Senaru Village, the Oldest Traditional Village in Lombok

Senaru Village, the oldest traditional village in Lombok

In the foothills of Mount Rinjani, there is a charming Senaru Village, the oldest traditional village in Lombok. It’s the first village of Sasak tribe on the island! I have the chance to visit this little village with my 23 months old toddler, Sienna 🙂

Unlike the other Sasak villages that I’ve been, Senaru Village is surprisingly not touristy at all! I don’t see any locals selling souvenirs in front of their houses. On the other hand, I see the villagers doing their daily routines — moms feeding their kids, grandma putting their grandson to sleep on a traditional swing that was tied in “beruga” – a terrace where family members hangout, kids and teenagers playing “gansing” – a traditional game from Lombok, and other daily routines. It seems like they don’t mind with tourists walking around their village. And in fact, there are not that many tourists visiting this village. During my visit there, I see only a maximum of 7 visitors only that day! Being the oldest traditional village on the island, this is surprising, isn’t it?

The village is pretty quiet. And all the houses look the same. The interior design is also the same, in which they inherited it from their ancestors. There is no closed bedroom in the house. All the “bedrooms” are kinda “open” – without doors nor walls. All houses have thatched roof and the walls are made of rattan. It’s quite pleasant and relaxing to just walk around the village, smell the dirt and the aroma of people cooking their local dishes from the house.

Each big family has a “beruga”, a little pavilion without walls that serves as the dining room, hangout place, nap, rest in the afternoon, and hold their rituals or traditional ceremonies. If a family member dies, they will put the body in the ‘beruga’, too and hold the funeral rituals there.

Is it ok to explore Senaru Village with kids? Yes, absolutely!

Sienna enjoys playing with chickens, birds, and observing the “gansing” traditional game that the local kids play in this village. And she even falls asleep in one of those traditional swings the locals use to put their kids to sleep! Aaawww.. so cute!!

It’s definitely an enriching experience exploring this down to earth village with my 23 months old toddler. I love it. And I’m sure you’d love it, too!

Some tips if you want to visit Senaru Village with your kids (or alone):

  1. Be mindful of the local culture. Dress properly.
  2. Wear something light. Cotton is the best.
  3. Don’t give the locals money! The impact of your action might be damaging in the future as it will change the locals’ mindset.
  4. Put on mosquito repellent on your kids (and you, too!)
  5. During rainy season, it’s handy to bring an umbrella or raincoat.
  6. Wearing sandals or flip-flops are ok.
  7. Smile to the locals. Be nice to them. Talk to them, but be polite :).

Check out our adventure in Senaru Village, the oldest traditional village in Lombok, that was aired on NET TV here:

#SiennaLittleExplorer #LittleExplorer #NETTV #NET12 #tvshow

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