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The summit of Rinjani , the highest point of the region's volcanic mountainous mass, is reached by relatively few trekkers; the majority are satisfied with a shorter, less arduous trip to the crater rim and down to the crater lake. From the rim you can see the beautiful turquoise lake, Segara Anak inside the massive crater, with the small perfect cone of Gunung Baru rising on the far side. Having lain dormant since 1906, Gunung Baru erupted again in August 1994, closing the mountain for several weeks and raising fears of a major disaster; fortunately all has gone quiet again, and Gunung Rinjani itself has been inactive since 1901. The simplest trek is from Senaru , climbing to the crater rim . There's a forestry office at the start of the track in Senaru where you buy your permit (Rp2000) and register. The route takes you from the village at 860m , up through the forest to further rest positions with small bale (open-sided pavilions). Rest Position II is at 1570m and Position III is at 2300m; you then leave the forest for the slog up to the rim at 2634m. It takes most people six to seven hours, not allowing for rests, to get to the rim from Senaru and usually involves a night on the mountain unless you are extremely fit and fast. Sadly the bale are in a very poor state of repair and not ideal for sleeping in. A tent is preferable, and vital if you plan to sleep on the actual rim. A further possibility after climbing to the rim is to descend down into the crater to the lake itself, at around 2000m. The path (1hr 30min) into the crater is very steep and rather frightening at the top, but gets better further down. You can bathe in the warm lake or the hot springs along its shores. Most people get down to the lake in one day from Senaru, stay by the shore and return the same way in another day's walking. From the lake it's possible to climb out on a different path to a site called Plawangan II at 2900m, and from there up to the summit of Rinjani, a seven-hour trek. You'll need a guide for this. The more common alternative if the summit is your objective, is to climb from Sembalum Lawang on the east of the mountain which is accessible on public transport from Kali Putih, near the north coast, or Aik Mel, on the east-west road across the island and Sapit on the southern slopes of the mountain . There is accommodation in Sembalum Lawang at Cemara Siu guesthouse (tel 0370/621213; under $5), where they can help you to arrange your trek. You should try to get to the summit for sunrise or by about 7am as it clouds over and gets very windy by 9am.
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