Senaru is the north-side village below Mount Rinjani, and it would be easy to treat it as a place to sleep before a trek. That misses the point. Even if you never climb the volcano, Senaru gives a good day of waterfalls, forest, Sasak houses, and cold mountain water.
The village sits high above the north coast, where the air is cooler and the volcano feels close. Paths lead from the main road into ravines and plantations, and the best-known walk links Sendang Gile Waterfall with Tiu Kelep Waterfall. The route is popular, but the jungle setting still has real force, especially after rain.
Senaru also sits in the wider Bayan district, one of the old centres of Lombok's Wektu Telu traditions, where Islam, ancestor practice, and older Sasak belief met in a local form. The Senaru Traditional Village is modest, but it helps explain why this side of Rinjani feels different from Lombok's beach towns.