Senaru Village
Senaru Village
West Gate to Mount Rinjani National Park and Lake Segara Anak Lombok The village of Senaru, an easy 2.5 hours drive from Mataram or Senggigi, is the main access to the National Park. As a non-trekking destination. it is also popular – a cool, flower-filled mountain village stretching along a hillside spur above Bayan.
Senaru has a range of accommodations in simple home stays (losmen), and a number of cafes serving delicious local specialties.
The Rinjani Trek Centre at the trailhead offers displays, ecotourism activities, and visitor information. Village guides, including several local women, escort visits to the adjacent traditional village, three waterfalls, and a number of Village Walks.
Circuits include the one-hour Rice Terraces and Waterfall Walk or discover the highlights of Senaru in a lovely half-day Senaru Panorama Walk the cool, flower-filled mountain village of Senaru on the slopes of Mt. Rinjani stretches up a hillside spur along a winding road above Bayan. It is a scenic 2.5 hours drive from Mataram or Senggigi to Senaru. The Desa includes the hamlets of Senaru, Batu Koq, and Tumpang Sari, and all offer accommodation in simple but pretty homestays (losmen) with lovely views.
The Rinjani Trek Centre is located at the top of the village at the trailhead. It offers information for visitors on the Rinjani Trek, the National Park, Sasak culture, and the range of ecotourism activities available for visitors to Senaru. National Park and village entry fees are paid here, and all porters for trekkers have to be hired from the Senaru Porters Group which is also based in the Rinjani Trek Centre. Village guides, including several local women, have been specially trained to escort visitors around the sights. Arrange a guided excursion through the Rinjani Trek Centre or your losmen.
Senaru Traditional Village
A visit to the Senaru Traditional Village, situated next to the Rinjani Trek Centre where the Rinjani trail begins, is greatly enhanced by asking a local guide to show you around. The Sasak inhabitants are the cultural guardians of Mount Rinjani and its surrounding forest and safeguard its spiritual values.
Locally guided visits include opportunities to experience the villagers’ daily life, visit their thatched houses, prepare meals using local produce, and understand their traditional way of life.
Morning waterway walk and sunrise
Leave your losmen early for a one and a half hour escorted walk through the fields, past traditional villages, and along the irrigation channel that winds through village fields past crops and houses. Enjoy visiting local homes, seeing early morning activities, and learning about farming methods. Witness the sun rising from the sea beneath the spectacular sweeping views of north Lombok from the summit of Mt. Rinjani to the coast.
Evening walk and sunset
Below the Senaru Traditional Village, a one and half hour escorted walk along village trails brings you to the “secret waterfall” or “traditional swimming pool”, the Tumpasan Senaru.
Enjoy a refreshing swim or late afternoon laze. On the return trip, visit some local hamlets as the people return from their fields, and enjoy the sunset over Mt. Agung in distant Bali from a vantage point in a local orchard.
Senaru panorama walk
Discover all the highlights of Senaru on an easy half-day walk through the scenic landscape of palm-fringed rice terraces, waterways, traditional villages, and rainforest waterfalls. Follow the irrigation channel that winds through the village fields – the lifeline of the district. Local women will guide you, happy to share their special knowledge of culture, customs, and nature. This tour departs every morning from the Rinjani Trek Centre.