INDONESIA | Into the Waterfalls of Bali
Friday, January 11, 2019
Bali is known for its white sandy beaches and intricate Hindu temples, but since we’ve seen all that during our prior trips to the island, we thought of seeking other places to visit this time around. Browsing through Instagram, we found that Bali also has more than a few waterfalls up its sleeve.
| WATERFALLS OF BALI WHAT’S INSIDE? • Tegenungan Waterfalls • Kanto Lampo Waterfalls • Tibumana Waterfalls |
  |
| THE WATERFALLS OF BALI |
Most of the waterfalls we saw were concentrated at Gianyar, one of the eight regencies of the island, so we planned our Bali waterfalls tour while staying in Ubud since it’s nearer than if we were to come from Kuta—the main tourist area of the island.
 |
| A NATURAL SPRING ALONG TEGENUNGAN WATERFALLS |
We had quite a list when we set off from SereS Springs Resort Ubud, riding in the comforts of a van from Bali Golden Tour. But since we started out late, and as we’re traveling with C’s mom and mine, we were only able to visit three waterfalls plus one temple during our first day of outing in Bali.
TEGENUNGAN WATERFALLS
ENTRANCE FEE: IDR15,000.00 | OPENING HOURS: 8AM-6PM | ADDRESS: JALAN IR. SUTAMI, KEMENUH, SUKAWATI, GIANYAR | GPS MAP: -8.5752338,115.2880942
We arrived at noon on the first waterfall on our list, Tegenungan Waterfalls. Upon arriving on its entrance, you can immediately see that it’s one of the most popular falls on the island—souvenir shops litter the path and tourists were all over the place. I guess the best time to visit this is during the early hours of the morning, when everyone else is still fast asleep or still having their breakfast.
Tegenungan Waterfalls is eponymously named after the village it’s situated in, Tegenungan Kemenuh. Once past the ticket shed, we went down a hundred and twenty seven stone steps towards where Petanu River flows—the run-off for the waterfalls. Before the steps leading down, you can actually see the falls from a viewing platform. Some visitors turn back after this, but we wanted to see the cascade up close.
An open-air pavilion sits right beside the river where the falls is also clearly visible. I left my companions there and forged ahead to the catch basin, passing a narrow dirt path, crossing a makeshift bridge made from a rickety wooden plank, before finally landing on the gravelly banks of the Tegenungan Waterfalls.
The cascade, rising to a height of about twenty five meters, was strong—considering it’s summer in Bali and it hasn’t been raining much. On its right is a ledge where I saw a few people loitering, and on its left is a sheer wall overgrown with moss and boulders the size of cars.
The bank was totally crowded with tourists waiting their turns for a selfie—which is really challenging since the spray from the cascade just makes everything wet. Going back up, we passed a smaller waterfalls most visitors ignore, there were just two people enjoying it when I checked it out.
KANTO LAMPO WATERFALLS
ENTRANCE FEE: IDR10,000.00 | OPENING HOURS: 6AM-6PM | ADDRESS: BENG, KEC. GIANYAR, GIANYAR,, BALI | GPS MAP: -8.532769,115.3308434
Twenty five minutes away is the Kanto Lampo Waterfalls. It was definitely not as crowded as Tegenungan Waterfalls—I can count the number of tourists on a single hand. To get to this one, we again went down a series of concrete steps with huge Balinese stone imageries carved on its walls. The climb down isn’t as long as our previous.
Locals said that this waterfall is fairly new, having formed only a year or so ago after they prayed for rain. It formed at the same time as the small cave at the end of the stream—which they now use as a prayer chamber.
We stopped a few meters from the top of Kanto Lampo Falls, finding no more steps going down the shallow stream below. Well, there are actually irregular steps that you can descend to, but they look slippery and they go straight down the water. Caught unprepared—we’re all wearing shoes and unwilling to walk barefoot—we contented ourselves from seeing the waterfall from the viewing deck.
TIBUMANA WATERFALLS
ENTRANCE FEE: IDR 10,000.00 | HOURS: 6AM-6PM | ADDRESS: JALAN DESA APUAN, APUAN, SUSUT, BANGLI, BALI | GPS MAP: -8.5064723,115.3296939
we drove for about an hour to the nearby Bangli Regency to access Tibumana Waterfalls. We passed a small Balinese temple before reaching the ticket office, which is really not more than a decent shack.
The descent towards the waterfall was longer than the previous two combined. Finishing the concrete steps leading down, we navigated a worn dirt path set on one side by overgrown bamboos and shrubs, and a stream with a sheer wall on the other. Eventually, after about five to ten minutes, we reached a clearing where Tibumana Falls is located.
With a height of about five meters, which is really not that high, the waterfall is still impressive. What sets it apart is that its water runs down in the middle of half-drum hollow in the landscape. This is actually a twin fall, and we can actually see a ghost of its second cascade a couple of meters from the main one. It just so happens that there hasn’t been much rain during our visit.
~ BALI GOLDEN TOUR HOSTED OUR TOURS IN BALI. VIEWS AND OPINIONS ALL MINE.
Bali Golden Tour
Contact Number: +6285100966391
Email: baligoldentour@outlook.com
Website | Facebook
Half-Day Tour Package Rate: IDR425,000/car (good up to six persons)
0 comments