In the spring of 1815, Tambora, then more than 4000 meter high, had the
most violent explosion recorded in historical time. About 160 cubic kilometer of
mass was ejected, a substantial part all the way into the atmosphere.
More than 10000 lives were lost instantly and at least 50000 more in the remaining
year. The mountain lost more than 1000 meter of elevation and a huge caldera was formed.
The ejected material caused a temporary climate change with global cooling as more sunrays
were reflected back into space. The following year, 1816, was called "The year without summer".
Agriculture and crops were severely hit with a substantial drop in food production.
How to get there:
Airplane to Bima, (Airport code BMU), good conections from for example Lombok.
From Bima, it takes approximately 4-5 hours to drive to Pancasila, a small village
with a guesthouse and people organizing and supporting climbs of Tambora.
This location is S8.18678, E117.81157, elevation near 480 meter.
A reliable driver to get you there is Man (Whatsapp:+62 821-4757-8648).
In Pancasila, one should
contact Ipul (Whatsapp:+62 821-4591-1742).
A quick overview of peaks climbed on this Indonesia trip.
Route description:
This climb is normally organized as a 3 day climb, but one should and definitely can
ask that the trip is done with only one night on the mountain.
A strong hiker/party may even do it as a single day hike, however, taking at least 2 days
and a guide/porter supports the local economy.
The first leg is done by ojek (motorcycle) from Pancasila either to the official
trailhead at location S8.18798, E117.84680, elevation near 720m, or continuing on a narrow trail, all the
way to the next shelter at location S8.19071, E117.86085, elevation 835m.
The ride up to this point takes about 30 minutes.
From here follows a fairly long jungle trail
with several small ups and downs, overall
a gentle climb, to position 3. You will pass 2 shelters on the way here.
This is a popular place to camp.
Mostly, the trail is pretty nice, only a few big logs to climb, there are also
a couple of logs where one should balance on top.
After position 3, the trail climbs more distinctly uphill following a ridge. As
you get higher, the trail changes gradually from being a pure jungel trail to a
nicer trail running among taller trees that are well spaced. The ground starts to
have just a grass cover.
Position 5, which is the highest suitable place to camp, is located at S8.23050, E117.94278, elevation
near 2050 meter.
From position 5, the trail turns right and crosses a gully with an interesting
lava flow in the bottom. From here to the summit,
the trail is a pure delight.
No obstacles, only grass on the sides, higher up, typical volcanic landscape.
Black sand that may largely be avoided on ascent,
will lead you to the rim of
the caldera. A nice horizontal
stroll along the rim followed by a short climb
to the highest point concludes this route.
Comments:
I had been on Sumatra, the transfer from my previous peak Dempo took
3 days! First, driving back to Palembang, then fly to Lombok, finally fly from Lombok to Bima and drive
to Pancasila.
There, I was warmly welcomed by Ipul Tambora (Whatsapp: +6282145911742),
owner of the local guesthouse.
He would take care of local logistics, permit, a local guide etc. Although I normally prefer to climb
without a guide, the organization here is a very good example on how tourists (climbers) may contribute
to the local economy. By paying a very moderate (by western standard) prize, you provide a much needed
(extra) income directly to several families in the community. This is quite different from the more
established tour companies (typically in Africa) where the money mostly makes a few (rich) people richer while
they often exploit local people assuming that they can get by on only receiving a tip etc. I would
perfectly well have done this hike without support.
We left on motor bikes at 0700, expert young drivers. Despite of recent rain and a lot of slippery mud,
they got me all the way to the first shelter
above the official trailhead. I had a guide and a porter,
the agreement was to camp at the highest camp site, position 5. We started walking at 0745 and soon, I realized
that they were falling behind. I stopped at the next shelter
and waited. When they finally came, I immediately proposed
a plan that hopefully, would seerve us well.
I would just go ahead, if time allowed also do the summit. Then, returning to high camp, my friends would have
ample time to establish camp before my return.
They agreed right away. Thus, in practice this would be an unguided climb. I was still happy, since the main purpose
of support on a climb like this is the financial benefits for the locals.
I continued and made the summit in a little more
than 5 hours. Unfortunately, the top was engulfed in clouds.
No visibility at all.
I "descended thinking that if the
weather tomorrow morning was nice (as early morning weather often is), I should consider making a second summit bid.
It had taken me about 1.5 hours to ascend from the high camp location and about one hour to descend back down.
To my big surprise, my team had still not arrived. They arrived in 30 minutes, so 3 hours behind me. They put up a 3 person tent
and I soon relaxed there as the day ended. Later, I asked that my two friends also enter the tent, but no, they were
determined to sleep outside. OK, I prepared to sleep, but then it started raining! My friends quickly changed their minds
and soon, we were all comfortably inside.
The next morning came with good weather as expected.
I left at 0540 and made my second summit climb. This time,
I was rewarded with more visibility, but the
clouds were already coming, so an early departure was critical.
I enjoyed the summit and had several short periods with views of the enormous caldera.
After a good stop to compensate for the bad weather yesterday, I returned back down to camp
in another hour.
We left camp at 0900. The weather got more cloudy and by 1100 rain started. The beginning
drizzle soon turned into real tropical rain. Impossible to stay dry, but getting wet when the
temperature exceeds 20C is not bad at all. I was back at the motor bikes in 4 hours.
I stayed a second night, my driver came back in the evening (from Bima). We had agreed on an early
start the next morning.
