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Rinjani
Mountain Activities
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 "
WHAT YOU
MIGHT SEE
 Gunun
Rinjani National Park lies within the major transition zone(Wallaceae) where the flora and fauna of South East Asia makes a
dramatic transition into that which is typical of Australasia. The
Park has a rich variety of plants and animals, although they can be
hard to spot due to the terrain and rainforest cover.
Sometimes seen early in the mornings is the rare black Ebony leaf
monkey, known locally as Lutung.
TheLong
tailed grey macaque or Kera is common in Lombok and older males are
seen on the crater rim. Rusa deer are forest dwellers and are
occasionally seen along the Rinjani trek trail. The smaller Barking
deer or Kijang has an alarm call with a distinct dog-like bark. Look
for the disturbed ground where the Wild pig or Babi hutan has been
foraging. Also found in the forest is the Leopard cat or Bodok alas,
Palm civet or Ujat and Porcupine or Landak.
A v ariety of colourful birds live in the forests of the Park.
Perhaps the best-known icon of the Park is the Sulphur Crested
Cockatoo that is not found any further west of Lombok. Many of the
forest-dwelling animals, insects, birds, civets and
monkeys owe their survival to the wild fig tree or Beringin as a
provider of food and shelter. The pine-like Casuarina species,
Cemara, are a feature of the grassy higher slopes. Orchids or
Anggrek are also a feature of the grassland areas, as is Edelweiss
or Bunga Abadi growing above the tree line; it is a beautiful icon
of the Park and one of our best-known sub-alpine plants.
RINJANI MULANG
PAKELEM CEREMONY
THE annual Hindu ceremony
of Mulang Pekelem, a heritage event in Lombok that dates fromthe
18th century invasion and subsequent settlement of the island by
Balinese from the kingdom of Karangasem, always attracts hundreds of
celebrants.
The 2006 ceremony, held late in the year, attracted more than 500
celebrants to Segara Anak lake, 1998 metres above sea level in the
crater of 3700-metre high Mt Rinjani.
The 200-metre deep lake is sacred to Hindus (as well as bein g a
place of pilgrimage for Lombok's majority Moslem population).
In 2006, Mulang Pekelem was held on November 5, ahead of the twin
Hindu Galungan and Kuningan annual festivals at the end of November
and beginning of December.
Mulang Pekelem is a ceremony in which prayers and offerings are made
for the safety and prosperity of the people. It dates from a time
shortly after the Hindu settlement in west Lombok in which the
population was afflicted by prolonged drought and an epidemic.
According to tradition, the king had an apocalyptic vision and
instituted a series of ceremonies in which gifts of gold, silver and
copper, in the shape of fish and prawns, were offered to the gods at
the lake, one of Indonesian Hinduism's most sacred places, before
each rainy season (December to March). The offerings and prayers
request peace and prosperity for all.
This year's ceremony attracted followers from Bali and Java as well
as Lombok.
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