How long is the Summit, Lake & Hot Springs trek?

It is a 3-day guided trek with 2 nights on the mountain (the night before in my Senaru guesthouse is included on top), covering the summit, crater rim, lake, and hot springs. It is the route most trekkers choose.

Does this trek reach the Rinjani summit?

Yes. On day two there is a summit push starting at 2am, reaching the true summit at 3,726 metres around 5:30am, the highest point on Lombok.

How difficult is the Summit, Lake & Hot Springs trek?

Difficulty is Hard. Day two is the hardest day on any Rinjani route, with a 2am summit push, the descent into the caldera and the climb out to the Senaru rim, 14 to 16 hours in all. There is no technical climbing anywhere on the route. Moderate fitness is required: if you exercise regularly and can hike for six hours with a pack, you will make it.

Where does the trek start and end?

It starts from Sembalun village, with a night before at our Senaru guesthouse, then a morning drive to Sembalun and registration at the national park gate. It ends on day three at the Senaru gate around midday, with included transfer to Mataram, Senggigi, or Bangsal Harbor.

What is included in the price?

Private transport with pick-up anywhere on Lombok and drop-off in Mataram, Senggigi, or Bangsal Harbor, one night accommodation in Senaru village before the trek, all meals during the hike, snacks and drinks, full camping gear, an experienced guide and porters, and the Rinjani National Park entrance fee and permits. Travel insurance is not included and is required for every trekker.

How much does the Summit, Lake & Hot Springs trek cost?

The all-inclusive package starts from USD 250 for 3 days and 2 nights on the mountain, plus a guesthouse night before the trek, included in the price.

Summit, Lake & Hot Springs: 3-Day Trek from USD 250

This is the route most people come for, and the one most people are glad they picked. You cross the mountain instead of going up and back: summit at sunrise on day two, then down into the caldera to Segara Anak and the hot springs, and up the other side to camp on the Senaru rim. Day three drops through jungle to the village. Everything Rinjani has, in three days.

Why this trek

The whole mountain, not half of it

Summit, crater rim, lake and hot springs on one trip. The two-day route gives you the top and turns around; this one keeps going into the caldera.

Both sides of the crater

The first night on the Sembalun rim, the second on the Senaru rim. You see the caldera from both sides, with the lake in between.

Hot springs after the summit

Natural sulphur pools at the lake edge, a few hours after the hardest morning of the trek. Your legs will make the case better than we can.

Two sides, two landscapes

Up through open savannah on the Sembalun side, out through dense tropical forest on the Senaru side. You never walk the same trail twice.

Route map of the 3-day crossing: in at Sembalun, over the summit at 3,726 m, down to Segara Anak lake and out at Senaru, with the Torean valley as an optional way down — In at Sembalun, out at Senaru, and the Torean valley as an option. Tap to enlarge.

At a glance

Days

3,726 m

Summit

2,000 m

Crater lake

~3,210 m

Total ascent

Nights camping

Apr–Nov

Dry season

Day by day

Three days across the mountain, from the Sembalun gate to Senaru village. Times are typical: your guide sets the pace on the day.

The day beforePickup anywhere on Lombok → Senaru

The night you arrive

We pick you up wherever you are on Lombok: the airport, Bangsal harbour, Senggigi, Mataram, Kuta or your hotel, at a time we agree with you. From there it is a drive to my guesthouse in Senaru, included in the price. If you are in Senaru by around 14:00, there is time for the two waterfalls in the village, Sendang Gile and Tiu Kelep. You can walk there on your own, or go with a local guide for a small fee. You check in, meet your guide, get the briefing and sleep. Shoes, poles, jacket and headlamp can be rented here that evening.

The open savannah trail climbing towards the Sembalun crater rim

Day 1Sembalun gate → crater rim

Up through the savannah

Breakfast at the guesthouse, then a 45 to 60 minute drive to the Sembalun gate for registration at 8:00. The walk begins across open savannah with the volcano ahead of you, gradual for the first three or four hours. Lunch at Pos 2 around midday, where grassland gives way to loose rock. The last stretch to the rim is the steep part, and camp is waiting on the edge by mid-afternoon, facing west over Lombok and the sea.

~10 kmDistance

+1,485 mAscent

7–9 hrsWalking

2,641 mCamp

Trekkers silhouetted on the summit ridge above a sea of cloud at sunrise

Day 2Crater rim → summit → lake → Senaru rim

The summit, the lake, and up again

The hardest day. Up at 2:00, on the trail by 2:30, three hours of steep volcanic scree in the dark. Most people top out between 5:30 and 6:00, as the sun comes up over Sumbawa and the shadow of the mountain runs west across the sea. Back down to camp for breakfast, pack up, then the switchbacks into the caldera to the lake shore. Lunch at the water and the hot springs, then the climb out to the Senaru rim, about three hours, with fixed ropes on the steepest rock. Camp in the late afternoon.

+1,085 mTo the summit

+641 mClimb out

14–16 hrsWhole day

2,641 mSenaru rim camp

Segara Anak crater lake, still and blue, with the caldera walls reflected in it

Day 3Senaru rim → Senaru village

Out through the forest

Breakfast on the rim with the crater below you, then the way out. A long descent through dense jungle, roots and vines and filtered light, nothing like the open savannah you came up. Senaru village around midday, transfer included.

