How To Visit Sekumpul Waterfall In Bali Without A Guide

Sekumpul Waterfall is a huge twin waterfall in Singaraja Bali, with two 80 meter tall (260 foot) streams pouring out of the jungle treetops.

If you’re looking for the biggest and best waterfall in Bali, this is probably it! To top it off, while hiking to these falls you get to see some of the most scenic jungles and rice terraces on the island.

The Sekumpul Waterfall is no longer a secret, but since it’s in the far northern part of the island and pretty far from town, the crowds are still not too bad.

This Sekumpul Waterfall blog will explain how to get there, how to do the hike without a guide, what kind of entrance ticket to expect, and everything else you need to know before you go!

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Sekumpul Waterfall Bali: What To Expect

The Sekumpul waterfall hike is pretty straightforward, but I’d rate it as moderate.

It’s not dangerous, but the steep hike up and down to the falls is a huge workout and it takes about 30-60 minutes to get there, depending on where you park.

Before you even start the hike, you’ll be taking dozens of pictures. The views in north Bali are incredible — steep green mountains and rice terraces in all directions!

You’re basically hiking down into a big ravine in the jungle, and the views along the way are absolutely mind blowing.

There are two viewpoints at Sekumpul — one above the waterfall and one at the bottom.

Don’t just stop at the first viewpoint, you should definitely check out both! The upper viewpoint is pictured above.

You’ll want to wear junk shoes for this hike, because it gets VERY muddy near the end. The rocks at the bottom of the waterfall can be slippery too, so watch out for that.

Fiji Waterfall

Near the end of the hike, you’ll reach a junction with a sign pointing to two different waterfalls.

Go right for 5 minutes if you want to see ‘Grombong Waterfall’ — the main Sekumpul waterfall shown on this page.

Then retrace your steps to the sign and walk in the other direction for 5-10 mins to reach Fiji Waterfall, a cool triple waterfall in the same canyon.

Fiji Waterfall

Sekumpul Waterfall (also known as ‘Grombong’)

Sekumpul Waterfall Without Guide (i.e. Registration Scam)

You should be aware that there’s an annoying scam at Sekumpul Waterfall where a group of locals has set up a series of fake (but convincing) “registration” checkpoints along the road there.

If you stop at one of these, they will try to force you to hire a guide for 450k IDR ($30 USD) per person. They will tell you it’s dangerous and required, and might show you a fake entrance ticket.

Tell them you don’t need a guide, or better yet, just keep driving. This is easier to do if you’re in a car, of course.

If you drive through without stopping, it’s possible to bypass the scammers, the bogus registration, and the fake entrance ticket completely.

Next, you will need to stop in Lemukih village and hike from the south entrance there, NOT from the north entrance at Sekumpul village (which has a metal gate where they WILL stop you).

The area is a bit confusing at first, but hopefully the pictures and map below will help.

Ignore all “registration” checkpoints WITHOUT stopping, and drive until you reach this fork in the road. Take a LEFT here and you can drive down to the free parking area where no one will hassle you. (if you take a right here, you will end up in Sekumpul village)

This guy is NOT one of the scammers. He is cool. He asked to be in this pic. On the left is the last (and best) car parking area for the hike. On the right is the foot path down to the falls.

This is the REAL entry ticket for the Sekumpul waterfalls. This ticket was sold by a one eyed gentleman at a booth halfway down the foot path. The current price now is 20k.

Keep in mind this is a very poor, remote area of Bali where the locals have very few legitimate ways to make any money.

Think about things a little bit from their perspective, and then make your own decision about whether or not to use the ‘mandatory’ local guide.

I’m sure the guides are helpful for taking your photos and such, but the path is pretty safe and easy to follow without a guide. It’s definitely not necessary for most people.

If the price was reasonable, I might be inclined to pay it just to help out the locals. But being forced to pay $15 or $20 USD per person for a short hike is not reasonable in my book.

Sekumpul Waterfall Entrance Fee / Ticket

As of 2024, the legitimate entrance fee for Sekumpul Waterfall is still only 20k Rupiah (~$1 USD).

You can see the entrance ticket in the picture above, although the price has gone up a little to 20k Rupiah now.

How To Get To Sekumpul Waterfall

Sekumpul Waterfall is located in North Bali, about 2.5 hours drive from Ubud or 1 hour from Singaraja.

The best way to get there is to rent a scooter or hire a private car and driver (both of these can be booked online).

You can use the map below to take you to the Sekumpul Waterfall location in Bali, or just route your map directly to Warung Fiji (click for GPS). This little warung is the southern starting point for the hike.

Scooters can go all the way to Warung Fiji, but cars will need to park a bit earlier. Make sure you stop at the last parking area, though, because it’s significantly closer to the waterfall and it’ll save you from hiking too far.

The walk to the falls from the last parking area (aka Warung Fiji) is only about 30-45 minutes, and follows a narrow downhill path.

Lemukih Water Slide

If you want to see yet another waterfall at Sekumpul, there’s also a fun natural water slide located near Lemukih village, called the Lemukih water slide.

It’s a long water slide of about 50 meters, similar to a natural slip n’ slide of sorts, and you can reach it on a quick and easy trek from Lemukih village! The trekking distance from Sekumpul waterfall is also pretty short and manageable.

Best Time To Visit

Any time of day (or season) is good to visit Sekumpul Waterfall and take great photos.

This waterfall doesn’t dry up as much seasonally compared to some other waterfalls in Bali, so you can still visit it in the dry season months of May to November, although it may start to shrink a bit in the later months of the year (especially after August).

Our Sekumpul Waterfall pictures in this travel guide were taken in July, and there was still plenty of flow, plus a nice rainbow in the late afternoon! We’ve seen the rainbow here on two different afternoons in July. The rice terraces in July will be freshly planted (watery), not green, but that can still be nice for photos.

The bright green rice terraces you see in this guide were photographed in March, which is still the rainy season in Indonesia, but we didn’t run into any problems with rain, and the waterfall was still photogenic as usual!

More Bali Waterfalls

Looking for more information on the best waterfalls in Bali, Indonesia?

Check out my Bali Waterfalls Map for a complete list with travel guides, photos, and info!

Bali Private Driver & Motorbike Rental

If you want to explore Bali in the comfort and safety of a private car with an English speaking driver, my top recommendation would be GetYourGuide.

Their price is 650k Rupiah ($45 USD) for a full day of driving and sightseeing in Bali (up to 10 hours) for 1-5 passengers. That’s the total price for the whole car + driver + petrol! It’s a great deal. They also offer affordable hotel transfers from the airport.

If you’d rather travel by motorbike, they have that too. Their scooter rentals start at 140k Rupiah (~$9) and include a helmet, rain coat, and free delivery in the south Bali area.

We’ve used GetYourGuide for lots of tours and activities around the world, and they’re great! Highly recommended.

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