An 18-year-old Indonesian climber has died after a fatal fall on the slopes of Mount Rinjani in West Nusa Tenggara, in an incident authorities say occurred outside official procedures and without proper permits. The tragedy has reignited debate over illegal climbs, safety enforcement, and the growing pressures on one of Indonesia’s most popular but hazardous volcanoes.

Image Illustration. Photo by Ilham Hadiansyah on Unsplash

A Deadly Fall on a Closed Route

Search-and-rescue officials in West Nusa Tenggara report that the teenager slipped and fell into a ravine on one of Rinjani’s steep forested sections, on a route not authorized for public use during the current season. Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) has documented a string of serious falls on Rinjani in recent years, many of them involving climbers who strayed from official paths or attempted trips during closures.

Local officials say the young man began his ascent with a small group of friends organized informally through social media, bypassing the mandatory registration system managed by Mount Rinjani National Park (TNGR). Without a valid permit, the group gained access via a lesser-used village trail to avoid park checkpoints, according to accounts provided to rescuers by surviving members of the party.

The group reportedly pushed on despite deteriorating weather and poor visibility. At a narrow section above a ravine, the teenager is believed to have lost his footing on loose volcanic gravel, tumbling dozens of meters down a near-vertical slope before coming to rest on a ledge inaccessible from the main path. The remote location forced rescuers to rely on rope systems and, in recent comparable cases, thermal drones and helicopters to locate and evacuate victims.

Mount Rinjani: Beauty and Risk on Indonesia’s Second-Highest Volcano

Rising 3,726 meters above sea level on the island of Lombok, Mount Rinjani is Indonesia’s second-highest volcano and a major draw for domestic and international adventure tourists. Climbs typically take two to four days, combining forest treks, exposed ridgelines and a summit push that begins before dawn. The mountain is encircled by deep ravines, loose scree slopes and sudden drop-offs, many of which become treacherous in rain, fog or high winds.

Despite this, Rinjani’s status as a bucket-list destination has fueled a boom in trekking traffic. Indonesia’s Environment and Forestry Ministry has promoted national parks, including Rinjani, as key pillars of ecotourism, encouraging regional governments to develop trail infrastructure, digital booking systems and local guiding cooperatives. But the rapid rise in visitor numbers has also exposed gaps in safety management and enforcement—especially around unregistered or “backdoor” climbs facilitated by informal guides and online communities.

A Mountain with a Long History of Accidents

Mount Rinjani has seen numerous fatal and near-fatal incidents over the past two decades, involving both Indonesian and foreign climbers. In one widely publicized case in June 2025, Brazilian hiker Juliana Marins fell from a cliff near the crater trail; her body was recovered four days later after search efforts were repeatedly hampered by dense fog, steep cliffs and unstable terrain. The case sparked intense scrutiny of rescue procedures and safety protocols on the mountain.

Data compiled by Indonesia’s National Park authorities and reported by regional media show that between 2016 and 2024, there were 273 recorded climbing accidents in Mount Rinjani National Park, resulting in 17 deaths and more than 200 injuries. Foreign tourists accounted for at least 44 of those incidents, underlining Rinjani’s global appeal but also the challenges of communicating local risks to short-term visitors unfamiliar with the terrain.

Among the recent cases are a Malaysian hiker who died after falling from a cliff in May 2025 and a Swiss climber who was airlifted to Bali with serious injuries after a fall in July the same year. In response, Indonesian authorities temporarily closed segments of popular routes to Segara Anak crater lake in mid-2025, citing the need to upgrade safety infrastructure and review guiding standards .

Illegal Climbing and Loopholes in Enforcement

Illegal climbs—defined by authorities as ascents made without permits, outside designated seasons or via unauthorized routes—remain a persistent problem on Rinjani. Officially, climbers are required to register through the TNGR online system or at designated posts, pay conservation fees, and use recognized entry points where quotas and weather-related closures can be enforced.

In practice, however, Rinjani is surrounded by a patchwork of villages and agricultural land, making it difficult for rangers to control every access point. Informal guides and local fixers sometimes offer cheaper, under-the-radar packages that allow climbers to avoid official caps on numbers or seasonal closures imposed due to extreme weather or volcanic activity. Teenagers and university groups, operating on tight budgets and driven by social media trends, are among those most likely to be tempted by these unofficial options, according to park officials and local tourism operators interviewed in previous safety reviews of the mountain.

Illegal ascents carry particular risks. Climbers may miss critical safety briefings, attempt routes that lack maintained trails or emergency shelters, or head out in periods of heavy rain and strong winds when official routes are closed. They are also less likely to carry adequate equipment or travel with certified guides trained in navigation, first aid and high-altitude risk assessment. When accidents occur, rescuers may not know the group’s exact location or even that they are on the mountain at all, delaying response times in situations where hours—or minutes—can be decisive.

Rescue Challenges on a Volcanic Giant

The teenager’s death also underscores the inherent difficulty of conducting search-and-rescue operations on Rinjani. Basarnas and local SAR units must contend with steep, unstable slopes, sudden weather shifts and terrain that often requires technical rope work. In the Marins case, rescuers needed four days to reach the accident site due to dense fog, freezing night temperatures and landslide risks, despite deploying drones and specialized vertical-rescue teams. Similar constraints can affect any operation, even when authorities receive prompt and accurate distress calls.

Indonesia’s national disaster agency and environment ministry have both emphasized that SAR capacity has improved in recent years, with more helicopters, better training and the use of drones and digital mapping tools. Yet experts note that even the best-equipped teams face serious limitations in high-altitude volcanic terrain, particularly at night or in heavy rain. When climbers are unregistered or outside official routes, rescue coordination becomes even more complex, since park authorities have no baseline information about group size, planned itineraries or intended campsites.

Government Moves to Tighten Safety

The Indonesian government has pledged to strengthen safety on Mount Rinjani in the wake of recent high-profile accidents. In July 2025, the Environment and Forestry Ministry ordered the Mount Rinjani National Park office to draw up stricter standard operating procedures for trekking management, after a series of falls involving both domestic and foreign climbers. Officials said the review would cover guide certification, trail maintenance, early-warning systems and the management of visitor quotas during peak seasons.

Authorities also temporarily closed some of the most accident-prone segments of the mountain in mid-2025, notably the section from the Pelawangan post down to Segara Anak crater lake, to allow for safety upgrades and more intensive monitoring. Regional officials urged tour operators to ensure that porters and guides are properly trained and licensed, and called for stronger public-awareness campaigns aimed at both local and international trekkers.

Balancing Adventure and Responsibility

For many Indonesians, especially young people, summiting Rinjani has become a rite of passage—a powerful symbol of resilience, independence and connection to the natural world. Social media platforms are filled with sunrise summit photos and crater-lake camping scenes, amplifying the mountain’s allure while sometimes downplaying the objective risks involved. For an 18-year-old climber, the draw can be irresistible.

But the teenager’s fatal fall is a stark reminder that Rinjani is not a casual weekend hike. It is a high-altitude volcanic environment where mistakes can quickly become irreversible, and where even experienced guides are at the mercy of weather and geology. Illegal climbs, which bypass the limited safety nets that do exist—permits, quotas, official route checks and trained guides—leave young hikers especially exposed.

As Indonesia seeks to grow its adventure tourism sector, policymakers and park authorities face a delicate balancing act: expanding access and local economic benefits while ensuring that climbers, especially inexperienced youth, are not lured into taking lethal shortcuts. That will require not only tougher enforcement against illegal routes, but also sustained education, transparent accident reporting and a culture of safety that keeps pace with Rinjani’s rising fame.