Rural Lombok – Senaru, Sembalun, Tetebatu & Mount Rinjani
The village of Senaru on the island of Lombok is a beautiful place, very rural and set in the foothills of Mount Rinjani volcano. We took an amazing one-day hike, a tough walk though rivers to waterfalls, through jungle, peanut and tobacco plantations and through the rice terraces where we had lunch sitting in a farmers hut. Our guide, Nur was from the Sasak community and part of the women’s cooperative which has worked to give women equality, a right to go to school and earn money for themselves. This was so interesting, she took us to her village, talked us through daily life and explained some of their rather unusual traditions…… fascinating.
Mount Rinjani
Our next base, the rural village of Sembalun and its surroundings with Mount Rinjani still dominating the landscape. Known for its high altitude valley with its plethora of produce grown here. We hiked through the valley amongst acres of chilli, garlic and strawberry fields, backbreaking work for the locals, no machinery to assist. The view across the valley reveals a patchwork of farmland. We visited a local coffee farm, we have visited many before but they are usually touristy, not this one, this was rustic and real. The farm ladies were busy cooking a ton of crackers, preparing for a coming circumcision celebration, it felt like the party had already begun, we were the centre of amusement for a while, excited laughter and loud chatter then we were presented with our own ton of crackers, they eat so many of them here. It has been interesting in Sembalun and at 1100m above sea level we have had hot days but cold nights, first time the sweatshirts have made an appearance on this trip. Time to move on now.
Our arrival in the village of Tetebatu coincided with the arrival of rainy season on this side of Mount Rinjani so our first day was a complete washout. On our second day the rain stopped however the sun didn’t really make an appearance. Nevertheless this is a beautiful part of the island, lush rice fields and a low key village life, it is likened to Ubud in Bali but without the crowds and traffic. We trekked through monkey forest, total opposite to the one in Ubud, no crowds of people, no feeding stations for aggressive monkeys. This forest is wild and natural and home to the very shy Ebony Leaf monkey (Black Lemur) we were lucky enough to see 2 groups of these. Time to move on now, heading to the airport for a flight to the Island of Flores in readiness for our next adventure.
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Tetebatu
14 Comments
Eha Carr
Thank you, Michaela, for your magnificent photos – I truly do not want to rant and rave but I have never seen any such informative photos or learned more than a fraction of what you two have taught me about Indonesia before ! Rice growing in the rain or obviously very alpha male monkeys 🙂 ! I do hope you will enter some of the Pergasingan Hill photos in a later photo competition back home. May the health and mood continue . . . bestest . . .
Phil & Michaela
I have never entered a photo into a competition, perhaps I will one day 😀
Eha Carr
Michaela, I am not ‘making words’ or out to pay compliments – I follow a number of very able photographers with great pleasure . . . and think you oft do better . . .
Phil & Michaela
Such a compliment 😀
Lookoom
What a fantastic journey through rural Lombok! Trekking through the lush valleys of Sembalun, exploring wild forests in Tetebatu, and learning about the inspiring women’s cooperative in Senaru with Nur sounds truly unforgettable. Enjoy Flores—can’t wait to follow along on your next adventure!
Phil & Michaela
It is a very beautiful Island and from what we have seen so far unspoiled by over tourism. People say that it is like Bali was 30 years ago, don’t know how true that is though. We will check out the rest of this Island after our trip to Flores.
restlessjo
As always, Michaela’s shots are stunning. Those lemurs are so photogenic. Sounds like a great trip xx
Phil & Michaela
Thanks Jo. The monkeys were lovely and so shy, a nice change after seeing the more aggressive Macaques on Bali
Monkey's Tale
Looks like a beautiful and cultual walk. I’m surprised that the ebony leaf monkeys are shy, we encountered the silver leaf, and they are very aggressive. Enjoy Flores. Maggie
Phil & Michaela
They just stayed in the top of the trees and ignored us, they have never been fed by humans, so I guess the temptation isn’t there. It is very quiet there we only saw a handful of other people with a guide, all very natural unlike the Ubud experience.
The Flask Half Full
That leaf monkey . . . ❤️. I’ll bet he was fun to watch! Love Michaela’s new skirt/shrine cover. Hope that’s coming home in your suitcase. Cheers!
Phil & Michaela
The monkeys were fascinating. And I have bought 2 beautiful sarongs which are definitely going home 😄
grandmisadventures
Great pictures! Beautiful waterfalls, amazing critter friends, and lovely moments to put in your pocket
Phil & Michaela
Thanks Meg, always special to see the natural world close up 😊