August 1, 2025 | 02:47 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The West Nusa Tenggara Provincial Government, in tandem with the Mount Rinjani National Park Management Agency (BTNGR), is introducing a new standard operating procedure (SOP) for hiking Mount Rinjani. The new SOP will take effect on August 11, 2025, after the park's closure from August 1-10.
According to Ahmad Nur Aulia, the Head of the West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Tourism Agency, the new SOP is a coordinated effort with the BTNGR. "God willing, the SOP will be implemented simultaneously after the maintenance period," he said in Mataram on Tuesday, July 29, 2025.
The new procedure will improve upon and validate various aspects of the hiking experience, setting new safety standards to prevent incidents on the trails.
Improving Porter and Guide Skills
The Tourism Agency will also conduct skills training for the 371 porters and guides who work on Mount Rinjani. In partnership with the Tourism Ministry, this training will take place during the closure. "We've had difficulty finding guides and porters during the peak season at Rinjani because everyone brings guests," Aulia explained.
Out of the 661 porters and guides on Mount Rinjani, 371 are not yet certified. Fifty of these individuals have already been certified during the current trail maintenance period. "So there are still around 321 people left, and we've already trained 50. We will intensify this process [during the maintenance period from August 1-10]," Aulia said.
The training will cover basic healthcare and safety handling, providing all guides with essential rescue knowledge in case of an emergency.
SOP Revised After Climber Accidents
The revision of the hiking SOP was prompted by recent accidents. BTNGR Head Yarman stated that the new SOP would be a collaborative effort involving all stakeholders, including the local government, tourism operators, and nearby communities.
This initiative follows the death of a Brazilian climber, Juliana Marins, who fell on the mountain. "We conducted several evaluations of our own human resources, tourism operators, facilities, and the SOP, which will be revised together," he said.
A working group (POKJA) has been formed with members from the BTNGR, the NTB Provincial Government, and other organizations. "The POKJA will discuss the roles of each party within the SOP, such as porters, travel agencies, guides, etc. Hopefully, this can be realized soon. There will be a follow-up meeting later," Yarman added.
After the incident involving Juliana Marins, two other foreign climbers were involved in accidents. On Wednesday, July 16, 2025, Swiss tourist Benekdikt Emmeneger suffered a broken leg and arm. The next day, a Dutch tourist, Sarah Tamar van Hulten, fell in a nearby location. Both climbers were evacuated to Bali by helicopter.
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