Will my camera batteries die from the cold on Mt. Rinjani?

Yes, cold temperatures on Rinjani will drain your camera and phone batteries way faster than normal, and a lot of first-timers don’t expect it. During the summit push, starting around 2 or 3 AM, temperatures drop near freezing at 3,726 meters. Lithium-ion batteries just don’t perform well in the cold. It’s a fact of physics.

You might see a low battery warning even when your camera was fully charged just hours earlier, or your phone might shut down unexpectedly right when you want to capture the sunrise. It’s frustrating, but the physics is simple. Cold slows the chemical reactions inside the battery, which temporarily reduces capacity. The battery isn’t actually dead, just cold.

Experienced guides and repeat trekkers at Lombok-Indonesia.org recommend carrying at least one spare battery for your camera, and storing all spares in an inner pocket close to your body heat, or inside your sleeping bag at camp. If your phone is your main camera, keep it in a chest pocket rather than an outer backpack pocket during the summit climb.

Once batteries warm up again, they often recover some charge. But counting on a single battery to last through two or three days of cold mountain air is a gamble most photographers regret. Bring spares. Keep them warm. You’ll want them when the sky turns orange over the summit.

Pro tip from the guides: don’t leave your camera out on a tripod for long pre-dawn shots. The cold eats battery life fast when the camera is exposed.