As a trekker just beginning their hiking (mis)adventures, Mount Rinjani is not as easy to tame as one might think. Simmering and bubbling away, she towers at a height of 3726m on Lombok, one of the many islands along the Indonesian Archipelago. There are two ways up her sloped shoulders to the summit with the trail through the Sembalun entrance being considerably easier due to the flatland involved. Yet both Sembalun and Senaru trails will bring you beneath the green veil over Mt Rinjani, across rainforests and steep patches of rock interspersed along the path. Cawing monkeys swinging along vines and running alongside are both friend and foe as they accompany you on the journey while simultaneously trying to make a grab for your supplies.

Yet Mount Rinjani’s treasure remains only to be seen at the summit. Shrouded by a blanket of fog that gives the appearance of having ascended to an ethereal world, Mt Rinjani encircles her arms around an 8.5km caldera of turquoise blue waters. Crater Lake is a sapphire gem fiercely protected by Mt Rinjani and the hike to the crater’s lip is a high price enough to see it. Legs sore and muscles aching, you can proudly declare that you’ve braved Mt Rinjani.