reference if you already have one, so he knows which trek you are on. With a severe allergy that conversation is worth having, and he will tell you honestly whether a shared trek works for you.
Frequently asked questions
Is food included on the Mount Rinjani trek?
Yes. Every trek package includes all meals on the mountain, plus snacks, fresh fruit, hot drinks and drinking water. On the shared trek that is three meals a day. Porters carry the food and the cooking equipment up and cook fresh at camp, so nobody has to bring their own food.
Can you cater for vegetarians and vegans on Rinjani?
Yes, and it is routine. Vegetarian and vegan meals turn up in the booking notes regularly and the kitchen handles them without any fuss. You do not need a private trek for a vegetarian or vegan diet. Just put it in the notes when you send your request so the guide and the porter team are briefed before you set off.
Can you cater for halal, gluten-free and food allergies?
Yes. Vegetarian, vegan, halal and gluten-free meals can all be arranged when you tell us in advance. Allergies such as nuts or dairy can be accommodated too, but you have to say so clearly when you book, because the team shops for the trek before you reach the trailhead.
What hidden ingredients should I watch for with a fish or shellfish allergy?
Three things that are easy to miss in Indonesian cooking. Fish sauce, which turns up in cooked dishes. Terasi, a shrimp paste that is a standard ingredient in sambal. And krupuk, the crackers served with rice, which are usually made on a prawn base. Say the words fish and shellfish explicitly when you book, not just the word allergy.
Should I book a private trek if I have a severe allergy?
We recommend it. On a private trek the team shops and cooks only for your group, so the allergen never comes onto the mountain at all. On a shared trek the kitchen cooks for everyone at once. Cooking your food separately is possible, but private simply removes the risk instead of managing it. For an ordinary dietary preference, a shared trek is perfectly fine.
Is drinking water provided on the Rinjani trek?
Yes. Drinking water is provided throughout the trek and is part of the package price, along with hot drinks at camp. Bottled drinking water can be provided as well. Bring a refillable bottle and the team tops it up at camp. Do not drink untreated water from streams or rivers on the mountain.
Got a diet we should know about?
Send a free request with your dates and put it in the notes. Zainal reads every one and will tell you straight whether a shared trek works for you or whether private is the safer call.