You do not need to plan this months ahead. From Bali, the Gili Islands or anywhere on Lombok, the earliest you can start walking is two days from now. You send a request today, Zainal reads it and confirms the date himself, usually within a day, and the deposit link follows after that. Below: which days it actually costs you, how you get back afterwards, which groups still have space, what it costs, and what happens if you turn up with a backpack full of shorts.
The days it actually costs you
There are two moments when the mountain itself decides. The park closes every wet season so the ecosystem can recover, normally 1 January to 31 March, with shorter closures around Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. The park publishes the exact dates itself, so check with us before you count on a date near those. And the booking system will not take a start date sooner than two days from today. Inside that, this is the whole sequence.
So the 2-day summit trek takes three days out of your trip, and the 3-day summit, lake and hot springs trek takes four. Add your boat or your flight at either end and you have your own number.
From where you are right now
Pickup is part of every package, wherever you start. You only have to get yourself to the harbour, the airport or your own hotel lobby.
Gili T / Gili Air / Gili Meno → Bangsal → guesthouse
Public boat to Bangsal Harbour, 15 to 30 minutes, roughly $3-5. We pick you up at the harbour; the drive is about 2 hours. Total: under 3 hours from your beach to the briefing.
Bali → Lombok → guesthouse
Fast boat from Padang Bai to Bangsal (2-2.5 hours, $20-35) or a 45-minute flight to Lombok Airport ($35-80). Pickup at the harbour or airport is included. Total: 3 to 5 hours door to door.
Kuta, Senggigi, Mataram or anywhere on Lombok
Already here? Easiest of all. Pickup at your hotel is included; tell us where you are and we confirm the time.
Full details and every option: getting to Rinjani.
And how you get back
The drive back is in the price too, and it drops you where you actually want to be: at the harbour for the boats, or on the beach strip closest to the mountain.
Included: Bangsal Harbour, Senggigi, Mataram
Bangsal is the one that matters if you are heading back to the islands or to Bali: the boats leave from there. Senggigi is the closest beach strip to the mountain.
Small extra fee: Kuta, Lombok airport, Lembar
All possible, just not included. Say where you want to end up when you send the request and it gets arranged with the rest.
Catching a boat or a flight the same day? Put it in your request. Zainal will say honestly whether it fits, rather than let you find out at the harbour. Where people go to recover: after Rinjani.
"After the trek they drove us back to the harbour, where our boat to Gili Meno was already waiting. Like clockwork, absolutely great."
Groups already going
If you are travelling alone or as a pair, you join a shared group and pay the same per person as everyone else on your date. Groups stay small, six people at most, also in high season. These departures are confirmed and have space right now.
Dates move fast in high season. If nothing here fits, pick your own date on the booking page and a group usually forms around it.
What it costs
Two shared treks, one flat price per person on both. The $30 per person you pay after Zainal confirms comes off that price; it is not added to it.
2-day Rinjani Summit
Up from the Sembalun gate, one night on the crater rim at 2,641 m, the summit at first light and back down the same side.
- Three days out of your trip
- One night on the mountain
- Back at the gate in the early afternoon
3-day Summit, Lake & Hot Springs
The same summit, then down into the caldera to Segara Anak lake and the hot springs, and out at Senaru on day three. The favourite.
- Four days out of your trip
- Two nights on the mountain
- Sembalun in, Senaru out
Prefer your own group? A private trek costs $500 for one person, $270 each for two to four, and $250 each from five up. Your own group, your own pace.
What the price actually covers. Guide, porters, three meals a day plus snacks, fruit and hot drinks, camping gear, park permits, the guesthouse night before, and the transport in both directions. Vegetarian, vegan, halal and gluten-free are all fine; put it in the request.
Sending a request is free. Once Zainal confirms your date you pay $30 per person online to reserve, which is part of the price; the rest in cash on Lombok.
Prices are in US dollars: $250 is roughly . Your bank converts the online part automatically, and the cash part is a fixed rupiah amount agreed in USD.
Turn up with nothing much
Plenty of people book this off the back of a beach week, with a bag full of shorts and one pair of trainers, and that is genuinely fine. Everything heavy is carried for you, and the rest you rent at the bottom for a dollar or two a day.
