Quick answer: Sekumpul is the one worth the trek — seven cascades in a jungle amphitheatre, about an hour from Lovina. Aling-Aling is the adventure, with guided cliff jumps and a natural rock slide. Banyumala Twin is the prettiest swim, and Jembong is the one you will probably have to yourself. Everything on this list sits within 30 to 80 minutes of the north coast, all of it is better before nine in the morning, and none of it is scooter territory once the road is wet.
North Bali does not do beach clubs. What it has instead is water falling out of the hills — dozens of cascades folded into the ridges that climb from the black-sand coast towards the crater lakes, most within an hour of Lovina, several of them genuinely empty on a weekday morning.
This is the part of the island that rewards a car and a slow start. The falls sit in four rough clusters: the Sambangan valley behind Singaraja, the Bedugul road that climbs past Gitgit, the Wanagiri ridge above the lakes, and the Munduk plateau to the west. Sekumpul stands on its own to the east, and Yeh Mampeh is further east still, out where the coaches stop coming.
Below is the honest field guide: what each one is actually like, what the walk involves, roughly what it costs, and how to string them together without spending your holiday in the back of a car.
The Ten Falls at a Glance
| Waterfall | From Lovina | Walk (one way) | Entry (indicative) | Swim? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Sekumpul | 55 min | 30–40 min, steep | From IDR 20k (view) to IDR 250k (full trek) | Yes | Spectacle |
| 2. Aling-Aling | 30 min | 10–15 min | IDR 20k view / around IDR 125k guided | Yes, at the neighbouring falls | Cliff jumps and slides |
| 3. Banyumala Twin | 50 min | 15–20 min, steep steps | Around IDR 30–50k | Yes | The prettiest swim |
| 4. Banyu Wana Amertha | 50 min | 15 min, easy | Around IDR 50k | Yes | Four falls, one easy valley |
| 5. Gitgit | 35 min | 15 min, paved | Around IDR 50–150k | Shallow only | The transfer-day stop |
| 6. Munduk (Red Coral) | 55 min | 15 min | Around IDR 20k | Shallow only | Cool air and coffee |
| 7. Melanting | 55 min | 20 min, steps | Around IDR 20k | Not really | Forest walk |
| 8. Jembong | 30 min | 5 min, very easy | Around IDR 15–50k | Yes | Having it to yourself |
| 9. Yeh Mampeh (Les) | 70 min | 20 min | Around IDR 30k | Yes | Bali’s tallest single drop |
| 10. Leke Leke | 80 min | 15 min | Around IDR 50k | Shallow only | Photographs |
One caveat on those numbers. Entrance fees in North Bali change often, and most sites now run tiered pricing where the cheap ticket buys a viewpoint and the expensive one buys a guide, a swim and some form of insurance. Parking, sarong hire and small village donations are usually extra and usually cash. Treat the column above as an indication rather than a quote, and carry more small notes than you think you need.
The Showpieces
1. Sekumpul
Seven cascades dropping into a single jungle amphitheatre, and the only waterfall in Bali where the photographs genuinely undersell the thing. You hear it long before you see it. The walk in is a proper up-and-down through a river valley, past small warungs selling coconuts and gorengan, and depending on the season and how far you go, you will be crossing shallow water in your shoes.
The ticketing is tiered and slightly confusing at the gate, which is deliberate. The cheapest ticket gets you to a viewpoint across the valley — impressive, but you are looking at Sekumpul rather than standing in it. The mid tier adds a guide, the descent to the base and the neighbouring Hidden waterfall. The top tier adds Fiji waterfall, a longer loop and, usually, a coconut at the end. If you have made the drive, take the middle option at minimum.
The climb back out is the part nobody photographs. It is a long staircase in humid air, and it is why we suggest an early start.
From Lovina: 55 min · Walk: 30–40 min each way, steep and often wet · Entry: From IDR 20k for the viewpoint to around IDR 250k for the full guided trek · Swimming: Yes, at the base
2. Aling-Aling and the Sambangan Falls
Half an hour from the coast, the Sambangan valley strings four falls along one easy walk — Kroya, Pucuk, Kembar and the 35-metre Aling-Aling itself. The basic ticket is small change and buys you a look. The guided ticket is the entire point.
