Mr Hardy looked after me like family. I struggled with internet to pay my deposit and he trusted me to pay on arrival, and sent a car to pick me up from the other side of Lombok (3 hours away) and the wonderful driver Is helped me get money from the ATM. Then, I was the only hiker, and he and his lovely wife and family welcomed me into their home and fed me a beautiful meal. I was treated like their own daughter, so kind. His son Mujahidin who has a beautiful daughter of his own, took me on a slow-paced, guided tour of the nearby waterfalls and was very engaging, telling stories and singing.
They put me up in a lovely, quiet homestay where I was fed dinner and breakfast, and the staff were the kindest, most accomodating. The view of Rinjani and the ocean from the homestay was spectacular.
I was only meant to hike to the crater rim (1N2D), but Mr Hardy encouraged me to summit (1N2D also) and provided me with extra gear - a head torch, rain coat and later came by the home stay with hiking poles for me free of charge. He went above and beyond.
The hike itself was challenging at times, but our most wonderful guide Bri never pushed us and allowed us to hike at our own pace. In fact, he encouraged us to rest often rather than pushing on to the lunch POS which meant we arrived when lunch was served rather than pushing hard and waiting at that POS for too long. So caring and considerate. He was engaging the whole 2 days, speaking at length with all hikers (four of us), keeping morale up and making sure we were all comfortable. For the summit, he walked with the last hiker to make sure no one was left behind.
The porters are the strongest, most hardworking and thoughtful men I have met. Their job is incredibly hard and they do it with a smile on their faces. The meals they provided were amazing, and the set up and pack down of camp was seamless. They carried our gear, food and water for us like champs. Couldn't have done it without them.
We arrived at the crater for the night to a set up camp and too much food to eat. I shared some with other hikers from other trekking companies who were amazed with the luxuries we were provided (pisang goreng for snacks and banana pancakes at 2am before the summit).
The summit obviously is completely amazing and a must do when in Indo. But the people made all the difference! Mr Hardy's team is simply the best! I felt welcomed, safe, supported, and appreciated by everyone I met through hiking with Mr Hardy. I wish him and his family-business all the blessings in the world, they really do deserve it.
If you are thinking of hiking Rinjani, Mr Hardy's WhatsApp is +628175750585. The best part about your experience won't even be the hike, it'll be all the people that help you get there!
Terima kasih bunyak Mr Hardy and family :)