Welcome to Mount Rinjani National Park - Lombok Island INDONESIA

Breaking News....!

Advisory Warning For Tourists
Recently tourists have purchased trekking packages from a false office in Padang Bai, Bali claiming to represent the Rinjani Trek Management Board (RTMB).

Please note that RTMB has only one main office located at the Lombok Raya Hotel in Mataram with representative offices at the Rinjani Trek Center in Senaru and Rinjani Information Center in Sembalun, all located on the island of Lombok. Any other locations claiming to represent RTMB are fraudulent and should be avoided. If you have any questions, Contact Us to submit an enquiry.

" NEVER BOOK YOUR TREKKING PACKAGE FROM PADANG BAY BALI "

Popular tourist destination Mount Rinjani in West Nusa Tenggara is showing increasing volcanic activity, prompting local authorities to put it on alert status and ban tourists from scaling the volcano.
 

"Two small eruptions at Mount Baru Jari were recorded on Saturday afternoon and the alert status has been raised," Heriyadi Rachmat, from the province's Mining and Mineral Resource office, told The Jakarta Post.
 

The 2,800-meter Mount Baru Jari, part of Mount Rinjani, is located in the center of its crater and surrounded by the famous Lake Segara Anak.
 

Heriyadi said his office detected initial volcanic activity on Thursday, when four small earthquakes were recorded in the area.

“A volcano and disaster mitigation team has been dispatched to Mount Rinjani to monitor the situation," he said.
 

Arief Toengkagie, head of the Mount Rinjadi National Park, said that his office had closed Mount Rinjani to tourists.

“We have reopened the mountain to tourists starting today but not recommended to stay overnight at the Lake. We don't know for how long. It depends on how the situation develops and on the reports from the disaster mitigation team," he said.
 

An active volcano on Indonesia’s Lombok island has spewed lava and hot ash nearly 1,200 meters into the sky but poses no immediate threat to local villagers.

Surono, director of Indonesia’s Volcanology Agency, said the Tuesday eruption followed four smaller eruptions on Friday.

He said the nearest village is several kilometers away from the 7,795-foot (2,376-meter) Mount Barujari and is not threatened.

Mount Barujari is the cone on the iconic Gunung Rinjani.

Surono said Barujari has shown mild activity for the last two years.

Mount Rinjani proposed as

UNESCO global geo park

Post On : March 27, 2010

Mount Rinjani on Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara, may soon be classed as a geopark, a nationally protected area containing a number of geological heritage sites of importance, rarity or aesthetic appeal.

An official at the province’s Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, Heriyadi Rahmat, said UNESCO had accepted nominations to include Mount Rinjani in the global geopark network.

The UN body has also accepted similar nominations for Mount Batur in Bangli regency, Bali; and Mount Sewu in Pacitan, East Java.

Heriyadi, who is also the coordinator of the team that proposed Rinjani’s inclusion into the network, said they are currently preparing to complete the application form.

He said the form includes information that identifies Rinjani’s region, geological description, economic situation (from population, infrastructure and manpower), natural landscape (climate, biology and habitat) as well as human activities (archeological and cultural heritage).

“The form includes management plans and structure, policy strategy, sustainable development and action plans,” said Heriyadi, who is a member of the Indonesian Geologists Association.

“Rinjani meets physical requirements to become a geopark.”

His team has recently met with Director General of Tourism Destination at the Culture and Tourism Ministry to discuss the proposal.

UNESCO’s assessment team, comprising members from China, France, Italy and Malaysia, is expected to arrive and verify the Rinjani proposal in April.

The UNESCO team will also verify two other sites, Mount Batur and Mount Sewu.
The world heritage sites are part of an integrated concept of protection, education and sustainable development.

As of August 2009, 64 national geoparks in 19 states are members of the Global Network of National Geoparks assisted by UNESCO.

Southeast Asia only has one, on Langkawi Island in Malaysia.
 

Once included in the network, Rinjani’s management responsibility will be shared and UNESCO will assist in its promotion.

Heriyadi said the proposal to include Mount Rinjadi as one of the geoparks under UNESCO was put forth in mid-2008.

The process is ongoing, including with the team’s presentation at the 11th Geo Southeast Asia in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in June last year.

