We had booked a half day hike for this morning. It was supposed to start at 8am but our guide turned up early so we left early as well. We started with the hike to the waterfall. There is an official path to get there but we took the unofficial road which leads along the artificial waterway and gave us great views over the valley with rice fields.

Beautiful place and enormous …

We basically stayed on the same height line until we could see and hear the first waterfall. Apart from the waterfall, we could also hear something resembling thunder. Rani told us that those are eruptions within Rinjani, though, when the magma hits the water of the crater lakes. That was not the most reassuring of all explanations.

Going down to Air Tejung Sendang Gile, the view was lovely. The water falls down in two steps from a steep wall that is completely covered in green; ferns and jungle creepers. It has been ages since we saw the last waterfall…probably back in NZ.

You shouldn’t go underneath the water (it is falling down about 60 meters) but you can still get close enough to get wet from the spray. A couple of photos and a biscuit break later, we started for the second and more important waterfall. Again, you follow the artificial waterway and even cross an aqueduct with a drop on both sides before you have to cross the river twice to get to the place. The river is quite cold and the water is so clear that you can see everything. Rani helped me through the crossings; it’s just a bit hard crossing with bare feet rather than in water shoes as the rocks make footing uneven. It was much fun nevertheless. Continue reading →