To most people, Bali means rice fields, beaches, villas and resort living at its finest. But this gem of a location in Indonesia is so much more than that! Bali has lots of natural wonders and today I’ll tell you all about the Munduk Waterfalls Trail that will take you to no less than 4 beautiful waterfalls in Bali.
This hidden paradise is located within the lush forests of the Munduk Mountains in North Bali and it’s the best idea for waterfall lovers. This part of the country is not typically visited by many tourists, so you can rest assured that you’ll be able to enjoy a more laid back atmosphere and some peace of mind.
The entire trek takes around 3 hours to see all 4 Munduk waterfalls. Round Trip. There are, however, some important things to know before you go and I will tell you everything in the article below.
Let’s go!
Munduk waterfalls are located 15 minutes away from Munduk Village, in North Bali, in Bali’s countryside. The starting point for the Munduk waterfall hike is located 2 hours from Ubud and a few hours from Lovina by car.
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There are many more falls in this area’s lovely scenery, but I selected the 4 most popular and stunning waterfalls that I recommend you visit (and that are typically part of this trek). Here they are on the map below:
TIP #1: For ease of orientation, I recommend downloading the maps.me application and the offline map for the region, so you can get around easily in case you get lost. It will be useful especially for making your way back. Just set “Laangan Melanting” as your destination and follow the route suggested. You can also take a physical map from the guesthouses around, but the app is better.
TIP #2: There are two ways of doing this hike, as it’s a loop-shaped trek. I recommend starting with Golden Valley Waterfall and ending with Melanting. You can also do it the other way around, but the option I’m recommending will ensure you’re not hiking the path uphill a lot, so the entire trek will be much easier.
TIP #3: The entire trek will take approximately 3 hours if you want to take your time and see all the waterfalls I’m mentioning in this article. They’re only a short walk away from each other, but it’s best to take your time (and maybe have a swim!).
As I mentioned above, the Munduk waterfall location is in North Bali, Indonesia. Here is the travel time by car from some well-known cities:
They’re also conveniently located near some other well-known tourist attractions such as the Twin Lakes, Pura Ulun Danu Beratan Temple (or simply Pura Bratan) and Handara Gate. This means you can easily include a trek to the falls in your Bali itinerary!
NOTE: In case you’re touring Bali with a rented motorbike or scooter, you should note that the Munduk area is quite hilly, so it’s not really recommended to navigate it on two wheels if you’re not very experienced or very comfortable with your driving skills.
Most tourists that decide to do this trek will choose to spend at least 1 night (preferably 2) in Munduk Village. This way you ensure you won’t have to book a private driver to take you to the starting point; you can simply walk from the village to the first stop on the itinerary or, even better, you can ask for transportation at the accommodation – some of them offer complimentary shuttles.
In case you don’t want to spend the night before the hike, the best idea would be to book a private driver to take you to the starting point (it’s a 5-minute drive from Munduk Village).
If you decide to get there by scooter, set “Munduk Waterfalls Parking Lot” as your destination on Maps. The parking fee is 2.000 IDR (0.14 USD).
Once you arrive in the parking lot, you must continue walking downhill (you can either take the walkway or the paved steps) to the waterfall entrance, 15 minutes away. Then cross a small bamboo bridge and you have arrived at the first waterfall!
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IMPORTANT NOTE TO KEEP IN MIND: my recommended route below will take you from the top down, which means all the walking will be a lot easier to do instead of doing it in reverse and having to climb a steep path and lots of stairs.
This small village is the starting point, where I recommend spending the night before the trek to recharge your batteries if you can. There are various accommodations here, including Ekommunity, which I definitely recommend. You can find some other hotel recommendations in the dedicated section below.
Golden Valley is the first waterfall on the trek and I recommend starting with it – it’s only a 10-minute walk from the starting point and it’s pretty quiet too. It’s definitely not as impressive as the next three waterfalls (some even say it’s the least impressive), but it’s still a lovely spot to start your adventure. You can also start your day with a good breakfast and some delicious Bali coffee at the Eco Café (Eco Cafe 1 on Google Maps) nearby, and take in the view of Golden Valley falls at the same time – it’s a glorious viewpoint!
DIFFICULTY: easy
ENTRANCE FEE: 10.000 IDR (0.70 USD)
SWIMMING: no, this waterfall doesn’t have a swimming area
Red Coral Waterfall, also known as Munduk Waterfall, is relatively close to Golden Valley. It’s also one of the busier spots in this trail, but it’s truly gorgeous and really high, even though it may look small in some pictures! Here, you can enjoy the magnificent view of the waterfall itself surrounded by lush nature.
TIP: Prepare to get wet, though, as Red Coral Waterfall is quite powerful, and make sure to protect your camera from the spray of the falls.
DIFFICULTY: easy – very few stairs. The only tiny challenge to manage will be a (not too risky) bamboo bridge at the end of the hike.
ENTRANCE FEE: 20.000 IDR (1.4o USD)
SWIMMING: no, this waterfall doesn’t have a swimming area
After a 10-minute hike from Red Coral and about 100 steps down, you’ll reach the third waterfall: Labuhan Kebo waterfall. This area is flocked by a lot of tourists because it’s the best place to take a dip and enjoy the cold water of the falls. This waterfall has two rock pools where you can swim and a toilet where you can change into your swimming outfit.
