Mount Rinjani: Adventure turns to tragedy

The Star

17-07-2025

The death of 26-year old Brazilian Juliana de Souza Pereira Marins at Mount Rinjani in Indonesia recently could have possibly been avoided.
Allegedly, she had wandered off by herself in the dark, then slipped and fell at Cemara Tunggal, believed to be one of the most treacherous sections of the trail.
No one is certain of what had really happened in the wee hours of June 21.
The place she fell was slightly above Pelawangan Sembalun (2,639m), the rest stop and camping site for climbers before their final push to the summit.
Climbers normally start their ascent at 2am from there in order to catch the sunrise on the summit of Rinjani (3,726m), Indonesia's second highest peak.
It is said that Marins fell 300m down the ravine and was discovered by other climbers and guides at around 6.30am. At about 10am, a Malaysian climber named Xiao E Ching and her friends, who were descending the mountain, came across the group.
Since Xiao had a DJI Mini 3 Pro drone with her, the group asked if she could use it to help locate Marins. Xiao and her friends made two attempts flying the drone before finding her, and then they flew the drone back and forth a few more times to send Marins a message, and to make sure she stayed awake.
Unfortunately, the drone ran out of battery soon after.
According to Xiao, in the two to three hours that she and her friends were there, there were several attempts to contact authorities, rescue teams and even Marins' family, though Xiao also said that connection on the mountain wasn't great.
Xiao uploaded a clip from her drone footage on her Instagram page after she descended, with a detailed description of what took place when she was there.
A photo taken on June 23 by Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency showing rescue workers attempting to evacuate Marins at Rinjani. — Photos: Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency/AFP
Indonesia's Search and Rescue (SAR) team was heavily criticised for their purportedly 'slow' actions. According to reports, when the team arrived, they descended to where they believed she was located but could not find her. She also did not respond when they called out to her.
On Sunday morning, park authorities said in a statement that because of thick fog and worsening weather, rescue efforts were stalled as the thermal drones used to locate Marins could not function properly.
On Monday, the team finally located Marins about 300m from where she was first found.
Unfortunately, bad weather again stalled rescue efforts.
On Tuesday, rescuers managed to reach Marins after descending about 600m down a ravine, but she was no longer alive.
Finally, on Wednesday, authorities managed to retrieve her body.
During the ordeal, news of Marins' fall spread like wildfire.
Even Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto's official social media accounts were reportedly inundated by calls for quick action.
To be fair to the rescuers, Rinjani is a tough and unpredictable mountain.
Like most developing countries, Indonesia does not have rapid-response SAR teams stationed on the mountains, or one that is equipped with state-of-the-art rescue technology and supported by aerial and ground assets.
Rinjani is a monster despite its beauty and majesty. It is the pride of Indonesia. The area that makes up the Rinjani National Park is indeed a natural wonder. For me, the skyline is postcard-perfect and the vistas are unparalleled with anywhere else in the world.
The Pelawangan Sembalun Crater Rim is also one of nature's most beautiful places.
These are just some of the reasons why thousands of people choose to scale the mountain, or at least attempt to do so.
However, Rinjani is not an easy climb, and can be a 'killer', especially to inexperienced hikers.
For me, it is probably the third most dangerous mountain to climb in Indonesia after Gunung Raung (3,332m) and Piramid Bondowoso (1,521m).
There are three routes or jalur going up to Rinjani: Senaru, Torean and the popular Sembalun, which is the route Marins and her group had taken.
The routes merge at Pelawangan Sembalun, the gateway to the summit.
I agree that the weather there is notoriously unpredictable, and that this caused the rescue mission to lag. But I also think that most of the time the SAR team was hindered by a lack of proper equipment as it would take time to bring up necessary tools from 2,800m below.
These days, mountain climbing is seen as more of a 'social media activity' than what it used to be – an outdoor adventure sport.
Every other climber can be seen recording themselves doing the trek, either with their phone, camera or even drone.
Sometimes, some climbers even film themself 'live' and giving commentary to their audiences.
It's the trend, the in thing to do. Everyone wants a piece of this adventure, which makes for great content on social media, and the 'likes' and comments that come with it.
I noticed that even some of the SAR team members were recording their every move.
Clips were shown on television too, showing all the action, drama and even banter.
One of the volunteer rescuers, hailed as a hero, was on every channel. It's little wonder that the Brazilian public was incensed. The team took four days to retrieve Marins' body; the results of the autopsy in Indonesia ­further angered them.
According to the Indonesian autopsy report, Marins died 20 minutes after her fall but Xiao's drone footage showed that she was still alive at around 10am, almost four hours after the fall.
A second autopsy was done in Brazil at the request of Marins' family.
Yes, everyone can climb Rinjani, or any other mountain for that matter.
There is no prohibition to climb Rinjani, even if you have never even climbed a hill before.
But Rinjani is crowded. At least 100,000 people attempted to climb the mountain last year – that's an average of 8,000 people a month.
There are many companies offering a variety of climbing packages but in most cases they don't tell you the truth about this 'adventure of a lifetime'.
Unlike most mountains in Indonesia, you are exposed to the elements of weather early on in Rinjani. Strong winds, rain and the scorching heat can be punishing to any climber.
As you go further up, the sandy grounds become tough to walk on, as are the pebble trails.
Fatigue will slow you down; the sun will beat you down, too.
The wind can be atrocious, and when it rains, it pours.
This is when the trail will become dangerously slippery.
I went through hell attempting to summit Rinjani two decades ago. My friends and I were beaten by the elements, but not without first trying our hardest. I remember that it rained for two days – we retreated after breaching the 2,700m mark. We were just happy that we were safe.
Marins will probably be forgotten someday, like many who have perished or gotten seriously injured there.
But people will still flock to Rinjani for the extreme challenge and experience, and to create content for their social media.
And hubris, too.
But one should never take Rinjani lightly.
The views expressed are entirely the writer's own.
Johan Jaaffar is an avid trekker and mountaineer. He celebrated his 70th birthday at the peak of Gunung Batur in Bali, Indonesia in 2023, and trekked the world- famous Langtang Valley trail in Nepal last September.