This is the closest thing Bali has to a natural water park: graded cliff jumps from roughly five to fifteen metres, and a smooth rock chute at Kroya that you slide down feet first into a deep pool. The guides know precisely which pool forgives what, and they will talk you down a grade if they think you are overreaching. Let them.
One thing worth knowing before you arrive: swimming directly beneath the main Aling-Aling fall is not permitted. The village treats that pool as sacred, and the jumping and sliding all happen at the neighbouring falls. Keep walking up the valley — the wider Sambangan Secret Garden hides several more, Pucak Manik among them, and almost nobody goes that far.
From Lovina: 30 min · Walk: 10–15 min, easy to moderate · Entry: Around IDR 20k to look, around IDR 125k for the guided jumping route · Swimming: Yes, at Kroya, Kembar and Pucuk
3. Banyumala Twin Waterfalls
Up on the Wanagiri ridge at about 1,200 metres, where the air is properly cool and you will want a layer for the drive. Two streams slide down a moss wall into a clear, shallow, swimmable pool, with smaller ribbons appearing on either side after rain. It is the most photogenic pool in North Bali and it knows it.
The path down is a steep sequence of natural steps with handrails, cut through forest and — near the top — hydrangea fields. Fifteen or twenty minutes down, rather longer back up, and genuinely slippery after rain. Proper shoes make the difference between a nice morning and an undignified one.
From Lovina: 50 min · Walk: 15–20 min, steep steps · Entry: Around IDR 30–50k · Swimming: Yes, and it is the best swim on this list
The Easy Wins on the Bedugul Road
4. Banyu Wana Amertha
A few minutes from Banyumala and a much gentler proposition: four separate falls spread through one landscaped valley, connected by short paths that feel more botanical garden than jungle trek. The highlight is usually Bhuana Sari, where the water spreads across a wide moss-covered face rather than crashing down in a single column.
This is the one to choose if the group includes anyone who would rather not spend the morning on a staircase, and it is reliably quieter than its famous neighbour up the road.
From Lovina: 50 min · Walk: 15 min, easy · Entry: Around IDR 50k · Swimming: Yes, in shallow pools
5. Gitgit
The old famous one, sitting directly off the Bedugul–Singaraja road, which is both its virtue and its problem. The main 40-metre curtain is genuinely dramatic and the path in is short and largely paved, with the Twin Falls further along the same river. It is the most accessible big waterfall in the north and the obvious leg-stretch on transfer day.
It is also the most commercialised: stalls, guides offering their services at the gate, and coach parties by mid-morning. Go before nine, or accept that you are sharing.
From Lovina: 35 min · Walk: 15 min, mostly paved · Entry: Around IDR 50–150k depending on which gate and which falls · Swimming: Shallow paddling rather than swimming
The Munduk Cluster
6. Munduk Waterfall (Red Coral)
Munduk is less a waterfall than a whole mountain region — clove and coffee plantations, cool mist, and a village strung along one ridge road with some of the best views in Bali. The waterfall at its centre, often signed as Red Coral, is a single strong drop into a rocky pool reached by a short, well-made path through plantation.
Combine it with a coffee stop and a viewpoint or two and you have a genuinely restful half-day rather than an expedition. Our separate guide to Munduk’s hikes, coffee and cool mountain air goes deeper on the village itself.
From Lovina: 55 min · Walk: 15 min, easy to moderate · Entry: Around IDR 20k · Swimming: Shallow only
7. Melanting
The same trail system continues to Melanting, taller and more theatrical than its neighbour, approached down a long flight of steps beside a small temple. Labuhan Kebo is further on again for anyone who wants to keep walking. None of these are swimming falls in any serious sense — they are a forest walk with a payoff, and on a cool Munduk morning that is exactly the right thing.