Labuhan is pretty impressive and powerful too, so make sure you protect your camera! There’s also a lot of sun glare here, so it might be challenging to take good pictures if you’re visiting on a sunny day.
DIFFICULTY: medium; although getting there will be easy peasy with only 100 steps to descend, getting back up might be a tiny challenge as you’ll have to climb the same steps again to continue your journey
ADMISSION FEE: 10.000 IDR (0.70 USD)
SWIMMING: yes, this is the best swimming waterfall out of them all; it has a big swimming pool at the base, splitting into two smaller rock pools with relatively shallow water
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To end your trek, you’ll have to traverse a rocky track that leads to the beautiful Laangan Melanting waterfall. They keep the best for last because Melanting is really the most beautiful and powerful waterfall of them all! This means it also gets busy, being so close to the village, but it’s definitely worth it to take your time and enjoy it.
DIFFICULTY: medium; there are 470 solid yet steep steps to get to Melanting Waterfall, so you may need to take a few breaks along the way
ADMISSION FEE: 10.000 IDR (0.70 USD)
SWIMMING: no. Although this waterfall has a pool at its base, there is water flowing with such power that I really don’t recommend swimming here.
From Melanting, which is the final waterfall, you just need to get back to the village by descending away from the waterfalls instead of going up the stairs. The road can get quite muddy at times (it’s a dirt trail, mind you), so keep this in mind when choosing the right shoes for your trek – find my recommendations in the ‘Packing list’ section below. You’ll soon reach the main road again.
TIP: You can also visit Banyumala Twin Falls if you have the time, although it is not close to Munduk Village like the ones on this route. But if you’re planning on going to Sekumpul or Gitgit, it’s definitely worth adding this one to your itinerary as well. This double stream fall is said to be one of the most gorgeous ones out of all the Bali waterfalls and you can also swim there.
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As I mentioned before, staying in the village before you proceed on your Munduk Waterfall journey is a great idea – especially considering this is quite a budget location! There are various homestays and local hotels where you can book a room for an excellent price.
Here are my recommended accommodations, sorted by budget:
LUXURY: Munduk Moding Plantation Nature Resort & Spa – brilliant location overlooking the valley and flawless service
MID-RANGE: Munduk Menir Villas – a nice guesthouse where you can book rooms or entire villas with private pools for some very accessible prices.
BUDGET: Nadya Homestay – a great budget option with a restaurant (nice, tasty lunch options here), snack bar, terrace and outdoor pool. Plus some pretty unbeatable prices!
Trekking this trail requires enough preparation for you to get the most out of your hike. And I’m here to tell you all my precious travel tips to keep in mind!
Make sure that you’re wearing comfortable shoes with good grip so it’s easier to traverse uneven and uphill parts of the trail. There are some portions with dirt trails, so I definitely recommend against wearing flip flops.
You can either use Google Maps or, even better, maps.me which has an offline map function. Even though you can also get your own physical map of Munduk Waterfall from the village, the online one works better for me.
It’s good to start early to avoid the crowd and the midday heat.
Although there are a few warungs along the scenic route where you can buy coffee, water or food, it’s important to bring your own as well, and especially enough water. You’ll have enough stairs to climb and the last thing you want is to get dehydrated, trust me! Some snacks to munch on while trekking will also be more than welcome.
They don’t accept any credit card for the admission fee, so make sure you have small bills with you.
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Now let’s find the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about visiting the waterfalls in Munduk:
Visiting the waterfalls in Munduk on this trail is one of the best budget activities you can do in Bali, Indonesia. Each of the falls has a fixed fee of either 10.000 or 20.000 IDR, which makes the total Munduk Waterfall entrance fee 50.000 IDR (3.50 USD). The parking fee is 2.000 IDR per bike, which is literally nothing (0.14 USD).
TIP: They only accept cash at the entrance, so make sure you have it with you. No credit card accepted.
I say it’s pretty easy, moderate at maximum. Plus, it doesn’t take long either – 2-3 hours if you do it in my suggested order and if you’re relatively fit. Melanting Waterfall (the last one)is probably the most challenging one out of them all, so if you know you’re not good with steps, you can always skip it.
It really depends on how much you stop in one place and how long you want to swim, but it usually takes 2 to 3 hours in total as a round trip.
The best time to visit Bali is, in general, the dry season (April-October). As for the trek, I recommend doing it early in the morning so you can avoid the crowds and the midday heat. And yes, you can do it as a day trip.
I know I answered this already, but I just can’t stress this enough: yes, pack enough water (and snacks if you want them) for a moderate 3-hour trek, just to be on the safe side! There are a few basic restaurants along the way, but it’s always good to have your own supplies as well.
No, not at all, especially if you have your smartphone map on hand just like I mentioned in my Tips section above.
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This was my complete, straight-forward guide on doing the amazing Munduk Waterfall trek! This route will take you on a wonderful hike to some of the most impressive waterfalls in Munduk where you can swim, take pictures and admire the beautiful nature. My guide above includes ALL the things you need to know before going: how to get there from Central Bali, what to pack, what to keep in mind and everything in-between.
In case you need more information and advice that will help you plan the perfect Bali itinerary, I recommend clicking here to find all my articles about this place on Earth that I like to call home. And here you’ll find all my posts about Indonesia.
xoxo,
Melissa
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