Get your 'gram on at a waterfall

Hiking to a pretty, secluded waterfall (Air Terjun) in Bali used to be somewhat of an adventure. Now many are instagram famous and if you don't get there early enough you will be fighting off bikini-clad instagrammers all doing the same pose. Nevertheless, many of the best spots are charming and invigorating, the hard climb down relived by a dip in cool waters.

Kanto Lampo Waterfall

As always, getting there before 10am ensures you beat the tourist hordes from the south, although there are a couple of out-of-the-way spots. Make sure you wear non-slip footwear. Most of the falls have a small entry fee of around 10,000-25,000 which helps maintain the sites.

Close to Ubud

• Goa Raja (king's cave) - about an hour from Ubud, this spot has a man-made pool using the clean spring waters. Its a steep but quick walk down stairs. There is a cool cave you can walk into. You could fit in a trip to pretty Penglipuran village too.

• Air Terjun Kanto Lampo is a rocky cascade of water only 30 minutes from Ubud. YOu could drop in here before or after a trip to Goa Gajah temple. Note that this is one of the the busiest waterfalls due to its instagram popularity. Its become iconic and there will be a queue of people trying to get a pic. Its kind of fun to do once though, and the guides all know how to take a great shot for your own insta (with everyone watching). If you get there before 9am you will enjoy it more.

• Tukad Cepung is another 15 minutes east of Goa Raja. Its a particularly special place with sunlight dappling through limestone caves and overhead jungle. Its about a 20-minute trek from the parking area, and you have to walk through a river to get there.

• The Teman Sari car park is around 20 minutes from Ubud, and the walk down to the waterfall is only around 5 minutes. It's a good, deep pool with water piped directly from Lake Batur, and there are basic changing facilities. I recomend following your swim with lunch at the famous Babi Guling spot, Pande Egi.

• Sumampan is in an old quarry only 25 minutes from Ubud. It tends to be less busy that others close to Ubud (although one viral instagram post and that could change). It requires a short walk down a steep and uneven staircase of around 50 steps.

• Tegenungan Waterfall can be accessed by a long hot walk OR via the fancy elevator at the fancy Omma beach club. This is possibly the busiest waterfall in Bali, but the western conveniences of the 2 overlooking pool clubs make this a fun day out. Check my post linked below.

• Suwat Waterfall is around 30 minutes from Ubud and one of the most easily accessible. There are a couple of jumping off points into the cool deep water, and there are showers and a changing room.

• Taman Beji Griya is a temple built over cascading falls half an hour west of Ubud. You can take part in Melukat here - a cleansing ceremony - for R100,000 entry fee plus the cost of a guide and robe. Unless you really want to do a ceremony, I would recomend one of the other prettier, cheaper waterfalls.

Sideman

• Gembling: pretty, pastoral Sideman is only about 75 minutes from Ubud. Gembling has cute little splash pools at different levels of the waterfall and a natural infinity pool at the top with a gorgeous view. There is a very easy 15 minute walk from the car park along a well-maintained path. Entry is via donation. This is still a bit of a hidden gem.

  
  

Jatiluwih, Munduk and Bedugal

• Golden Valley Waterfalls can be seen on a day trip to the area north of Ubud. It's about an hour and 40 minutes to drive to Munduk, and there are loads of things to do. Good Valley is a large fall amid dense jungle and there is a moderate 150minutes walk to the base where there is a cute cafe. You can have a nice paddle in the water here.

• Visiting Red Coral, also known as Munduk Waterfall, requires a 20 minute walk on a good cement path with a low incline. The entrance fee is steep at 45,000 per person but the area is well maintained. The water is suitable for wading only, but its nice to cool off.

• Nungnung is in the Bedugal region and this is a bit of a hidden gem so it doesn't get as busy as others. The path is paved but steep and a little slippery and takes about 20 minutes going down. The pool is small and the waterfall strong so this is more of a wade than a swim. The fall is a little detour on the way to Bedugal, and about 70 minutes from Ubud.

• Also on the way to Bedugal or Jatiluwih (and slightly more convenient), Leke leke is particularly spectacular and has a lovely shallow pool to swim in. This is one for the instagrammers with a gorgeous 32m fall of water into a blue pool surrounded by jungle. Fit this in with a trip to Jatiluwih or Bedugal.

• Yeh Huw is a great little spot to cool off after a hike around Jatiluwih. It's about a 10 minutes steep climb but its a hidden gem and there are a couple of paddling pools in the dappled sunlight.

• EXTRA: Munduk Waterfall Trek. This is a 6-8 hour loop which is a great off-the-beaten-path hike covering four waterfalls in the pretty Munduk area. It's a mid-level hike and not suitable for the injured or unfit. There are some steep climbs and most of the trail is roughly packed earth. Start off at Melanting Cottages on google maps. The four waterfalls are Labuhan Kebo (a good place to start), Laangan Melanting (you can start here for the shorter version of the hike)), Red Coral, and Golden Valley. You will need cash for the R10,000-20,000 entrance fees at each waterfall. You can gain an extra couple of hours just doing three falls and leaving Labuhan Kebo off. There are a few companies that will guide you through the ricefields and jungles.

North Bali (2+ hours from Ubud)

• Banyumala is one the more spectacular falls in Bali with a split fall plunging into a good sized jungle pool. Its an easy 10-minute walk, and entry is R50k including a bottle of water. There is a large pool which is great for swimming in the cold pool.

• Aling Aling is part of a set of four on the way to Lovina. You can access all falls in one ticket although the cliff jumping is extra. It will take 1.5 hours to visit all 4 and you have to pay for a guide, but Aling Aling is the largest if you don't have time or inclination for a trek. You don't need a guide to just look at the falls, so don't be pressured. However for the more adventurous the jumping and water slide is fun.

• Banyu Wana Amertha is another set of 4 falls along one trail. There is an easy 20-minute pathway to the first fall after an entrance fee of R40k. The round trip of all falls will take about an hour plus swimming time. The third fall has the best swimming spot. This is an out-of-the-way fall and is therefore super quiet.

• Gitgit is one of the largest falls in Bali and is on the direct route from Ubud to Lovina so tends to be popular. Its also a super easy minute walk on a well-maintained path. Touristy, there are shops along the path flogging crap, and they will try and pressure you take a guide which you don't need. The pretty fall further along from gitgit is Colek Pamor and is less busy for photos and swimming.