Down in the belly of the crater, travelers bathe in scalding hot springs reputed to heal skin diseases and other ailments. Fishermen tether live catches to stakes in the lake, like pets on a leash. Many Hindu Balinese and Muslim Sasaks, who are the dominant ethnic group on Lombok, treat Rinjani as a holy place and trek there to fling rice, jewelry and other tributes into the lake. Travelers enjoy the sunrise on Rinjani Mountain, an active volcano on Lombok Island, east of Jakarta, Indonesia. A full moon is a popular time for pilgrims.
Indonesian volcanoes draw farmers because their soil is fertile and good for crops.
Their terrible power inspires fear, too. In 1883, an eruption at Krakatau volcano killed more than 36,000 people. For hikers, three days and two nights of camping on Rinjani is ideal. You need an extra day to stagger up the wind-swept summit. But the path out of the crater basin is perilous enough.