A Jounalist Travel To Bukit Sembalun, Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB).

 

Lombok is known to have a variety of natural attractions with very beautiful panoramas. Not only Kuta Mandalika beach, but also hilly areas. One of them is Selong Sembalun Hill, the slopes of Mount Rinjani. It is so beautiful, many people call this area a tourist paradise for East Lombok. No wonder if the President of the Republic of Indonesia Ir. Jokowi Dodo through Kemenparkraf-RI appoints Lombok, NTB is one of the priority tours of the 5 Priority of Indonesian Tourism Destinations.

I was so curious about the beauty of Sembalun Hill, on December 10, 2020 the Journal Holiday team immediately flew to Lombok NBT. For 3 days in NTB, on December 11, 2020, the morning of the Holiday journal team and the Travel Robie Lombok Holiday team were also accompanied by the Chairman of the Indonesian Tour Guides Association (HPI), Mr. Ucok Palala who knew about the history of Bukit Sembalun to be precise to take a closer look at the beauty of the hill While with the expanse of strawberry gardens and rice fields that have soothed the hearts of all people

Sembalun Lawang.

Sembalun is a village in Sembalun District, East Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara Province. The area is surrounded by hills and is at the foot of Mount Rinjani. According to a number of expert studies, the hills here were formed from the Rinjani eruption in 1257 ago. The volcanic ash also produces fertile land, which makes most of the residents of Sembalun work as farmers.

From Mataram to Sembalun the distance is approximately 95 km. At that time I departed from the hotel where I was staying close to Praya International Airport-Lombok, the travel time to get there was approximately three hours.

Friends of Indonesian Traveler, to go to Bukit Sembalun quite far and the route through the forest, when I was already in the middle of a forest trip to Sembalun hill, the road had many sharp turns, and of course the journey was full of challenges, because before my team and I set off feet in sembalun, there is a heavy rainstorm, very strong winds and several fallen trees block access to the Sembalun closed to the public.

But amazingly, when the team and I came, we were greeted by the weather in Sembalun which was quite good even though it was blocked by quite a thick fog, but for me and the group I was very grateful to be given the opportunity to enjoy Sembalun, because indeed sembalun is the foot of Mount Rinjani which is still active which makes everyone is curious about its beauty.

From the monitoring of the Journal Holiday team, the road conditions are good and paved. Some sections are still inhabited by small to large monkeys that will welcome us.As information, for traveler friends who are going to visit, you must always be careful, keep praying to the Almighty (Allah), keep the hill environment clean, we still have to maintain good manners, because all residents in Sembalun hills, the East Lombok is still stick to the customs of its ancestors.

 

Pusuk Sembalun

After nearly three hours of a challenging journey, finally all the Journal Holiday teams, Robie Lombok Holiday and the Head of HPI arrived at Pusuk Sembalun, the culmination of the road that we struggled to pass. Once here, all doubts will disappear, because I immediately saw the panoramic view of the Sembalun hill from above which was amazing, soothing my eyes and my heart I could enjoy the nature of the Almighty God creation.

As far as the eye can see, you can see Sembalun hills covered in green moss. The expanse of rice fields spread wide. By noon and evening the area around Pusuk Sembalun will be shrouded in thick fog and the temperature will also drop.

For a Traveler's friend, Sembalun Hill is also a favorite spot for tourists to take pictures. There are also visitors who choose to hang out while enjoying the cool hilly air. And surely it will be more complete if while drinking hot coffee and tea, and accompanied by a group of monkeys passing by, who are still believed to be part of the host on Sembalun Hill, will greet visitors with friendly eyes.

 

Note: A travel report shared by Aisyahra Mulyawati,  a journalist from Kota Bekasi, West Java.