Rent it the evening before
- At the guesthouse in Senaru, or one of the small rental shops next to it, the night you arrive.
- Boots 50,000 to 75,000 IDR a day, warm jacket 30,000 to 50,000, trekking poles 20,000 to 30,000, headlamp 20,000 to 30,000, gloves 10,000 to 15,000.
- Roughly $1 to $5 an item per day. Say in your request what you are missing and it is put aside.
Never bring these
- Tent, sleeping bag and mat. Carried up and set up for you.
- Stove, cooking gear, food and water. Every meal and all the drinking water is on the mountain already.
- The park permit. The entrance fee and paperwork are in the price.
Bring these three
- Your passport. Needed for the park permit.
- Travel insurance that covers trekking to 3,726 m. A screenshot of your policy is fine, and it is checked before the permits.
- Cash in rupiah for the remaining balance. Sembalun and Senaru have no ATMs; withdraw at Bangsal, the airport, or ask the driver to stop on the way. Everyone does.
And the big bag
The bag you have been dragging around Indonesia does not go up the mountain. It stays behind at the guesthouse in Senaru while you trek, and you walk with a daypack. The 2-day and the 3-day come down on opposite sides of the mountain, so tell Zainal which trek you are on and where you want to be dropped afterwards, and he will confirm exactly where your bag meets you.
Not sure what warm enough means at 3,726 m before dawn? The packing list is the honest version. Wondering whether you are fit enough: how hard Rinjani really is.
"Everything was planed perfectly, you dont have to care for anything, just be at the pickup point on time and from there on you can just enjoy the adventure. I will recommend every going with this tour!"
Frequently asked questions
How many days does it take, door to door from Bali or the Gilis?
The 2-day summit trek takes three days out of your trip; the 3-day summit, lake and hot springs trek takes four. Day one is the pickup, the drive and the guesthouse night in Senaru, all part of the package. The trek starts the next morning around 8:00. On the 2-day you are back at the Sembalun gate in the early afternoon of the last day; on the 3-day you reach Senaru village mid-afternoon. Add your boat or flight at either end for your own total.
Can I do this last minute, and how soon can I start?
The earliest start date the system accepts is two days from today. Sending a request is free and commits you to nothing: Zainal confirms the date himself, usually within a day, and only then do you get a link for the $30 per person deposit, which comes off the trek price. One thing to check first: the park closes every wet season so the ecosystem can recover, normally 1 January to 31 March, with shorter closures around Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. The park publishes the exact dates itself.
How do I get back to the Gili Islands or Bali afterwards?
Drop-off is included to Bangsal Harbour, Senggigi and Mataram. Bangsal is where the boats to the Gilis and to Bali leave. Kuta, Lombok airport and Lembar are possible for a small extra fee; mention it in the request. If you need to catch a specific boat or flight that day, say so and Zainal will tell you whether it fits.
What if I have no trekking gear with me?
Rent it the evening before, at the guesthouse in Senaru or one of the small shops next to it. Rough daily rates: boots 50,000 to 75,000 IDR, warm jacket 30,000 to 50,000, poles 20,000 to 30,000, headlamp 20,000 to 30,000, gloves 10,000 to 15,000. That is roughly $1 to $5 an item per day. Tent, sleeping bag, mat, all meals, drinking water, permits, guide and porters are already in the price.
What happens to my main luggage during the trek?
Your main bag stays behind in Senaru, kept secure at the guesthouse while you trek, and you carry a daypack. When you come off the mountain the driver takes you past your luggage first and then on to wherever you want to be dropped on Lombok, so it makes no difference which side of the mountain your trek ends on.
Can I join an existing group as a solo traveller?
Yes. Shared groups run at a flat price per person with no solo surcharge: $210 for the 2-day summit trek or $250 for the 3-day summit, lake and hot springs trek, all-inclusive. Groups are six people at most. The booking page shows which groups are already going.
Not sure it fits your days?
Tell Zainal where you are and which days you have. He replies himself, and he will say straight out if it does not fit.