Nestled deep inside a valley in the Tengger mountain range just a few kilometres north of Mount Bromo, the spectacular Madakaripura Waterfall is a must see sight before you leave the area. At 200m high Madakaripura it’s second only to Sumatra’s Sigurura Waterfall as the highest cascade in Indonesia. But in terms of sheer beauty, Madakaripura would be a hot contender for first place. The vision of a fine curtain of water dropping into a lush green, vertical stone chamber is simply enchanting.
To see it for yourself, you’ll need to be prepared to get wet. In addition to several creek crossings on the 1.5km (20min) and passing through several minor cascades along the access trail up the narrow valley, Madakaripura sends a cool, damp mist billowing up the valley which will have you soaked long before you set eyes of the falls themselves.
Don’t worry if you’ve come unprepared as there are plenty of enterprising locals selling plastic bags and hiring umbrellas, raincoat, plastic sandals and towels near the entrance gate. There are also several warungs that seem to do a good trade in belly warming food and drinks.
An entrance fee of of 5.000Rp per person but the kicker is the “compulsory” guide fee of 50.000Rp. In recent times, a large sign has been erected by the entrance gate stating that guides are compulsory but general opinion is that this is a scam perpetuated by local guides and is not officially sanctioned. Bottom line is that a guide is absolutely not required (with one way in and one way out of the valley it’s impossible to get lost) but you can expect to be hounded and even trailed to the waterfall and back until you give in a pay. Unfortunately, this sort of thing does tend to spoil the experience a little.
Madakaripura is located just outside the village of Sapih. Assuming you’re travelling away from Bromo and Cemoro Lawang village, head towards Tongas town where you’ll reach a signposted intersection for Bromo and Madakaripura. After another 20-30min keep your eye out for the signposted turnoff to the falls – the sign is on the left but you need to turn right.