Traveling to Lombok, Indonesia and not seeing any waterfalls is like going to Italy and not eating pasta! Not only does the island have some world class waterfalls, but they are quiet and uncrowded. Unlike some famous waterfalls around the world, where you basically have to queue up for a photo, you’re much more likely to have the place to yourself in Lombok. Some of the waterfalls in Lombok, like the beautiful Sendang Gile and Tiu Kelep, are more popular and fairly easy to reach. While others, like Mangku Sakti, are off the radar and an adventure to find. Whichever is more your speed, you’re bound to love the Lombok waterfalls!
Tiu Kelep Waterfall
Tiu Kelep is a fan favorite with travelers visiting Lombok. This one is a bit more challenging to reach than Sendang Gile, but in a fun way. You’ll be walking through water and over rocks, so be sure to have your adventure clothes on! It’s about a 30 minute walk from Sendang Gile to Tiu Kelep, but it’s definitely worth the extra hike.
Tiu Kelep is a powerful waterfall, rising to 42 meters in height. You’ll be met with a strong spray from the fall, which after the half hour walk is a welcome refreshment. You can also swim at Tiu Kelep, but the water is pretty chilly.
Both Sendang Gile and Tiu Kelep can be easily reached from the town of Senaru in northern Lombok. There are clear signs from the main road and it’s har dot miss. Travelers often visit Senaru as a jumping off point to some of the amazing treks around the region, like hiking Mount Rinjani. If you’re staying in Senaru for trekking, we definitely recommend adding an extra day of exploring to visit two of the best waterfalls in Lombok.
Sendang Gile Waterfall
Often overshadowed by its more famous neighbor (Tiu Kelep), Sendang Gile is definitely worth the visit in its own right. While you’re heading to Tiu Kelep waterfall, you’ll actually pass this waterfall on the way. You can hike down to this waterfall from the main road in about 10 minutes without a guide, but many tours include this and Tiu Kelep in a package. You can also pay a local guide to show you the way for about 50,000 rupiah, but it’s not hard to reach on your own.
While exploring both waterfalls in Senaru on your own it’s important to check with locals about the conditions. It’s always best to check if heavy rains have affected the paths to the waterfalls.
Headed to Lombok? Don’t miss our Top 20 Things to Do in Lombok article!
Benang Stokel Waterfall
One of the more popular waterfalls in Lombok, Benang Stokel is located in the center of the island, just to the southwest of Mount Rinjani National Park. After a 15 minute short hike from the gate entrance, you’ll find that Benang Stokel is actually two waterfalls right next to each other.
The “hike” to the falls is mostly on a concrete path and is not difficult. On your way you’ll also pass another small waterfall that drops down to a pool below. We couldn’t figure out if our guide was saying you can jump into the pool or definitely don’t jump, so we opted for the latter. Since then we’ve found out that you can jump, but perhaps only after it’s been raining enough to make the water deep.
Benang Stokel waterfalls aren’t the most powerful falls we’ve ever seen, but the surroundings are incredibly gorgeous. After the walk down to the falls you arrive at a small valley, surrounded on all sides by towering walls covered in ferns and greenery. Being surrounded by such a natural landscape you almost forget that there’s a parking lot just a 15 minute walk away.
Benang Kelambu Waterfall
From the gate entrance of Benang Stokel, you can take about a 30 – 45 minute hike to Benang Kelambu waterfall. You can also have a guide take you on the back of a motorbike if you’re short on time like we were. If you have the time, the hike takes you on a rocky dirt path through the thick jungle.
The hike doesn’t look particularly difficult, there are some inclines and declines, but nothing too steep. If you do decide to take a motorbike, hang on tight because these guides will take you on a wild ride! It’s actually really fun grabbing on to the metal bar in the back of the motorbike as you zip through the jungle at high speeds.
However you get there, Benang Kelambu is a must! This set of waterfalls is absolutely stunning. It was by far our favorite Lombok waterfall, and one of our all time favorite waterfalls ever! It’s hard to describe what makes this place so special. It’s not the tallest waterfall, nor the strongest, but there’s something about the falls being framed by 10 foot tall ferns and covered in greenery that makes this place magical. It looks like a set out of Jurassic Park. You can climb on the rocks into the waterfall and swim in the pools at the bottom. It’s a super refreshing dip, especially if you’ve opted to hike there.
Tiu Teja Waterfall
This hidden gem is located in the north of Lombok, just outside of Mount Rinjani National Park to the northwest. If you’re looking to have a waterfall all to yourself, this could be your spot. It’s a bit hard to find, but if you put in the effort you’ll be rewarded with a stunning treat.
First you need to drive to Santong Village, then park and hike an additional 25 minutes down to the falls. There are a steep set of stairs leading to Tiu Teja waterfall, but you can take a refreshing dip once you arrive. Tiu Teja literally means “Rainbow Waterfall,” and on a sunny day you can actually see a rainbow at the end of the falls. But even if you catch Tiu Teja on a cloudy day, it’s still worth it. This isolated waterfall will make you feel like an explorer stumbling across a hidden fall for the first time.
It can be pretty tricky to find this place, but you can always ask locals along the way. If you do go by yourself on a motorbike, put in “Parkiran air terjun” in your Google maps to find the parking lot. Or if you’re on a tour, ask your guide to stop at Tiu Teja waterfall.
Mangku Sakti Waterfall
One of the lesser known waterfalls on Lombok, but definitely worth a visit, especially if you’re checking out northern Lombok. The falls are located just to the northeast of Mount Rinjani National Park, about an hour drive from Senaru. It’s not possible to reach the falls by car, so you can either walk from Sajang Village to the falls in about an hour and 20 minutes, or use a 4×4 or dirtbike to ride to the parking lot, then trek for about 20 minutes.
