I’m just going to go ahead and start out by saying that Indonesia is now tied with Iceland on my list of favorite places to chase waterfalls. I’m a picky waterfall chaser, which means it’s hard to really impress me with some falling water unless it’s seriously awesome.
Indonesia has those seriously awesome waterfalls. It has quite a few actually. The way that I judge (yes, I judge waterfalls) if a waterfall is awesome or not, is by obviously factoring in the way it looks (I have no idea how to not make that sound shallow), but also by judging its location, trek to get to it, and how touristy it is.
A beautiful waterfall can easily be de-awesome-ized by being overcrowded with tourists, and turned into an attraction that sells thousands of souvenirs at the entrance. Granted if there’s that many tourists it probably also means the waterfall really is awesome, so there has to be a balance as well.
Ok I don’t know why I’m rambling on about how I judge waterfalls so I’m going to just stop here and move on with my list of my favorite 5 best waterfalls in Indonesia that I think are totally worth chasing (ranked in the order of my favorites):
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#1: Sendang Tiu in Lombok
Not going to lie, I was pretty exhausted when i finally got to Lombok since it took about four hours to get there. So when the hotel offered the choice of two waterfall tours, one an hour farther than the other, I was extremely close to picking the one closer by. BUT, they also insisted that the farther one, Sendang Tiu, was the best waterfall there was. So I went.
Turns out Sendang was pretty f*cking awesome, and probably my favorite waterfall that I saw in Indonesia. It looks like there’s one big massive waterfall in the middle with ten smaller ones rushing down a dark stone wall, with bright green vines separating them like they were designed and maintained by a professional landscaper.
It’s also a favorite amongst locals because you can actually swim in it. It’s cold, yes, and it’s slightly dangerous because you have to walk on slippery stones in rushing water to get to the base of it, but totally worth it because, who doesn’t want to swim under a waterfall?
#2: Nung-Nung Waterfall Near Ubud
Ok so here’s another not-gunna-lie statement…I spent so much time taking photos and SnapChats of the 500-step hike to Nung-Nung waterfall, that by the time I actually saw it, it starting pouring down rain and I had to leave. But, the rain and the adventure kind of added to the awesome-ness!
It made Nung-Nung look misty and…mystical, and if I hadn’t of almost been trapped in a flash flood in Havasu Falls and developed a fear of rain near waterfalls, I totally would have stayed a lot longer. But even in the rain, Nung-Nung looked like a fairytale, and I felt like I was in a fairytale just being there.
Oh and I took a motorbike there which is an hour away from Ubud, so while waiting for the rain to stop a little, had hot noodles, tea, and beer in the little shack-shop at the entrance.
#3: Tegenungan Waterfall in Ubud
Tegenungan is the token tourist waterfall to go to in Ubud, but it’s just so massive and has so many cool places you can climb that I had to include it. When you arrive at the parking area, you will see the souvenir booths, and if you must buy a sarong like I did, haggle the price. I think I finally ended up getting one for 30k IDR which is like $2 USD.
Anyway. Teganungan is massive, and dumps down so hard that you could probably make a small hydraulics plant to charge your phone from if you really wanted to. Or, you could opt to climb up the side of it and sit on the ledge near the top that’s perfect for pictures…as long as you aren’t afraid of heights.
Speaking of heights, you aren’t allowed to cliff jump into Teganungan. Mostly because it’s not deep enough and there’s a good chance you’d land on a person. You can however, swim behind the waterfall to a little grotto area that’s pretty cool, and gives you a completely different perspective of the massive bath tub.
#4: Sendang Gile Waterfall in Lombok
Sendang Gile is the first of the two waterfalls that you see before the short hike to the massive Sending Tiu waterfall in Lombok. It’s cool because you can easily just walk right up to it without having to swim in freezing cold water, and you can also walk behind it if you want to!
Most people go with guides, which we arranged through our hotel, Tugu Lombok, who also arranged the transportation. I’d say you probably don’t need a guide since it’s a straight shot along a path once you enter the admission gates, but it’s nice to contribute to the locals, and it was helpful having someone to watch our stuff while we played in the water! Oh! And there’s also MONKEYS on the path! They followed me for a good twenty minutes!
#5 Madakaripura Waterfall in East Java
Photo source: CanuckAbroad
Unfortunately I didn’t get to see this awesome beast of a waterfall, but it wasn’t hard to find it when I was researching the best waterfalls in Indonesia. Madakaripura is located in Sapih village, Lombang district, not far from Bromo area in East Java (source: BestAmazingPlacesonEarth.com). The center of this glorious waterfall reaches a height of 200 meters from the bottom!
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I’d love to be there to and ironically I haven’t visited to some of the waterfalls though I’m an Indonesian lol
Should be on top of my bucket list 😀
I’m indonesian and it’s really nice to know my overseas friend reviewed about my lovely country 😀
You should have tried to visit Sipiso-piso Waterfall in North Sumatera 😀
Thank you so much for the tip Kiki!!! I love your country!
Great list! My girlfriend and I are going to Bali and Lombok in February and I had already jotted down 3 of your 5 waterfalls as “must-sees” during our trip. Can’t wait to see them in person!
Beautiful.
#5 is Plitvice lakes in Croatia.
Hi Alyssa, thanks for the article! I’m an Indonesian but I’ve never been to thos waterfalls in Lombok before, so that would be in my next travel list.
Anyway, i just have to tell you that the picture for no.5 (Madakaripura) isn’t the correct one. I’ve been to Madakaripura waterfalls and i think the picture is not like what i remembered. It is super awesome, and the journey to the main waterfall is surrounded by smaller waterfalls so you’literally walk under them before reaching out the main one. I’ve wrote about it in my blog, but it’s in Indonesian. http://ratri.net/2014/09/air-terjun-madakaripura-the-hidden-paradise/ But you can see the pictures & videos i made there 🙂