Pergasingan Hill Hike In North Lombok (Bukit Pergasingan)

Pergasingan Hill is an epic viewpoint at the top of a steep 1-hour trail north of Lombok. Locally known as Bukit Pergasingan, the trail is suitable for most hikers and offers some of the best views in all Lombok! It is best done for sunrise or sunset and you can even camp at the top with the help of a trekking guide.

I’ve hiked up Pergasingan Hill both the front way and the back way. When I did it the front way I did it just for sunrise and when I  did it the back way, I actually camped up the top. Both times hiking up Bukit Pergasingan were with Rinjani Dawn Adventures which I will discuss later in the blog.

PERGASINGAN HILL (BUKIT PERGASINGAN)

Pergasingan Hill is in Sembalun, which is right near Mount Rinjani. In fact, you pass by the launch-off spot for the Mount Rinjani Trek and the big volcano looms in the background on the other side of the valley throughout the Pergasingan Hill Trek.

WHERE IS PERGASINGAN HILL

Below I have placed a map with Pergasingan Hill pinned so you can find the way. Pergasingan Hill is a popular hiking destination located in the village of Sembalun in East Lombok, Indonesia. To get there, you can take a private car or hire a driver from Mataram city, which is about a 2-hour drive away. Alternatively, you can take a public minibus, also known as a “bemo,” from Mandalika terminal in Mataram to Sembalun village. Once you arrive in Sembalun, you can hire a local guide to take you on the hike up to Pergasingan Hill.

The trail is relatively well-marked and quite easy to follow, with a gentle ascent that takes approximately 2-3 hours to reach the summit. The panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and valleys from the top are well worth the effort. It’s recommended to start the hike early in the morning to avoid the heat and to bring plenty of water and snacks.

The best directions you will get are to head past the Rinjani Trekking Center in Sembalun and then take the left fork in the road. From here you will take another left about two minutes later before hitting a small river where we parked at a little hut. Walk across the river and follow the path until you see the sign pictured below. This is the beginning of the trail and it is hard to go wrong from here.

DO YOU NEED A GUIDE 

It isn’t incredibly difficult to trek up Pergasingan Hill and is possible to DIY. However, because the directions to the trailhead are a bit vague and the track can be slippery it would be a good play to book a guide. I went with the team from Rinjani Dawn Adventures.

MY EXPERIENCE TREKKING UP PERGASINGAN HILL

At 430am I woke up at my homestay in Senaru. We could have left even earlier to catch the full sunrise but this ended up being good timing for some morning light. I joined up with the Rinjani Dawn guides at the front of the homestay and jumped on the mopeds.

It was an hour-and-a-half drive up the rocky roads to Sembalun. The roads were being redone after the earthquake of 2018 so I expect by mid-2019 they will be nice and smooth for your early morning drive. We cruised into Sembalun with the clouds on fire over Mount Rinjani on our right. After the Rinjani Trekking Center, we took a left and then another left a few minutes later as we cruised through a small village looking straight up towards the mountain.

You will pass a small sign on the right and this is where you are meant to pay the 50,000 rupiah entrance fee. No one was there at sunrise but they were on the way back to pay.  We dropped the bikes and gave our helmets to a local to hold onto safely. You first cross a small river before you reach a little trail on your left with white signs that mark the trailhead.

The trail starts off with a steep set of stairs and it doesn’t level out for a few hundred meters. The incline is quite aggressive on this trail and you will be breathing and sweating as you tackle the steep trail of Pergasingan Hill. The stairs soon disappear and are replaced by rocks and boulders, which make the trek up quite exciting. Make sure you keep your hands free and go slowly as the rocks can be quite slippery in the cool conditions of the early morning.

The trek up Pergasingan Hill takes about 1 hour but it was halfway up that the light flowed into the valley and the conditions were just prime. Fog covered the farm fields and the base of the mountains while the morning light created beautiful shadows in the creases of the sharp ridges on the mountains in the distance. It was a pretty spectacular view and my favorite part of the morning.

About halfway up the trek, the trail levels out and becomes quite thick. The cool morning dew of the bushes swept past us on every step and before long my shorts were saturated. From here the trail emerges from the bushes and you begin another short climb to the summit, which is a small plateau. I believe you can continue on up towards the true peak of the ridge but this may be the better view as there are no trees or obstructions to the view.

The viewpoint, with the right lighting, is phenomenal. A patchwork of multi-colored farmland covers the valley below.  Huge ridges tower over the valley in all directions with dramatic drop-offs. As you look down from the summit, you can see the town below and hear the sounds of the morning routine as the prayer from mosques bellows out over the city.

Not to be outdone by the beautiful farmlands below, Mount Rinjani demands your attention on the other side. The famous volcano is to your right in full view. Having been at the top of the summit before, I know how tough it is to reach the top, although from Pergasingan it doesn’t seem so intimidating.

We sat at the top and Aef, our guide, brewed some Lombok Coffee and shared some coconut biscuits. We chatted about the different vegetables being grown below, the other trails in the area, and stories about Mount Rinjani. It was great to be at the summit with experienced locals to hear their insights about the region. 

After a couple of drone flights, Aef made us some rice, fish, and tempe. This gave us more than enough us enough sustenance to make our way down the trail. On the way down it was quite slippery and I made a couple of small tumbles so be sure to tread carefully.

We spent almost two hours at the top and it took us just over an hour for the trek up and a little less on the way down. Our total trip time was 4 hours but this trek could easily be done in 1.5 hours if you rushed up enjoyed the view for 20 minutes and came down. We just took our time because we were in no rush.

CAMPING ON PERGASINGAN HILL

Most of this blog was written from my first visit to Pergasingan Hill so it is from the angle of just a trek but I will this segment to talk about camping, which is how I experienced Pergasingan Hill the second time around. This time I came from the backway in a small village and instead of an hour up it took 2.5 hours to wind our way around the ridge. You will only find this private access point at the back of houses with tour guides. 

The porters carried the tents, food, water, and equipment and we carried our personal belongings much like on Mount Rinjani. At the summit, the guides set up the camp and cooked the food. It is luxury camping and didn’t we know it? It was great though as it gave us time to enjoy the views and explore a bit.

We had a bonfire at night and an epic sunrise in the morning.  If you do have the time to camp here it is a great place for an overnight stay. There are lots of little areas to explore and an awesome experience. My first hike was great but camping was 10x better.

ADVENTURE BAG FROM PERGASINGAN HILL

This is an adventure bag (I forgot the bag). It is full of trash. Every time I go on an adventure I collect one adventure bag full of trash. It’s my small way of saying thanks to mother nature for allowing me to enjoy her beautiful creations.

If we have time to go on an adventure we have time to collect an adventure bag on the way back out of the trail once we have enjoyed the waterfall, the hike or the beach. Adventure hard!

Tag your @adventurebagcrew on Instagram and mention @adventurebagcrew in your Instagram stories to be featured and inspire your friends, family, and followers to join the movement!