If you’re in Lombok during the rainy season but still want to hike, take a look at Bukit Pergasingan. It’s a 2-3 hour hike up a steep hill over the rice paddies out of Sembalun, the town that you’d normally either start or end your Rijnani trek in.
However during rainy season, the town is sleepy and mostly empty. It’s a lovely place to stay, and I loved the friendliness of the locals, always giving me a thumbs up and saying hello and asking how I was doing. Plus during the off season, you can get this viewpoint all to yourself.
I did the hike, beginning at 3am hoping to see the sunrise at the top, but unfortunately, the viewpoint was completely fogged in and we couldn’t see anything. We also had to take an alternate route through the rice paddies since the main road was washed out due to rain. Normally I’d say this would be doable without a guide but in my case it wouldn’t have been. (I did this two weeks ago so I’m not sure the route is cleared yet).
To make sure you have a better chance of a view, going during dry season would make more sense, but it will be more crowded. If you don’t like the idea of hiking up in the dark, it’s also common to do an overnight trek.
Alternatively, head to Bukit Selong’s wooden star for another view:
This ‘hike’ took about 5 minutes and though it was still a cool view, it has nothing on the mountain across from it (pictured above, across from me).
Contact Rozak, mentioned in the Rinjani section, for this one as well. He’s great!
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