Mount Rinjani National Park
Mount Rinjani National Park on the Indonesian island of Lombok draws thousands of visitors each year, and for good reason. It is famed for its stunning scenery, and is of cultural and geological importance. Many visitors come to climb Rinjani’s 3726m / 12,224ft summit, whilst others content themselves with experiencing the forests and waterfalls of the lowlands. Mount Rinjani was recently awarded UNESCO Global Geopark status, in recognition of geological significance (more of that later).
Mount Rinjani Trekking
Although this article touches on Mount Rinjani Trekking, if you are looking for specific information about climbing Mount Rinjani, including details about getting to Mt Rinjani, what to pack, what trail to follow etc, we suggest you read our official Mount Rinjani Trekking Guide, which we update regularly. If you would like to look at Mount Rinjani packages, we suggest going to our homepage, or packages page.
How big is Mount Rinjani National Park?
According to official data, the park covers an area of 41,330 hectares (102,100 acres). For many people this is hard to imagine. A hectare is roughly equal to 1.86 football fields (let’s call it 2), so that would equate to over 80,000 football fields! To convert hectares to square kilometres you divide the value by a hundred, which means Mount Rinjani National Park covers and area of 413.3 square kilometres. Although the park is officially 41,330 hectares within the park boundaries, there is a further 66,000 hectares of protected forest outside. The UNESCO designated Geopark covers an even larger area (2800 squre kilometres in total).
When was Mount Rinjani National Park established?
Mount Rinani National Park was established in 1997.
How many National Parks are there in Indonesia?
There are 54 National Parks in Indonesia, six are World Heritage Sites & nine form part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
How high is Mount Rinjani
According to official data, Mount Rinjani is 3726m or 12,224ft high (AMSL). This makes Rinjani Indonesia’s second highest volcano, after Gunung Kerinci in Sumatra (3805m).
What makes Mount Rinjani National Park so special?
Apart from being a stunningly beautiful place, Mount Rinjani is considered sacred by many of the local inhabitants. Every year Hindu people trek to Rinjani’s massive crater late, Segara Anak, to conduct rituals and make offerings. Rinjani National Park is also special as it is the location of a historically significant eruption, that of Mount Samalas in 1257.
The Mount Samalas Eruption
The catastrophic eruption of Mount Samalas on Lombok is considered by scientists to be one of the largest eruption of the last 10,000 years. The eruption is dated to the year 1257 by recorded history (ancient texts) and more recently by ice core sampling in the Antarctic. After large volcanic eruptions large quantities of sulphur dioxide are deposited in antractic ice, eventually becoming buried and compressed over many years. Researchers from the University of Navada studying these samples concluded that the Samalas eruption of 1257 produced the highest levels of deposits, followed by the Kuwea event of 1452 and Tambora in 1815. Scientists believe the eruption was so large it blasted out 100 million tonnes of material per second and blocked the sun for months, possibly years. A description of the Samalas eruption can be found on the Mt Rinjani page.
Mount Rinjani – UNESCO Global Geopark
The UNESCO Global Geopark Network was established in 1998 to promote sites demonstrating the diversity of the planet’s geology. The UNESCO Executive Board endorsed Rinjani as a UNESCO Global Geopark on 17th April 2018. In granting Rinjani Geopark status, UNESCO recognizes that Rinjani is a site with global significance. The area has world-wide historical significance and is the site of the Samalas volcano – believed to have erupted in 1257 with a catastrophic impact on the entire planet. An applicant must meet the following 4 criteria to become a UNESCO Geopark:
- Geological Heritage of International Value (assessed by scientific professionals, as part of the “UNESCO Global Geopark Evaluation Team”)
- Management (management plan that protects the landscape & local culture, and provides for the social and economic needs of the local population)
- Visibility (information about the Geopark sites must be available to visitors and locals)
- Networking (co-operation with other Global Geoparks on a number of issues)
