Lombok's Bukit Pergasingan Closed After British Tourist's Viral Tearful Video Exposes Trash Crisis

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Lombok's Bukit Pergasingan Closed After British Tourist's Viral Tearful Video Exposes Trash Crisis

Bukit Pergasingan in Sembalun, East Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), has been closed indefinitely starting Thursday, July 30, 2026. The shutdown was ordered as an evaluation measure after a British national's viral video highlighted the severe waste problem plaguing the popular nature tourism destination.

The video was uploaded via the Instagram account @lucy_lari_lari. In the 3-minute-13-second clip, Lucy — who has lived in Indonesia for 35 years — could not hold back tears as she recounted her experience seeing trash scattered across the scenic natural area.

"I've lived in Indonesia for 35 years, and I've never been this embarrassed. Sure, this isn't my country — it's yours. But because I've been here so long, I feel like I'm part of the problem too. Yesterday I went to the summit of Pergasingan in Lombok, and the view was absolutely stunning — the hills were gorgeous with so many tourists and locals up there. But the trash was beyond belief," Lucy said in the video posted on Wednesday, July 29, 2026.

In response to the viral footage, management decided to temporarily suspend all hiking activities at Bukit Pergasingan while conducting an evaluation and preparing new climbing regulations.

"There's definitely a connection. I think this is a turning point for us to evaluate and create new rules. We don't deny there's trash there at Bukit Pergasingan," said Royal Sembahulun, Head of Bukit Pergasingan Management, on Thursday afternoon.

Royal explained that the foreign tourist's disappointment wasn't solely about the trash at Bukit Pergasingan, but rather the waste problem across the entire Sembalun region.

"It just happened that she went up Pergasingan that day. Her video also captured various spots around Sembalun — rivers, rice fields, even the public square. I've also confirmed this with her directly," Royal clarified.

According to Royal, the waste problem extends beyond Bukit Pergasingan. Other hills face the same trash issues, as do other tourist destinations across Sembalun.

"That's why we're embarrassed — it just happened that this guest climbed Pergasingan, so Pergasingan got named. But when it comes to trash, to this day the problem is the same across all our hills and other destinations," he concluded.

All hiking at Bukit Pergasingan is suspended starting today until further notice, pending the completion of new climbing regulations.

One of the new rules being drafted is a trash deposit system. Each visitor would deposit an amount of money corresponding to the amount of waste they bring in.

"When they bring all their trash back down, the deposit is refunded. But if they don't bring their trash down, the deposit is forfeited — or partially refunded based on how much trash they did bring back," Royal explained.

The second option would require all hikers to repackage any food items they bring, similar to the rules already enforced at Mount Rinjani.

"Not all hikers have a lot of money, so we're offering the repackaging option as an alternative, like the rules at Mount Rinjani," Royal added.

Royal noted that management staff have long been checking visitors' belongings at the entrance gate, but this alone has proven insufficient as enforcement remains inconsistent.

"We also conduct regular clean-ups and check visitors' belongings at the gate. But that alone isn't effective — we need a punishment mechanism to ensure the rules are truly followed," Royal stated.