Indonesia is known for its active volcanoes. However, it turns out that these mountains have some natural beauty that is still very beautiful and it would be a shame to miss that. One of them is Mount Tambora Tour in Bima Regency, Sumbawa Island, West Nusa Tenggara. Mount Tambora is a very popular mountain among climbers from Indonesia and abroad. Mount Tambora is a must-see destination for fans of high altitude tourism.
At an altitude of 2851 meters above sea level, this mountain has stunning natural beauty. With great difficulty you climb, you will not return home empty-handed. Because the natural charm on Mount Tambora is one of a kind. This mountain is called the mountain with the largest crater in Indonesia or it is commonly called the largest crater in Indonesia. The crater of this mountain is 7 kilometers wide, 18 kilometers in circumference, and 800 meters in depth.
Apart from that, Mount Tambora also has other natural beauties that are no less amazing. Here there is a very wide desert along the edge of this mountain crater. Edelweiss flowers grow along the rim of the crater, which grows from 1.5m to 100m across. Combined with very beautiful layered rocks. The layered stones are flat on top like a table which makes a natural phenomenon in itself. What makes it interesting is, from this mountain you can see the beauty of the ocean, the crater of the volcano, Satunda island and also a very beautiful desert.
In addition, this area has also become two conservation areas, namely the 80,000-hectare North Tambora Wildlife Sanctuary and the 30,000-hectare South Tambora Hunting Park. With this said, this mountain possesses a lot of wealth of flora and fauna. Mount Tambora is very rich in a variety of flora and fauna. Flora and fauna that live on the mountain include reeds, edibles, ixora, bush orchids, animals like oriental deer, long-tailed monkeys, mosquitoes, and many more. In 1815, a terrible eruption occurred on this mountain, which caused a crater of very large width.
To make the climb, climbers usually go through the official route, namely in the village of Pancasila. There are several transportation alternatives that you can use to go to Pancasila Village. One of them is if you are in Dompu, you can first take yellow angkot to go to Dompu station. When you get to Dompu Station, look for a public bus that goes to Pancasila Village. After reaching the village of Pancasila, you can continue the trek on foot to reach the jungle door.
From the village of Pancasila, the climb is just beginning, and the first leg of the trek will go to Post I. Normally, if you walk, it’s about four hours of travel. During the trek you will pass the local coffee plantations to the door of the forest and you will often see large trees on the left and right sides of the road until you finally reach Post I. Here there is a hut and a water source which is a leak from a pipe leading to the village. Then the trek will go to Pos II, and this trek will pass through the former river flow with very dense forest conditions. Can travel with the normal time which is about an hour by car.
From here it will continue back to Post III and takes about three hours. The condition of the path will be more difficult because it is going uphill and winding, plus there are many nettles that can itch when hit on the skin. Conditions become more difficult with the large number of fallen trees blocking the path. So prepare extra energy and be careful when you walk. Upon reaching Post III, climbers usually spend the night here. There is a flat land wide enough for tents to be set up and at a depth of about 500 meters there is also a source of water in the form of a rainfed pond. The water source here is the last one you can find, so prepare your supplies adequately before continuing the climb.
Early in the morning around 02.00 WITA climbers start climbing to watch the sunrise at the top. Previously, the trip would continue to Address IV with a travel time of about an hour by car. The path condition is quite sloping with thick forest to the left and right of the path, you have to be careful as there are a lot of nettles here. Then the journey continues towards the fifth position and the journey takes only about 30 minutes. On this road, the nettle vegetation began to thin out and the view became more open.
The next goal from Pos V is to go to the Mount Tambora crater which takes about 2 hours. When you reach the edge of the crater, you will see a very beautiful view. Guaranteed enough to pay for all the tiredness I felt. The crater called Doro Afi Toi with a green lake at the bottom looks very clear before your eyes, not to mention the beauty of the rock layers along the cliffs that will surely amaze you. If you look to the west you will see a small hill.
This hill is the summit of Mount Tambora. The trek to the summit takes about 30 minutes and from this peak the view will be wider. You can see the whole area in West Nusa Tenggara, the crater of the mountain as well as the green lake at the bottom of the crater due to the terrible eruption in ancient times. Mount Tambora is a mountain that holds a lot of extraordinary beauty. The magic of the huge crater is sure to amaze you when you see it for yourself.