From Lovina: 55 min · Walk: 20 min, steps · Entry: Around IDR 20k, often combined with Munduk · Swimming: Not really
The Quiet Ones
8. Jembong
Near Ambengan, five minutes from the car and almost never busy. Jembong is not a vertical drop at all — the water slides down a broad, sloping rock face into a shallow pool, surrounded by cacao and clove plantation and a bit of tended garden. There is usually a spring-fed swimming pool beside it, which makes it the safest water on this list for small children.
It is not the most dramatic waterfall in North Bali. It is the one our hosts send people to when they want a lazy afternoon and no strangers in their photographs.
From Lovina: 30 min · Walk: 5 min, very easy · Entry: Around IDR 15–50k · Swimming: Yes, and the calmest on this list
9. Yeh Mampeh, Les
Out on the north-east coast in the village of Les, well beyond the usual Bedugul–Munduk circuit, Yeh Mampeh is often described as the tallest single-drop waterfall in Bali. The drive is longer and the last stretch is village road, which is precisely why the place stays quiet. The walk in follows an irrigation channel through gardens — flat, shaded, easy — and the pool at the base is deep enough to swim.
Pair it with the coral restoration work and the black-sand snorkelling around Les and Tejakula and you have a full and rather unusual day on a coast most visitors never see.
From Lovina: 70 min · Walk: 20 min, easy · Entry: Around IDR 30k · Swimming: Yes
10. Leke Leke
Strictly this is central Bali rather than north — it sits south of the lakes in Tabanan — but it falls on the drive between the north coast and Ubud or the airport, which is why it belongs here. A narrow ribbon drops through a cleft in a green cliff, reached by a short, well-maintained path and a bamboo bridge. It photographs better than almost anything else on the island, which means it is busy from mid-morning.
Go at opening, or fold it into a transfer day and accept the company.
From Lovina: 80 min · Walk: 15 min, easy to moderate · Entry: Around IDR 50k · Swimming: Shallow only
Getting There: Driver, Not Scooter
From Lovina or Bukti, every waterfall on this list is a morning trip. From Canggu, Seminyak or Ubud, it is not — you are looking at two and a half to three and a half hours each way over the mountains, which realistically buys you one cluster and a long day in the car. This is the single strongest argument for sleeping on the north coast rather than day-tripping to it.
Hire a car and driver. The hill roads are steep, narrow, frequently wet and shared with trucks, and you will be getting back in with wet clothes and a bag of soaked shoes. The cost of a driver for the day is a rounding error against the cost of the holiday, and it is the difference between three waterfalls and one. We do not recommend scooters for these roads, for anyone, and certainly not with a child on the seat.
When to Go
Dry season, April to October, gives you safe paths and clear pools. In the wet months the falls are at their most powerful and their least swimmable — water turns brown, steps turn to mud, and guides will sometimes close the jumping routes outright. That is not a reason to stay away, but it is a reason to keep the plan loose.
Time of day matters more than season. Almost every site opens between six and eight, and almost every coach arrives after ten. Leave the coast at seven and you can have even Sekumpul close to yourself. By early afternoon the light in the deeper valleys has gone anyway.
What to Bring
Shoes with actual grip, not flip-flops and not fashion trainers — wet volcanic rock is unforgiving. Swimwear worn under your clothes, because changing facilities range from basic to imaginary. A dry bag for phones and cameras. Small denomination cash for tiered tickets, parking and donations, since card is rarely an option. Insect repellent for the valley floors. And a full change of clothes and a towel left in the car, which is the tip people thank us for most.
Safety, Etiquette and Drones
Bali’s waterfalls are natural sites with light-touch supervision, and flash flooding is a real risk in the wet season — if the water is rising or turning brown, get out and go up. Take the guides seriously at Aling-Aling in particular; the jump heights are graded for a reason and the pool depths change with rainfall.
Several of these falls are sacred to the villages that maintain them. Swimming beneath the main Aling-Aling fall is not allowed, and where a sign, a shrine or a sarong requirement appears, treat it as binding rather than decorative. Drone rules vary site by site and have tightened in recent years — several now charge a fee or ban them altogether. Ask at the gate rather than launching and finding out.
Three Ways to Pair Them
The adventure day. Aling-Aling first thing for the jumps and the slide, then up to Banyumala or Banyu Wana Amertha in the afternoon once you have dried off. Two very different kinds of water in one day, and both within an hour of the coast.