“Rinjani meets physical requirements to become a geopark,” Heriyadi said.
 

The 3,726-meter mountain is a unique site, with the presence of crescent-shaped Segara Anak lake on its crater and active volcano Baru Jari nearby.

Mount Rinjani is the second-highest volcano in the country after the 3,800-meter Mount Kerinci in Sumatra. Its peak is located on the eastern park of the caldera, where a new active volcano has emerged.

Based on research, the mountain had several major eruptions, which formed extraordinary natural stone morphology within the Mount Rinjani National Park area.
 

The mountain, as part of the national park, is currently managed by Rinjani Trek Management Board, a body comprising members of the government, NGOs, the community and tourism businesspeople.

Since managed by the board, the mountain has received several awards, locally and internationally, including the 2004 World Legacy Award and was finalist of the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards in 2005 and 2008.

Apart from its extraordinary scenery and unique flora and fauna, the region is also home to rich traditional customs, traditions and communities.
 

Last year along, the park was visited by 4,800 foreign tourists and 3,500 domestic ones.

“As a volcano, Rinjani has great geotourism potential with its scenic caldera, lake, crater, waterfall, hot water spring, its eruption history and many more,” he said.

However, he noted low support from the provincial administration on the proposal, saying it was maybe because the idea being put forward by the professional organization, not the geologists association.
 

Other proposals, both in Bali and East Java, came from the local administrations.
Head of Tourism and Culture Office Lalu Gita Aryadi, was hopeful the proposal could be realized.

“If it was named the world’s geopark, more tourists would come.”

Mount Rinjani up for world heritage list next year 2011

Post On : March 02, 2010

Lombok Island's Mount Rinjani National Park may well join UNESCO's World Heritage List next year because of the incredible symmetry the park provides between nature and local culture.

To be included on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's world heritage list the national park must meet at least one of 10 selection criteria and be of outstanding universal value, says UNESCO's official website.
 

The national park's head M. Arief Tongkagie said Wednesday he had submitted a proposal to UNESCO because of the park's outstanding natural panorama and the surrounding local residents' commitment to preserving the area's local culture.

Arief said the proposal included data collected over a four year period and would be sent to UNESCO's World Heritage Commission via Indonesia's central government.
 

An approval of the proposal by UNESCO's committee would see a massive boost to Lombok's tourism industry and would ensure the ongoing preservation of the environment around the national park, Arief said.
 

""The logic is that once it is declared part of the world heritage list, other nations in the world will feel a sense of ownership too,"" he said.

""It means if the park is damaged, we will all feel a sense of loss and other nations may help us care for the park,"" Arief said.

The national park takes up 40,330-hectares and is the most important tourist destination in the province.
 

Administratively it belongs in part to West, Central and East Lombok regencies.

Park management data shows the number of foreign and domestic tourists visiting the park reaches about 4,500 and 250,000, respectively, every year.
 

""In the period between July and September the number of visitors tends to increase in line with holiday seasons in other countries,"" Arief said.

""Foreign visitors come mostly from European countries, Australia, New Zealand and other parts of Asia.""
 

The park's Mount Rinjani sits 3,762 meters above sea level.

At Senaru village, which is located at one of the trekking gates to Mount Rinjani, traditional housing has been well-maintained, as has the park's Wetu Telu Islamic community.

The Hindus also maintain their culture by commemorating the ngulam pekelem ceremony at Segara Anak Lake, located some 2,500 meters above sea level.
 

""Thengulam pakelem ceremony sees thousands of local Hindus conduct their religious ritual at the lake,"" Arief said.

""And there are many other local cultures which are still intact amid the current modern era.""

In anticipation of a growing tourism trade, park management has opened a new gate in Tembilo, East Lombok, in addition to the existing gates at Senaru, West Lombok, and Sembalun, East Lombok.
 

In cooperation with the Rinjani Track Management Board, park administration has tried to involve and empower local villagers as much as possible to help boost the development of tourism and the overall preservation of the national park.

Mount Rinjani was made a world legacy award winner in 2004 by Conservation International and National Geographic Traveler magazine.

""This award was given to us because we were considered to have been capable of the park's conservation at the same time as improving the people's welfare,"" Arief said.