Indonesia’s Mount Rinjani Hiking Trails Closed as Forest Fire Spreads

Mount Rinjani Closes Senaru and Torean Trails Amid Forest Fire Response

Tempatdonasi.com – Hiking access through the Senaru and Torean routes on Mount Rinjani has been suspended while authorities continue working to control a forest fire affecting parts of the national park in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara.

The temporary closure covers trails linked to the Bukit Setampol and Sangkareang Peak areas, where fire-management efforts remain underway. The Mount Rinjani National Park Agency, known as TNGR, has not set a reopening date for either route.

Astekita Ardiarsito, Head of the Administration Sub-division at the TNGR Agency, said on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, that the restrictions would remain in place without a defined end date.

The Senaru and Torean hiking trails remain temporarily closed for an indefinite period.

Existing Ticket Holders Can Change Their Plans

Visitors who have already secured e-tickets for the Senaru route are not being left without options. They may move their planned hike to another date or alter their itinerary so that they enter and leave through the Sembalun route while Senaru remains unavailable.

The adjustment is intended to help hikers revise their plans while keeping access arrangements aligned with the park’s current safety measures. Anyone preparing for a trip should ensure that their selected route, entry point, and exit point remain compatible with the active restrictions.

Hikers already on Mount Rinjani who had planned to descend through Senaru or Torean are also being redirected. Park officials have instructed those visitors to leave the mountain via Sembalun instead.

Hikers currently on the mountain who had intended to exit via Senaru or Torean are being directed to exit via Sembalun, in accordance with instructions from park officials.

Fire Affects Trail and Resort Areas

The blaze has affected the Senaru hiking trail as well as the Torean and Senaru resort areas. It has been described as a surface fire, meaning that it is burning through vegetation and combustible material close to the ground rather than being limited to a single point.

Materials feeding the fire include mountain casuarina trees, dense thickets, shrubs, grass, mountain savanna, dry leaf litter, and other undergrowth. These conditions can make fire control especially challenging because flames may spread across ground cover and through dry vegetation over a wider area.

The affected landscape is part of the broader Mount Rinjani environment, where trails connect visitors with highland terrain and natural areas around Lombok’s iconic volcano. The closure underscores that hiking routes can be restricted not only by conditions directly on a footpath, but also by fire activity in nearby terrain and the need to provide safe access for response efforts.

What the Closure Means for Visitors

For hikers, the main immediate consequence is that Senaru and Torean cannot be used as normal access or exit routes. Sembalun is the designated alternative for those whose existing itinerary involved the closed trails.

Visitors holding Senaru e-tickets can either postpone their hike or modify the route arrangement until park authorities announce that the trail has reopened. People currently on the mountain should follow directions issued by officials, particularly when leaving areas that had been expected to connect to Senaru or Torean.

Because the closure has been announced for an indefinite period, travel plans may need to remain flexible. The situation depends on the progress of fire-management work and on conditions in the affected areas. Reopening would require the park to determine that routes can again be used safely.

The ongoing response highlights the importance of trail-management decisions during environmental emergencies. Restricting access can reduce risks for hikers, prevent movement into affected zones, and allow officials to focus on containing the fire across vegetation that includes dry leaves, grass, shrubs, and savanna cover.

Mount Rinjani remains a major destination for outdoor visitors to Lombok, but route availability is currently shaped by the fire response. Until further notice, hikers should plan around the Sembalun route where permitted and comply with all directions from national park personnel.