You’ll most likely see a lot less tourists here than Sendang Gile and Tiu Kelep. While the waterfall is picturesque, it’s the beautiful rock formations that are the real star here. In the dry season, the water has a milky blue appearance, which is a beautiful contrast against the gray rocks. You can swim at Mangku Sakti waterfall, so be sure to bring your bathing suit!
Just a short walk from this waterfall is Mangku Kodek waterfall. They’re both really close together, so you should definitely visit both on your trip. You have to walk through water to get to Kodek, but it’s worth the wet walk!
Tiu Pupus Waterfall
We don’t hear many people mention Tiu Pupus when speaking about Lombok waterfalls, which is strange because it’s a beautiful spot! To get to to Tiu Pupus waterfall, it’s a short, flat hike along a trail from the carpark, past a small river and to onto Pupus. Since it had rained the night before we visited, the fall was pumping and it made a perfect backdrop for photos.
We had the place to ourselves and the surrounding landscape of trees and greenery gave the waterfall a very natural vibe. There are also some basic seating areas at the base of the waterfall, where you can take a picnic lunch or a few drinks to enjoy while swimming in your very own private waterfall.
Kerta Gangga Waterfall
This Lombok waterfall, next to Gangga village, is worth a look if it’s included in your tour and you feel like a quick dip. It’s a short, easy walk from the parking lot, so we don’t think it’s necessary to hire a guide. You may be stopped at the entrance and hassled to hire a guide, and if that’s the case you can offer 100K for a group, but anything more really isn’t worth it.
Once you climb the slippery steps up to Gangga waterfall there is a metal platform that takes you to an upper part of one of the falls where you can swim. You have to hop over a small dam and it looks like you could fall over the edge, but it’s actually very safe. The water is not super deep and you can swim further back to see another hidden waterfall. Personally, this wasn’t our favorite fall, but if you’re nearby it’s worth a peek.
Lombok Waterfall Tour
We did most of these Lombok waterfalls as part of a tour with Rinjani Dawn Adventures. We highly recommend this company. They are very environmentally and socially conscious and give back to the local community as much as possible. Our guide for the day was incredibly patient as we took our time at every waterfall.
All of our entrance fees were included in the price, so we can’t confirm the price of each waterfall entrance. We’ve heard varying reports of the cost of these waterfalls, including a whopping 300,000 each at Gangga waterfall! It seems like local guides and drivers get better deals than if you just show up on your own.
We also heard that since the 2018 earthquakes there has been less government regulation on the entrance fees. Previously, there were government stands where you could pay for an official ticket to enter. This regulated entrances also had regulated prices. Now, at some waterfalls, the locals are imposing their own entrance fee which can range in price.
Even if you do have a driver to pay entrance fees, you may decide you want to pay extra for a local guide to show you around. We really enjoyed having our guide at Benang Stokel and Kelambu. He was very patient while we took pictures as the sun was setting and stayed out with us even after the office had closed. He also made Christine a fern crown while he was waiting. Paying for a guide, even when you can find the route yourself, is a nice way to give back to the community and support the local economy.
Where to Stay When Exploring Waterfalls
Northern Lombok
If you’re visiting Sendang Gile, Tiu Kelep or Mangku Sakti, we recommend staying in Senaru. It’s a great place to base yourself in the north, while exploring the area and these gorgeous waterfalls. Here are our recommended accommodation near Senaru:
This is a simple wooden guesthouse with a stunning view. It’s built on the side of the hill and you can get a stellar view of Mount Rinjani. You’ll find out why it’s called Dragonfly immediately, when you sit on your porch and watch hundreds of dragonflies flutter around. If you go during rainy season, bring earplugs because the rain is incredibly loud on the tin roof.
This guest house is owned by a German couple but the decor reflects traditional Lombok style. The cute huts reminded us of a tree house, which is perfect against the backdrop of Senaru’s green hills.
Western Lombok
For Tiu Pupus, Tiu Gangga, or Tiu Tej you can stay in Senggigi to easily visit these waterfalls. Here are our recommended accommodation near Senggigi:
This gorgeous resort is located right on the beach just outside of central Senggigi. This is a perfect place to come back to after a long day of exploring and enjoy happy hour in the infinity pool overlooking the ocean. And the Katamaran has some of the friendliest hotel employees we’ve ever met!
This budget friendly guesthouse has everything you need during your stay in Senggigi, including a pool and terrace area. Not quite the luxury of the Katamaran, but very cute and comfortable.
Southern Lombok
If you’re exploring Benang Stokel and Benang Kelambu, we recommend staying in Kuta Lombok. Here are our recommended accommodation near Kuta:
Dome Village
This Airbnb will soon become an entire resort of eco-domes. The domes are constructed out of earthbags, an environmentally friendly build material that is earthquake safe. There’s only one dome listed now on Airbnb, but it is super stylish and fun to stay in! This property is located in Gerupuk, about a 20 minute drive from Kuta, right next to famous Tanjung Aan beach.
To book it on Airbnb click here. New to Airbnb? Get your free $20USD Airbnb credit for first time users!
A beautiful resort in Kuta if you want to splash out on some pampering. There is a gorgeous pool area, a spa and all the amenities you’d expect at a luxury hotel.
A fun, lively hostel in Kuta. If you’re looking for a backpacker atmosphere (and budget), this is a great choice. The hostel has a cafe/bar and a pool, but the main attraction here is a skate bowl that it’s open to guests and the public every afternoon!
