Senaru Trekking Trail, The Forgotten Trek Route

One of the popular hiking trails before earthquake was the Senaru Trekking Trail, which was once a favorite among Trekkers Mount Rinjani

One of the popular hiking trails in its time was the Senaru Trekking Trail, which was once a favorite among climbers who trekked Mount Rinjani because of its natural beauty with a relatively long but gentle and easy-to-hike trail compared to the Sembalun and Torean trails.

Since the earthquake in 2018, the Senaru Trekking Trail has been avoided by hikers, guides, and porters because some spots are blank and somewhat steep, especially the trail from Segara Anak Lake to Senaru Crater Rim.

One of the popular hiking trails before earthquake was the Senaru Trekking Trail, which was once a favorite among Trekkers Mount Rinjani
Senaru Trekking Start Point

Senaru Trekking Route Ever Improved

Although the National Park of Mount Rinjani in cooperation with the Search and Rescue Unit and the local community have made repairs to the Senaru Trekking Trail, the repairs seem to be insufficient to make guides and porters feel secure in bringing guests through the trail.

Trekking organizers themselves are not confident enough to organize their guests to pass through the trail, especially for the 3 or 4-day packages that require passing through Lake Segara Anak to Senaru Crater Rim, which is quite risky, especially since their physical and emotional energy has already been drained during the ascent to the Rinjani peak and Segara Anak Lake. The only exception is the 2-day package that is specifically for soft trekking from Senaru village to Senaru Crater Rim.

Nevertheless, some hikers insist on returning from Segara Anak through the Senaru trail because they prefer the trail to arrive at Senaru village faster and to catch flight schedules or public boats from Bangsal to Gili Trawangan. Moreover, the Senaru trail is cooler and more natural. If they are lucky, they can witness rare endemic animals such as black monkeys and deer typical of Rinjani.

One of the popular hiking trails before earthquake was the Senaru Trekking Trail, which was once a favorite among Trekkers Mount Rinjani

If you are interest to do Trekking and Hiking Via Senaru, There’s Package service are available for You

  1. 2 Days 1 Night to Senaru Rim Via Black Monkey Forest
  2. 1 Day Trek (Senaru Village, Senaru Rim, Turn Back)

  3. 2 Days 1 Night (Senaru Rim, 2nd Summit, Turn Back)

  4. 4 Days 3 Nights (Summit, Lake, Hot Spring, Senaru Rim)

The quiet of the Senaru Route has an impact on the income of local communities

The quietness of the Senaru Trekking Trail greatly affects the income of the local community because when it was still busy with hikers, tourists would purchase drinks, souvenirs, and use motorcycle taxis and homestays.

This is acknowledged by one of the souvenir vendors and basecamps in Jebak Gawah, who used to enjoy the sweet fruit of the Senaru trail, which was traversed by guests. Hartini stated that before the earthquake in 2018, the Senaru trail was actually the favorite route as it was mostly preferred by trekkers. However, now it is deserted, especially by local hikers who mostly buy souvenirs.

Local communities, especially trekking organizers, guides, and porters, hope that the Senaru Trekking Trail can be repaired by the management so that it can be passed as it used to be during normal times, thus positively impacting the local economy in Senaru.

Torean Trekking Trail Becomes Alternative after Senaru Rarely traversed

After the Senaru Trekking Trail became quiet, it seems that hikers prefer the Torean trail as the main alternative when returning from Lake Segara Anak. This is because the Torean trail is almost similar to the Senaru trail, which presents a savanna field and a forest that makes the journey very memorable and comfortable because it is not too hot and cool.

Sembalun to Torean 3D/2N

The Torean trail has its advantages compared to the Senaru and Sembalun trails because hikers will be spoiled by the green hills and beautiful waterfalls. It even went viral because of the seasonal waterfall formation caused by rainfall from the hills.

In conclusion, although the Senaru Trekking Trail is challenging, some guests still insist on passing through the trail because it is shorter and easier after Senaru Rim to Senaru village.

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