Banyu Wana Amertha : Easy Hike To Four Secret Waterfalls of North Bali

There are countless waterfalls in Bali but unless you have one month in Bali, it’s impossible to see them all. If you are in Bali for only around a week or less, it could be hard trying to decide which one to explore. Though there are several waterfalls in and near Ubud worth exploring (think Tukad Cepung Waterfall, Kanto Lampo Waterfall and Tegunangan Waterfall, the best Bali waterfalls is said to be in North Bali. So, if you are heading to North Bali, such as the Bedugul area, I’d suggest slotting in one or two waterfalls into your itinerary.

About Bedugul

Bedugul covers a large area of the central highlands of Bali around the villages of Bedugul itself, Candikuning, Pancasari, Pacung, Wanagiri as well as the village of Munduk to the west. The whole area is at an altitude of 700 metres or more, with the tallest mountain peaks above 2,000 metres, and it can be distinctly chilly here. And you know what can be found in mountainous area? Beautiful waterfalls it is!

Most tourists travelled to Bedugul for Pura Ulun Danu Beratan, the famous floating temple printed on the old RP 50,000 note, which is in Bedugul itself, and about half an hour way is Wanagiri Hidden Hills. A further drive of less than 10 minutes is the Munduk Village where you can find many beautiful waterfalls.

Perhaps the most known waterfalls in the area are the Sekumpul Waterfall and Banyumala Twin Waterfall which are both majestic and still relatively less travelled to as compared to the more commercialised Git Git Waterfall. However, there is one new addition to a hidden, secret waterfall in Munduk Village – the Banyu Wana Amertha Waterfalls

Is it a Hidden Gem?

It was once a hidden gem, but news always spread fast. The entrance which used to be in a form of donation is now a fixed fee of RP 20,000 per person. It is still relatively unknown when I visited, but more people are getting to know about this place, so it’s a matter of time before travellers find out about this waterfall.

The entrance to the waterfall is clearly marked with this sign, and it’s not hard to find. You can even easily find it on Google Map.

The hike

The hike down to the waterfalls are not difficult (see how I managed to get down there with a long maxi dress and slippers?) and would only take you less than 10 minutes for each of them. Visitors used to hike on dirt track but the local villagers had cut some steps into the ground, making the hike safer and more accessible.

As you walked on those steps through the coffee plantations, you will come to think that the entrance fee is worth paying for? What if I tell you that the local villagers did more than just cutting some steps?

At the three smaller waterfalls, the villagers even constructed bamboo bridges, resting huts, and planting beautiful flora to further beautify the place. It was truly amazing seeing the amount of effort that goes in to beautifying this place, I hope the visitors would appreciate this and not litter. *finger crossed*

The waterfalls

When you reach the bottom of the steps, the road diverges into two, where you’ll find two waterfalls further down the left intersection and another two further down the right.

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Turning left:

First waterfall – Straight waterfall with bamboo bridge

The first set off falls wasn’t very impressive. It is a straight down waterfall with very little volume of water, even though it was raining the day before. A bamboo bridge stretches across a flowing creek which leads to the rock pools at the base of the falls. The pool is too shallow for a swim.

Second waterfall – Banyu Wana Amertha

The second set of falls is highlight of the place, and my favourite of all four. The water bursts out of a rock wall formation and into a shallow pool that then cascades into a creek that cuts its way down the valley. It’s beautiful to look at and even more beautiful to photographer. Be sure to set you camera into long exposure mode to capture the water’s movement.

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Turning right:

Third waterfall – Twin waterfall

The third waterfall is a twin waterfall. But don’t mistaken this with Banyumala just because both are twin waterfalls and bear the same “Banyu” in their name. This twin waterfalls here is much smaller and again, the pool is too small for a dip.  Similar to the first waterfall, there’s a bamboo bridge which connects the river from which the water falls into.

Fourth waterfall – Spray waterfall

The last waterfall bears similar form as the second one, but on a grander, taller scale. True to its name, we got “sprayed” the moment we get close, so it’s not easy to get a sharp long exposure shot without the human subject turning blur. Good thing was that the pool is big enough for a dip, and if I wasn’t rushing to head to the airport, I’d probably jump in!

Cost

Entrance fee was RP 20,000 per person, and parking fee is charged separately. As we had a driver, the parking fee is included in our driver fee. I guess it should be around RP 2,000 per vehicle.

How to get there

Banyu Wana Amertha is about 2-and-a-half-hour drive from Ubud and 20 minutes from Pura Ulun Danu Beratan. The trip here can be combined together with Handara Golf & Resort, Pura Ulun Danu Beratan, and Wanagiri Hidden Hills around the area. If you are interested in dolphin watching, you can head further north to Lovina first thing in the morning, then cover the rest after your dolphin watching.

While renting a scooter is a wonderful way to see the Ubud, if say, you are staying in Ubud, it’s a lot easier to explore other areas of Bali (like Bedugul for example) with a private driver. Price varies between RP500,000 to 600,000 per day, including petrol and parking fees.

We hired a driver for RP 500,000 on the last day of our trip to cover the area of Bedugul. Do contact our driver, Joe for more information - Facebook:  Bali Driver & Tour Organizer | Whatsapp / Wechat: +62 813-3741-2185

Best Time to Visit

We arrived at Banyu Wana Amertha around 12 noon and the lighting was perfect at the first three waterfalls. The last waterfall faces the sun at the time of our visit, so it’s probably better to come in the morning if you’d shoot long exposure shot which isn’t overexposed. Though we didn’t swim, we spent a total of 2 hours there as there are 4 waterfalls to explore in total. If you are going for a swim, do allocate at least 3 hours to this gem.

December to February sees an increase in rainfall in Bali, so the waterfalls would be more impressive during these months due to greater amounts of water. But this also means higher chance of being caught up in the rain when you pay your visit to the temples and beaches. 

Epilogue

Being an active hiker, I’ve seen plenty of waterfalls in Malaysia, but somehow, they always look similar without a distinguishable character, except for some notable ones such as Chemerong Waterfall. However, there are not as accessible and often requires hours of trekking to reach. I was amazed by how accessible the waterfalls are in Bali, and the amount of effort the people here poured in to make the waterfalls so accessible and such a wonderful experience. Thanks to these people, I can hike to the waterfall with a long maxi dress and flip flops. Pretty photos guaranteed right?

I didn’t have enough time to hunt down all the waterfalls in Bali, but I’ll be sure to slot in a couple of them in my next visit. Probably by then, there’ll be more hidden gems discovered!

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