Alicia's Travel Guide
- Aug 9, 2020

Chasing Waterfalls in Ubud || Bali

Exploring the Ubud region of Bali is one of my favourite things to do in Bali. Exploring the waterfalls tucked behind some luscious greenery is a great way to spend the day. On my most recent visit, we spent a whole day walking and swimming around waterfalls. I'll take you through our day as I definitely recommend ...

You can either drive yourself from waterfall to waterfall or hire a driver. I suggest hiring a private driver (your hotel or hostel will be able to do this for you), as this will ensure you go to all the best places! Our hotel asked where we wanted to go, so we simply said just a few different waterfalls, and he really blew us away. As a side note, our driver would simply drive us to the waterfall and wait for us at the car, so we were able to explore and do our own thing in the meantime. If you do opt to ride a scooter, most waterfalls are well signposted and if you do get a little lost, most locals will be happy to give you a point in the right direction.

The first waterfall is Tibumana Waterfall.

Entry Cost: 15,000 IDR
Lockers: 5,000 IDR
Toilets and changing area: yes at the waterfall
Lifeguard: yes

We arrived at this waterfall quite early in the morning, There were only a few other people there, probably around five or six. As we were leaving there were a few more groups arriving so I recommend getting up early and starting your day. Typically, if you arrive between 8 am - 9 am you'll have the waterfall to yourself, and between 9 am - 11 am there will likely be a few other people... any later and there's a chance of large crowds. Walking through the greenery towards the waterfall, was just breathtaking, so many tropical plants and shrubs. You hear the water gushing before you see the waterfall itself, which makes the short walk even more exciting. The waterfall itself was just magical. We swam around the water and took a few pictures, I could've stayed here all day. The only rule is to avoid swimming under the waterfall itself as the water is quite powerful.

In the same area as Tibumana is the Tukad Penyampuan waterfall. After a few minutes, you'll see a sign pointing you in the direction of both waterfalls. This waterfall is much smaller and largely just flows through the rocks. You can walk on the rocks the water flows over to explore the area fully. These can be very slippy so please do be careful! Tukad Penyampuan is much more relaxing, perhaps take some time to sit and reflect on your trip.

Next, we drove to Goa Rang Reng waterfall. (Air Terjun Goa Rang Reng)

Entry Cost: 15,000 IDR
Lockers: no.
Toilets and changing area: no
Lifeguard: yes (you can only swim and explore the cave with the local guide/lifeguard).

This one was my favourite. Here you can climb up the waterfall and swim/sit in the little pool at the top; not for the faint-hearted so if you aren't sure on your feet I suggest looking from the viewing platform you enter from.

I jumped at the chance to walk up and around the waterfall. One of the local guides showed me where to stand and what to hold so I felt extremely safe. If you look closely at the second picture below you can see me starting to walk up the waterfall. It was extremely slippy and I did have a small slip. My pride was a little hurt but I carried on. When I made it to the top, I stopped and swam in the little pool which was such an amazing experience. I even saw a cave nearby which I believe is used for spiritual cleansing rituals for Balinese Hindus. This was such a unique experience as I could feel the pressure of the water flowing towards the drop of the waterfall but I knew I was safe in the pool. The walk down was extremely challenging, to say the least. There was only a rope to hold on to and a pretty steep slippy rock. It wasn't exactly what I expected when I started the waterfall... it completely beat anything I could've imagined.

Finally. Tukad Cepung Waterfall.

Entry Cost: 10,000 IDR
Lockers: no.
Toilets and changing area: no
Lifeguard: yes (you can only explore the area with the local guide/lifeguard).

This one is optional as it will take about 30 minutes to walk each way to the secluded waterfall. Your local guide will walk with you up the riverbed until you reach the hidden waterfall canyon. I would recommend purchasing swimming shoes to provide your feet with some protection. We walk barefoot, and although this was fine, I much would've preferred having some swimming shoes.

We walked up the riverbed until we reached the famous hidden waterfalls. There was even a swing to have a sit on which was so much fun. Our guide even offered to be our personal photographer so we could just enjoy the walk and nature around us. He took so many photos/videos of us and the scenery on our phone which was great as we just wanted a few snaps for the memories. I truly believe that this is one of the most beautiful and unique waterfalls I've ever experienced.