After trekking and exploring waterfalls in Senaru it was time to begin heading south. We made sure to stop in Bukit Selong for sunrise overlooking the rice and farm fields. Our plan was to book a driver for the whole day and slowly meander our way south to Kuta Lombok with a few stops on the way.
Our private car cost $75 USD for the day split between five of us. The driver was on time to pick us up at 4 am in the morning. We woke early as we were keen to make the one-hour journey down to Bukit Selong area hoping we would come across a good view of the rice fields.
We weren’t 100% sure about the location of the fields exactly in the Bukit Selong region of Lombok but thought it was worth a shot. Our driver kept asking locals along the way after we gave him an address of this hotel: Pesona Rinjani.
The rice fields were awesome! A variety of different colored crops create a contrasting patchwork quilt, covering the entire valley. The sun had not yet risen and mist and clouds made sure it wasn’t a bright morning.
There is a flat viewpoint, which is still really nice and gives you a great view of the whole valley but there is also a higher viewpoint. We climbed up the hill, still with heavy legs from trekking up Rinjani and sat under the wooden star while it began to rain. Huddled beneath the star we were laughing about the strange things we do like getting up at three in the morning to watch grey clouds block a sunrise in the run, huddled under a wooden star built for photos of a farm. Life.
The wooden star seems to have been constructed just for epic photos and it was pretty corny but still fun to hang out on. A lot of tourists began to come after the sunrise so I’m glad we went really early even though we never even saw the sun.
Behind the wooden star was a walkway to a tree platform overlooking the town and another valley of farm fields. It was a little less pretty but a great view nonetheless. We sat out on the platform listening to morning prayers ringing out from the various mosques.
After having my butt grabbed by a 50-yr-old Malaysian as we took a selfie she requested, I decided it was time to head off! It’s hard to find a cafe or warung nearby for breakfast as it is not a touristy area so keep that in mind and maybe pack something.
There was a fee for Bukit Selong rice fields but we arrived early so didn’t pay it until he requested the $1 as we exited.