Travellers can be divided into two large categories – those who love the city, and those who are more interested in going to nature, away from civilization.
You can climb up the mountains or go deeper into the forest, admire the sunsets on the deserted shore of the ocean, count the stars where they are not extinguished by the lights of the big city, wake up at dawn in a tent, brush your teeth in the river and smile at the sun while listening to birds singing.
But what to do if you carry a huge backpack of 80 liters with a tent, sleeping bag, pots and a week’s supply is not desirable. Fortunately, the golden mean exists, and you can go hiking for a few days almost lightly. Today we will tell you about a couple of such options.
Three days on a volcano in Indonesia
One of the highest volcanoes in Indonesia is called Rinjani and is located on the island of Lombok. Its rather impressive oval-shaped crater 6.5 by 8 kilometers holds a small, slightly smoking nozzle, a huge lake and hot springs.
From April to December, during the dry season, when there is little rainfall, the people of Senaru district organize a three-day trekking to the top for tourists at the foot of the volcano.
Groups recruit small, up to 8 people per guide, and the beauty of the hike is that tents, sleeping bags, water, food and burners are carried by porters, but you only need to bring warm clothes and snacks, such as nuts, dried fruits and chocolate.
On the first day you will be taken to the starting point by minibus, introduced to the guide and sent on a hike. Two hours on the hills with a slight incline upwards, lunch, about three more hours on a fairly steep slope, and neatly by sunset you find yourself on the edge of the crater, above the clouds.
At this point, it is important to take off wet things and put on dry ones as soon as the sun hides, it will be very cold. While you spend the day admiring the landscape, the porters are already setting up tents and preparing dinner, after which, over tea, you can see a trillion stars of the milky way.
Then there are two options: you can sleep until morning, or you can get up at 3 a.m. and meet dawn at the highest point of the volcano, walk to it about a mile and a half, but the last 300 meters – an almost vertical wall of volcanic sand, the rise of which is a step forward, two years ago. To tell you the truth, the view isn’t much different from the one that awaits you at the overnight stay, so it’s more of a test for those who want to test themselves.
Breakfast on the second day is cooked at 7 a.m., after which the cratering starts. Just a couple of hours, and you are down on the lake shore, in front of you is a day of rest in nature. Refreshing swimming in the lake should be alternated with hot baths located near the springs, in the evening to build a fire and poison bikes.
On the third day you will have to go a lot: up to the opposite border of the crater and down to the foot, but to go down from this side is easier, you get an intensive walk through the forest with a break for lunch.
In such a campaign will be useful trekking sticks, climbs and descents in some places are steep, so that an additional point of support will not hurt. Comfortable shoes, warm pants, sweater and jacket – that’s all you need to take with you.
You can book a tour in advance by arranging a transfer from the airport or port, or you can come by your own car and knock down the price. The price varies from 100 to 200$ per person and depends on the season and your ability to bargain.
Hike to the mountains of Krasnaya Polyana
In Russia, for example, in Krasnaya Polyana, there are some great hiking trips to the “light” mountains. A simple and pleasant route to the Bzerpinsky eave can be walked in one day, or you can stretch for three, adding a hike to the lakes and glacier. First of all, you need to climb up from the village of Esto-Sadok by cable car GPE “Alpika-Service” to a height of 1660 meters.
It takes about half an hour, and from the cabin there is a stunning view of the gorge and Rosa Khutor. The hiking trail starts directly from the rope station: a short gravel road runs through the flower fields and leads into the fir forest.
The path rises quite steeply, but not for long, just an hour and a half, and you can take a break on the Bear Gate Pass, where comfortable benches are equipped, and read information posters about the history of local places.
After the pass, the road with a slight slope rounds the mountain, where you are surrounded by bright, colorful meadows and small, elegant birch trees. It’s just an hour away and you’ll have a view of the valley where the tent camp is set up.
It is thanks to it that you can go to the mountains with a light backpack – tents and sleeping bags are rented out, and also in the center of the camp there is a large tent with a kitchen, where there are burners and dishes.
There is no need to carry a lot of water, just next to the camp there is a clear mountain stream. Even the “amenities” are equipped here, so it turns out almost a hotel in the open air.
