Everything in the first part of this page comes from Rinjani National Park and applies to every operator on the mountain, not just to me. Further down I list my own team’s habits separately, because a lot of what you read online mixes the two. If the park’s own site ever says something different from this page, go by the park.
What the park checks at the gate
Before anyone starts walking, the park checks your guide and your park tickets. The insurance the park asks for is checked earlier, by me, before I buy the permit. All of it is arranged before you get there, so on the morning itself there is nothing for you to buy or sort out.
Your guide’s park ID card
Every guide and porter on my team carries an official TNGR / eRinjani ID card from the national park. It is the card the ranger checks at the gate, so you see it verified in front of you on the first morning. My own registration number is ER202508033780, and you can read who I am before you book.
A permit in your passport name
Your park tickets are QR codes from the park’s e-Rinjani system, one per trekker and issued in your name. Only a licensed guide can buy them, so I buy yours with the details from your passport, which is why I ask for a copy before the trek. At the ticket counter before the start, the codes are scanned from your guide’s phone and someone from the park checks that the details match your passport. A photo of it is enough.
Your insurance, checked before the permit
I check your policy before I arrange your permit, because if your own insurance does not cover a helicopter evacuation, the park’s premium insurance is added to your permit instead. Anything missing comes up before the trek, not on the morning.
The rules, one by one
Those checks rest on the rules below. Each of them is the park’s, and each is already inside the package price except insurance: you bring your own policy, or pay for the park’s premium insurance on arrival.
Every group is led by a licensed guide
Nobody enters Rinjani National Park without a registered guide, and it is checked at the trailhead. Travelling on your own is still easy: you join a small group or go private, which I explain on the page about trekking Rinjani solo.
Permits run through e-Rinjani
Every trekker is registered by name in e-Rinjani, and the QR codes are scanned at the ticket counter before the group starts walking. The system is run by the Rinjani National Park authority, not by me or by any other operator.
The park ticket is IDR 250,000 per person per day
That is the price on the Class 1 trails, which are Sembalun, Senaru and Torean, so a three-day trek comes to IDR 750,000 per person. It is included in every package, and the Rinjani National Park entrance fee sits in the full cost breakdown with everything else.
Insurance: your own policy, or the park’s premium
In 2026 the park wants every trekker from abroad insured for a helicopter evacuation. Your own travel insurance works if it covers trekking up to 3,726 m and a helicopter evacuation; send it to me on WhatsApp before the trek. If you have no policy, or yours does not cover this, you add the park’s premium insurance to your permit for IDR 290,000 (about USD 16) per person, paid in cash when you arrive.
Every park ticket includes a basic insurance
It covers small accidents and an evacuation over land, but not a helicopter, which is why the park asks for one of the two options above as well. More on what your insurance needs to cover.
400 trekkers a day
The park caps the mountain at 400 trekkers a day on the main trails. July and August are the busiest months on the mountain.
The park closes in the wet season
The park closes every wet season so the trails and the ecosystem can recover. In 2026 it was closed from 1 January to 31 March and reopened on 1 April, and no licensed operator runs treks in that window. December stays open, but it is the start of the rains. If you are still choosing a month, the best time to climb Rinjani goes through the year month by month.
Single routes close after a fire or heavy rain
Outside the wet season the park closes a route now and then, after a fire, an eruption or heavy rain. After a forest fire on Bukit Setampol it closed Torean on 23 September 2026 and Senaru on 26 September, and reopened both on 3 October. Which routes are open today is on its own page, with dated updates.
Porters carry 25 kg at most
The park caps a porter’s load at 25 kg, so a bigger group simply goes up with more porters. More porters cost more, which is one reason the cheapest quotes look the way they do, and one of the things worth asking about when you are choosing a trekking company.
Not the park’s rules, but mine
Some of what you read about Rinjani is not a park rule at all. It is how one operator works. These four are my team’s choices, and I keep them apart so you can tell the difference when you compare quotes.
A shared group is six people at most
I cap a shared group at six people, also in high season. Enough eyes on everyone is what makes the 2am summit push safe.
A toilet tent at every camp
The porters carry a toilet tent up and pitch it at each camp, a little away from the sleeping tents, so there is a private spot for the evening and the morning. It is camping rather than plumbing. Bring your own toilet paper and wet wipes; both are on the packing list.
Rubbish goes back down with us
Everything that goes up with your group comes off the mountain again: food packaging, cooking waste and your own rubbish. My porters collect it at camp and it walks down with them, so you do not have to carry anything out yourself.
No treks around Eid
Around Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha the park stays open, but hardly any porters work, so I do not run treks on those days.
"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."
Who sets what
The same points, split by who decides them. The left column is the same for every operator on the mountain; the right column is where operators differ.
Set by the park
- A licensed guide for every group.
- An e-Rinjani permit in your passport name.
- The park ticket, IDR 250,000 per person per day.
- Insurance with helicopter evacuation, your own or the park’s premium.
- 400 trekkers a day on the main trails.
- Closed in the wet season, and single routes after a fire or heavy rain.
- Porters carry 25 kg at most.
Set by my team
- Shared groups of six people at most.
- A toilet tent at every camp.
- Rubbish carried back down.
- No treks around Eid.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check that a Rinjani guide is registered?
Ask to see the guide’s ID card. Every registered guide and porter carries an official TNGR / eRinjani card from Rinjani National Park, and it is the same card the rangers check at the trailhead gate, so you see it checked on the first morning. My own registration number is ER202508033780.
Why does my trekking company need a photo of my passport?
Because only a licensed guide can buy the park tickets, and each one is issued in your name. I buy them in the park’s e-Rinjani system with the details from your passport, so I need a copy before the trek. At the ticket counter the QR codes are scanned from your guide’s phone and someone from the park checks the details against your passport; a photo of it is enough.
How much can a porter carry on Rinjani?
25 kg at most. That is a park rule, and it is why a larger group goes up with more porters. You only carry a daypack; the porters carry the tents, the food and the cooking gear.
How many trekkers can enter Rinjani in a day?
400 a day on the main trails, the cap the national park set for 2026. July and August are the busiest months on the mountain.
Is Rinjani open all year?
No. The park closes every wet season. In 2026 it was closed from 1 January to 31 March and reopened on 1 April. Outside that window the park can close a single route for a while after a fire, an eruption or heavy rain; the trail status page shows which routes are open today.
Which Rinjani rules come from the park, and which from the operator?
The park sets the licensed guide, the e-Rinjani permit in your passport name, the park ticket, the insurance with helicopter evacuation, the cap of 400 trekkers a day, the wet-season closure and the 25 kg limit for porters. Group size, the toilet tent, carrying rubbish down and not trekking around Eid are my team’s own choices.
See the price for your dates
The guide, the permits and the park ticket are in every package, so the price on the booking page is the price of a trek that meets all of these rules. Sending a request is free. I confirm 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.