Bali by Waterfall
Updated: May 21, 2020
Twin Waterfalls
This was the first waterfall I visited on Bali, it's exquisitely beautiful and if you're up for a ride, an excellent one to visit.
It's not a short drive to reach this waterfall as you have to drive across the entire island to reach it. It's located on the Northwestern part of the island atop one of the mountain ranges.
There were few people here when I arrived early in the afternoon, but it got a bit crowded shortly after.
There is an entrance fee, but only a small one, maybe 5,000 IDR.
It's a short but slippery walk down the cliffside to reach the waterfall, but easy enough for anyone to manage.
It was perfect for swimming, climbing, photos and general waterfall shenanigans.
Tibumana Waterfall
This waterfall is not far from central Ubud and is an easy 30-minute drive to reach. It's located in an area with a few other falls so you could honestly spend a whole day here visiting them all.
The entrance fee was 15,000 IDR but allows access to both Tibumana and another fall just inside the entrance area.
The small road that leads you to Tibumana is a narrow, palm tree-lined road that's perfect for a beautiful photo stop.
I lucked out again at this waterfall as there were only a few people when I arrived around 11:30. There was one Balinese family, a small group of 3 tourists, and some yoga lady and her videographer trying to get some footage.
This waterfall was stunning in its simple, green beauty. A single fall runs down the middle of the lush green jungle and has a clear little pool that you can swim around.
It's not the playground-type of fall that I prefer, but it is definitely gorgeous and worth a visit.
Gao Rangreng
Now, this was a proper Tarzan jungle experience.
I felt like I'd seen so many photos of this waterfall online and was wary to even go visit is in fear of being swarmed by other tourists.
Upon arriving, however, I was realized I was the only tourist there.
It was about 10 or 10.30 and the only other humans at the falls were a guide, a man selling water and a group of young Balinese boys who might have been drinking alcohol for breakfast.
This was a bit more dangerous of a waterfall to play in as the rocks are slippery and if you lose your footing you'll go crashing down the rocks.
The guide helped me to navigate the falls, showing me where the best places were for footing and helping me to balance in the slippery currents.
I knew there were two more secret waterfalls around the area somewhere, but the locals who work the area don't reveal how to get to them.
I decided to pay this guide to lead me up the river to the hidden falls, and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made.
We left our shoes by the riverside and began a beautiful hike up the river stream, surrounded entirely by lush, untouched jungle.
After walking up the river for about 25 minutes we arrived at a secret little cove tucked away in the dense green surroundings, and I splashed and swang under the waterfalls to my heart's desire <3
Tukad Cepung and Goa Giri Campuhan
Despite visiting these two neighboring falls in the height of tourist season, they were relatively empty. Tukad Cepung is the much more famous of the two, as the waterfall cascades down a cliffside and straight in the middle of a tall, narrow cave. The hike down to get here was quite a touristy setup, the stairway down lined with shops, more shops, cafés, and restaurants. Of course, the advice is always to 'get there early' but unless you are literally the first people to go in, you'll probably find yourself in the company of at least one or two others.
To reach the waterfall you have to clamber and crawl through caverns and over some giant rocks which just so happen to be perfect for taking yoga photos on.
A short way back down the road there was a sign for another waterfall and since I was right there, I thought yeah why not. Let's go ahead and stop to check it out. Well, to reach this second fall, one must walk for about 20 mins through some rice fields following little broken signs that say 'waterfall' and point straight up to the sky.
The locals working in the fields were more than happy to point you in the right direction.