5–6 hrsJungle descent

−2,040 mDescent

601 mFinish

Effort & who it's for

Hard

Day two is the hardest day on any Rinjani route: the 2 am summit push, the descent into the caldera, and then three hours up to the Senaru rim, all on the same legs. That makes this the hardest of my treks, because of how much distance day two covers. The others are more relaxed. The third day is all downhill. There is no technical climbing anywhere on the route. If you exercise regularly and can hike for six hours with a daypack, you will make it. The guides know when to push and when to rest. The difficulty page covers that second day in full, including what people find hardest about it. Want it calmer? The 4-day spreads the same route over an extra day.

A good fit if

You are reasonably fit and walk or hike regularly
You want the lake and the hot springs, not just the top
You can give the mountain three full days
You are happy with an early, cold summit start in the dark

Think twice if

Serious altitude has troubled you before, the summit is 3,726 m
You want comfort, this is camping with a simple toilet tent
Steep, loose ground and heights make you very uneasy
You only have two days, take the Rinjani Summit route instead

What's included

Every trek is all-inclusive: one price covers your guide and porters, transport, all meals on the mountain, camping gear and the national park fee.

Included

Experienced guide and porters
Private transport: pickup anywhere on Lombok, drop-off in Mataram, Senggigi or Bangsal harbour
One night in my Senaru guesthouse before the trek
All meals on the mountain, plus snacks, fresh fruit and drinking water
Full camping gear: tent, sleeping bag, mat, toilet tent and cooking gear
National park entrance fee and trekking permit

You bring or pay

Warm jacket, hiking shoes and trekking poles, all rentable at the guesthouse the evening before
Headlamp with spare batteries, sunscreen, sunglasses and personal medication
Travel insurance that covers trekking to 3,726 m, checked before your permits are arranged
Tips for your guide and porters, if you want to
An extra porter for personal belongings, optional

Elevation profile

Summit, Lake & Hot Springs

3 days · 2 nights

3,726 mHighest point

How you go

Walk it with others and split the cost, or take the mountain at your own pace. Either way the route and the guiding are the same. The cost page compares all five treks on price and on what each one includes.

Shared

From

USD 250 pp

Pick your own date, or join a group that is already going, and share guide, porters and camp with a few other travellers. The most affordable way across.

USD 250 per person, the same for everyone on the date
The price only drops, never rises
You pick the date, and you can ask for your own tent at camp

Private

From

USD 300 pp

Nobody joins who you did not bring. The route and the guiding are the same; what changes is the transport, the space and the camp itself.

Transport there and back is yours alone, no shared van
Chairs and a table at camp, so meals are not eaten sitting on the ground
More room between the tents
Any start date you like, for 1 to 10 people
USD 600 solo, USD 330 for 2 to 4, USD 300 for 5 to 10, per person
Good for couples, families and friends

What happens after you book

Usually the same day. I confirm, and USD 30 per person holds your place. It comes off the trek price.
After your deposit. On your own trek page you tell me what you eat and what you want to rent.
The day before the hike. We pick you up, and you sleep at my guesthouse in Senaru. That night is part of the trek price.

From USD 250 per person

The price is all-inclusive: guide, porters, all meals, camping gear and the national park fee. 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.

See dates → Compare all five treks

Good to know

Will I get altitude sickness?

Some people feel it above 3,000 m. Sleeping on the crater rim first helps you acclimatise, and your guide keeps an eye on everyone during the summit push. You can always turn back: the mountain is not going anywhere.

Can I swim in the lake?

Yes, and plenty of people do. Segara Anak sits at 2,000 m so the water is cold. On this route the stop at the lake is lunch and the hot springs, so a swim is a short one; the four-day route gives you a night at the lake.

Do we always come out at Senaru?

Usually, yes. Senaru is the normal way out: the climb from the lake to the rim, then a long descent through tropical forest to the village. There is a second way down. From the lake the trail can also follow the Torean valley, north through running water and waterfalls, on a side of the mountain far fewer people walk. Of the two, Senaru is the harder way down and Torean the lighter one. You do not have to decide when you book. Most groups talk it over with their guide at the lake, once they know how their legs feel and what they want from the last day. Your transfer is included either way, it just leaves from a different village.

What about food and allergies?

Your porters cook fresh on the mountain: rice, noodles, vegetables, eggs, fruit, and plenty of it. Tell me about allergies or a vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free diet when you book and we cook around it. With a severe allergy we will suggest going private, because then the team shops and cooks only for you. Our food and diets page covers what you eat up there and how we handle allergies.

What does private actually mean?

Your own guide and porters, on your own start date, with no strangers joining. It does not have to be solo: a couple or a group of friends is private too. Same route, same camps, just more say over pace and timing.

Three days or four?

Same route either way. The four-day Ultimate Rinjani spreads it out with a night at the lake, so you climb out of the caldera the next morning instead of on summit day.

Can I book this solo?

Yes. Join a shared departure and you walk with a small group without paying a single supplement. If sharing a tent with people you have just met feels like a lot, say so and we set up a tent of your own.