Hiking Through Kerandangan

A trek to the Rinjani volcano peak was in the original plan. Soon we were to realise – sadly, that it requires a minimum of two nights and three days. Beach hopping, snorkelling and long walks did its bit to quell the disappointment of giving up on Rinjani. Yet there was something amiss.

Until we heard the call of the wild. Not far from the Holiday Resort at Senggigi, where we were staying, was the Kerandangan Nature Reserve.

Hardly mentioned in the regular tourism destinations in Lombok, we stumbled upon this natural treasure while browsing a local magazine.

During the morning walk, we spotted the narrow road leading to the park. After breakfast, we set on a hired bike. Roads in Lombok are well-maintained and it’s a pleasure to drive through the winding roads. But leading away from the main road, the road to Kerandangan was full of potholes. That it is only couple of kilometers helped.

The staff at the office was friendly and told us there was no need of a guide as the trails are clear and safe. Entrance fee was 5000 rupiah per person. There are two trails, one leading to a camping site and the other to two waterfalls. We took the latter. Being summer, we did not expect any waterfall though.

Thick, lush tropical rainforest. Singing birds; flitting butterflies. Blissful.

The trail is paved and clear till the first waterfall. Then it becomes natural, tricky, and confusing at times. The trail then simply didn’t exist. There are boards at frequent intervals so we did not lose way. There were no other visitors and just two of us in the dense forest with all other human beings an hour away was eerie as well as wonderful experience.






As expected, there was just a small stream of water at the end of the trail. But once again, the journey was worth more than the destination.

Kerandangan Natural Reserve is near Senggigi beach in Lombok. Lombok, one of the islands in Indonesia is 4 hours by ferry from Bali and 1.5 hours by fast boat. Lombok is also connected by air.