The transfer day. Coming over the mountains from the south, stop at Leke Leke on the way up and Gitgit on the way down. Neither needs more than an hour, and they turn a three-hour drive into a day out.
The eastward day. Sekumpul in the morning while your legs are fresh, then carry on east to Bukti or Les for the afternoon. If you are following our seven-day North Bali itinerary, this is the day it slots into.
And the lazy one. Jembong, alone, at about three in the afternoon, with nothing else in the diary.
Where to Stay
The waterfalls are a highland activity, but the sensible base is the coast — twenty to sixty minutes below them, warm in the evenings, and with a flat, waveless sea to swim in when your legs have had enough of staircases. Lovina has no resort strip, and the most interesting rooms on the north coast are private villas. Three we would happily send friends to.
Samastiti Villa Temukus
A three-house beachfront compound at the quiet western end of Lovina, sleeping up to sixteen across separate buildings — which is what makes it work for families and groups who want to be together without being on top of each other. The pool is partially shaded, one of very few in Bali, so children can stay in the water through the middle of the day. Dolphin boats leave from the sand out front at seven. Read the full review of the beachfront villa in Lovina.
The Nest
An architect-designed treehouse on stilts above the water, built deliberately light — modern, airy and best appreciated by two people who want the sound of the sea and nothing else. Not the choice for a large group; very much the choice for a quiet week.
It also has the best sunset in the whole of North Bali. The rooftop terrace takes in a full 360-degree view — the Bali Sea on one side, the ridge behind — and the outdoor bathtub up there is divine at that hour, the sky going over the water while you sit in it and nobody else on the roof.
Villa Seaview, Bukti
Twenty-five minutes east of Lovina in the fishing village of Bukti, and the closest of the three to Sekumpul. A seafront pool, a large garden, direct access to a black-sand beach, and snorkelling straight off the front. It is the quietest of the three by some distance, and the one to pick if the eastward waterfalls are the point of the trip. Villa Seaview Bukti.
While you are on the coast, our guide to the best restaurants in Lovina covers where to eat afterwards, and Singaraja, Bali’s old capital makes a good rainy-morning alternative.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which waterfall in North Bali is the best?
For sheer spectacle, Sekumpul — nothing else on the island is in the same category. For fun, Aling-Aling and its slides. For a swim, Banyumala Twin. For solitude, Jembong. The honest answer is that you want two days and three or four falls, not one heroic day trying to see everything.
How many waterfalls can you visit in one day?
Two properly, three at a push if they are in the same cluster. The drives between clusters are slower than the map suggests, and the walks in and out add up. Trying for four means seeing all of them badly.
Are North Bali’s waterfalls suitable for children?
Jembong, Banyu Wana Amertha, Gitgit and Munduk are all manageable with normal supervision, and Jembong’s spring-fed pool is the safest water of the lot. Banyumala involves a steep staircase both ways. Sekumpul’s trek suits confident walkers only, and the Aling-Aling jumps are guided and age-dependent.
Do you need a guide?
At Sekumpul and Aling-Aling, effectively yes — the guided ticket is what gets you to the base or onto the jumps, and the routes are not obvious. Everywhere else you can walk in on your own ticket without missing anything.
What is the best time of day to visit?
Between seven and nine in the morning. You get the light in the valleys, the paths before they are churned up, and, at most sites, near-solitude. By ten the tour groups have arrived.
Can you visit North Bali’s waterfalls in the rainy season?
Yes, and they are at their most powerful — but pools go brown, steps get slick, and guides may close the cliff jumps. Keep the plan flexible and do not enter the water if the level is rising.
How much should you budget?
Allow roughly IDR 100,000–250,000 per person per waterfall once you factor in the guided tier, parking and a donation, plus the day rate for a car and driver. Bring cash in small notes; card payment is rare at the gates.
Is it worth staying in North Bali just for the waterfalls?
If the falls are more than a box-tick, yes. From the north coast each one is a morning outing rather than a six-hour round trip from the south, and you get a calm sea and an empty beach to come back to.
