Trails on Mount Rinjani in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, have yet to be fully opened after being affected by landslides and uprooted trees, despite the mountain being officially reopened to hikers on April 1.
The 3,726-meter-high volcano had been closed to hikers since December last year due to extreme weather from January to March.
“The mountain has been reopened [to the public] since April 1, but conditions are not yet normal as landslides and uprooted trees have covered parts of the trails,” Mount Rinjani National Park office head Agus Budiono said Tuesday in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara.
Agus said that tourists hiking on the mountain slopes could presently only reach Segara Anak Lake, situated approximately 2,000 meters above sea level.
“The guard rails are also broken, but we are currently fixing them,” Agus said, adding that the office expected the trails to be usable in May.
Mount Rinjani is the second highest volcano in Indonesia after Mount Kerinci (3,800 meters above sea level) in Sumatra.
According to official data, 4,800 foreign tourists and 6,500 domestic tourists visited Mount Rinjani in 2011, ascending the mountain via three different trails: Senaru and Timbeno in West Lombok and Sembalun in East Lombok.
Two other volcanoes in the province remain on alert status: Mount Tambora in Dompu regency and Mount Sangiang Api in Bima regency.
