Widely regarded as Bali’s best waterfall, Sekumpul is actually a set of six waterfalls streaming 80m down a single, fern clad rock face. It’s no exaggeration to say they are simply divine and the fact they are a little off the beaten track is a bonus. Nestled deep in the tropical rainforest about 11kms from Lovina and 80kms from Denpasar, these falls are rarely visited so they offer a rare chance to experience one of Bali’s delightful natural attractions without the usual tourist hustle and bustle.
Image courtesy of Rollan Budi
Access to the falls is via the quiet Sekumpul Village. The hour long hike to the falls begins in the village rice fields before entering the verdant jungle valley. The track is well formed but the steps down to the falls can be slippery and you need to cross the river for the best view of the falls but otherwise it’s a fairly easy trek.
As is often the case in Bali, there’ll be guides near the entrance offering their services. They’ll insist that having a guide is compulsory. It’s not and you won’t get lost along the well maintained route. There are other falls in the area including Lemukih Waterfall which although a little smaller, rivals Sekumpul for beauty. So if you like your waterfalls and jungle trekking, there is some very worthwhile exploring to do in the area in which case engaging a guide is warranted. Just make it clear that you don’t just want to see Sekumpul in and out on the same route. The asking fee for a guide is around 200,000Rp but in Indonesian terms this is seriously expensive for an outing that will only take 3-4 hours at most so haggle hard. Entrance to the falls is 10.000Rp per person.