Open Trip Organiser Blacklisted for Two Years After Bypassing Local Porters on Mount Lawu

The management of Mount Lawu has blacklisted an open trip service provider and three of its crew members for two years after they were found to have repeatedly violated hiking regulations. The open trip organiser, Shohibul Alam, along with crew members Firmandeka, Bimbo Satria, and Fidi Amrullah, led a group of 20 hikers via the Candi Cetho route in Karanganyar Regency, Central Java, on 11-12 July without employing local porters. Open trip refers to a travel or tourism package service for a group that is open to the public, where participants may not know each other.

Titin Riyadiningsih, Head of Operations and Development at the Karanganyar Public Enterprise for Various Businesses, stated that the organiser had previously received two warnings for operating without local porters and without official confirmation to the management. The latest incident caused disruption to the descent queue and left other hiking groups behind. Further violations occurred when the group submitted three registration forms simultaneously, causing complications during the descent attendance process, as the group could not descend completely until all members were gathered. The identity of the group leader was unknown to the participants, and the identification retrieval numbers, which should have been the organiser’s responsibility, were unclear, sparking conflict at the base camp registration area.

“We emphasise that the safety and order of the hiking route are the top priority. Every open trip organiser must comply with applicable regulations, including bringing local porters, making official confirmations, and ensuring the clarity of the group leader,” Titin said. Following the violations, Shohibul Alam and Firmandeka signed a stamped statement acknowledging their mistakes and accepting sanctions. The management has imposed a two-year blacklist, prohibiting them from hiking or organising open trip services on all routes of Mount Lawu. The management will also disseminate the blacklist status to all registration officers on the mountain’s various routes and urged all organisers and hikers to comply with regulations to maintain safety and preserve the Mount Lawu hiking environment.