Waterfall Heaven in Indonesia

The best waterfalls in all of Indonesia are in Lombok. A blogger-tourist wrote that Lombok is “waterfall heaven”. Probably because of the landscape, there seems to be so many waterfalls in Lombok, concentrated in the North and Central regions of the island.

Here are some of them, considered the best of the lot, with each one having its own characteristic unique look that can blow you away. All of the waterfall in Lombok island have their own amazing looks that are different from the others, but having their own distinctive attraction.

Tiu Kelep

This is the most famous of them all and certainly has that inimitable look all its own. All of them are irresistibly beautiful, mesmerizing and flaunting its misty beauty to anyone looking.

From Sendang Gile you follow the river for 15 minutes, sometimes walking through the water, before reaching Tiu Kelep. The arrival area has an amphitheater full of mist blowing all over the place.

The waterfalls pour out of the mountain wall and then there is a huge diagonal gushing flow pouring down with extreme force on top of them all. You need to be careful swimming beneath the falls because some people have gotten into trouble sucked into the pull of the the water impact zone.

Be careful swimming beneath the falls as some people have gotten into trouble being sucked into the extreme pull of the waterfall impact zone.

Sendang Gile

This was an unexpected bonus sight following a different trail. Sendang Gile is an incredible attraction in its own right, although it might always be outshone by Tiu Kelep.

The waterfall is a unique two-tiered waterfall that booms down into a shallow river. This is a surprise to the people who saw it for the first time who didn’t expect it at all in the first place.

Benang Stokel / Kelambu

People also talked about Benang Stokel in Lombok. The big surprise is that I did not know that this waterfall is actually composed of five waterfalls, and all are amazing to look at.

You need to have some negotiating skills when dealing with the locals because they will try to lock you into a guided tour for about $7 (80,000 rupiah) when the actual entrance fee at the board is about $2.

The last spot is waterfall which is a huge wall of vines and greenery with multiple cascade spread throughout the wall. The site looks magical to look at and makes you feel lost in the wild. It is breathtaking and being one of the most popular falls in Lombok is not a surprise.

Places to stay

The northern region of Lombok is perfect place to visit all the best waterfall in Lombok island or hiking Mount Rinjani, for that matter. There are budget guest houses and there also beautiful resorts in the region.

At the other end ofl the island, the southern region is where people choose to chill out, enjoy the surf and the beaches. The crowds are smaller than in Bali, and underdeveloped compared to Bali itself. However, the waterfalls around the island are the main reasons for your stay.

Exploring Temples and Food

There are very few exotic places in the world that merits your attention to want to explore them. Lombok city is simply one of these places, and the Lombok City Tour is just the right vehicle to do so.

All in all, this is a half day tour that covers the important heritage places in the area. This includes the Mayura Temple built in 1714 which is the royal floating palace (named Bale Kambang) of the former Balinese kingdom.  

Also included in the itinerary is the Narmada Temple built in 1805 and used to be a palace of Anak Agung Gede Ngurah. You can see here the miniature of Mount Rinjani and Segara Anak lake with a holy temple on top.

The temple was built by Balinese Hindus when they first came over to the islands.

Pura Lingsar

Pura Lingsar is one Hindu temple that represents the blending of the Hindu tradition with Wektu Telu, the religion practiced by the Sasak people who are natives to Lombok itself.

Followers of Wektu Telu consider themselves Muslims although they do not follow many of the religious commandments that orthodox Muslims do. They have adopted other beliefs from Hinduism and the native animistic traditions.

This dual heritage makes Pura Lingsar an important symbol of unity among the faiths in the islands.

Clothing

Visitors to Pura Lingsar need to wear a sash or sarong in order to enter the temple. For regular visitors who don’t have this, they shall be helped by vendors outside the temple who can rent them the appropriate clothing.

Exploring the temple’s outer buildings does no need special clothes. The northern elevated part of the temple is the Hindu section while the Wektu Telu followers do their worship at the southern section.

Attraction

Pura Lingsar is famous for the pool of water in the Wektu Telu which is sacred to the deity Vishnu.

This is also home to a family of holy eels which can be lured out of their hiding places with hard-boiled eggs. (Buy your eggs from stalls outside the temple to feed the eels yourself.)

Itinerary

From your hotel in Senggigi, Mangsit or Klui, you can meet up your guide at your hotel lobby. The first stop would be a visit to the Mayura Temple and Bale Kambang in Cakranegara.

After Mayura, the group can proceed to Narmada Water Palace. This is a historical park that was used by the Balinese Dynasty king as a summer palace. Inside the park, there is a spring believed by locals to be the fountain of youth.

A visit to the local market will be your place to get your arts and craft souvenirs of the place. This is aside from taking in some local fruits and vegetables that you fancy. Bertais is one of the biggest markets where traders from all over converge.

A taste of Lombok

After the tour, you can partake some local food in one of the local restaurants around. There would be Ayam Bakar, or Ayam Goreng Taliwang with steam rice, Pelecing Kangkung and Beberuk Terong.