With no shortage of beautiful places to see in Bali, waterfalls are amongst some of the most popular spots. There are so many amazing waterfalls in the country to discover and many of them are bursting with tourists. However, with a little research I was able to find the most perfectly secluded secret waterfall, Tibumana.
Tibumana waterfall is located about 30 minutes from Ubud but it seems so far away. Our driver friend Jantuk, who is from Bali, had never even been and he has lived there his whole life! That’s how secret and undiscovered this waterfall is. It is a nice relaxing drive to find Tibumana full of rice fields and eye pleasing scenery along the way.
It is not too difficult to find Tibumana using GPS and when you pull up to the entrance you would never know such a captivating waterfall existed just down below. In the parking area you will be greeted by a Balinese man or woman chilling out in a little shack selling cold drinks and a few snacks. You will pay them 10,000 Rupiah (which is less than $1 US dollar) and they will point you in the direction of the path that you will take to paradise.
There are hundreds and hundreds of stairs as it is quite a ways down to the waterfall. But the stairs lead you to the magic as you begin to transcend down into a lush jungle with beautiful tropical flowers and natural wildlife everywhere.
There will be a point where you have to go left or right, the right side will take you to a temple and the left side will take you to the waterfall.
There are some amazing views on the way down towards the waterfall as you meander the path. The river gently flows down below and the butterflies and birds fly freely.
After following the path for about a kilometer you will start to hear a small trickling of water and once you get lower down the steps a small but beautiful waterfall will come into view, splashing the rocks and flowing effortlessly into a stream of water.
There is a beautifully serene area with wooden bridges that allow you to cross over. This is a sight in and of itself to admire. It is like you have traveled below the earths surface to uncover a majestic paradise down below. The steep canyons embrace you on either side brimming with lush vegetation.
Keep walking the path as you hug the curves of the earth and the ground below and that is when you will begin to hear the rumblings of a larger waterfall up ahead. And then, as if you are strolling through a fairy tale forest an opening clears and makes way for a most magnificent waterfall.
From this viewpoint it is as if the heavens opened up and created a sacred circle amongst the earth with a beautiful lagoon and waterfall for your enjoyment. This waterfall is absolutely stunning. The water is shallow surrounding the fall so you can walk around and go behind the fall into a small cave.
It was so magical to be in this setting with no other people in sight but ourselves in this most awesome place. Seriously we had this place all to ourselves and believe me we soaked up the richness of this experience and it is one we will never forget, it was like we were in our own version of the movie Blue Lagoon. The tranquility of this waterfall paradise should not be missed on a trip to Bali, be sure to visit before it gets to popular and not such a “secret” anymore!
