Tumpak Sewu Waterfall, the most epic waterfall in Indonesia

Tumpak Sewu waterfall has been on Mikes travel wishlist for years and we finally visited! It’s huge. Honestly it’s the biggest waterfall, with hundreds of different waterfalls running over the edge of a lush green cliff. It is so easy to access from Malang, we loved staying there.

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Until we visited I almost didn’t believe it was real….but it is and it’s incredible.

We booked a driver for a day who picked us up from our hotel in Malang at 4am. Gates were meant to open at 7am but when we arrived at 5:45am it was open and people were already there taking photos. We paid the 50k ticket fee and joined them and took as many pictures as possible, Mike sent up the drone and captured images of the waterfall with Mt Semeru behind it.

When we had our fill we dragged ourselves away from the view and headed down the cliff to the base of the waterfall.

Going down to the waterfall base

It’s not as difficult to get to the base as I had read. It’s slippery and you should go slowly. Remember you’ll be walking through water as you descend so you’ll be best to wear proper shoes not flip flops.

Finally at the bottom of the stairs there’s a shady tree with a swing to catch your breath. Head to the right and you’ll reach the entry to the base of Tumpak Sewu. Here you’ll have to pay another 50k to enter the base.

Once you pass through here you can see the whole waterfall cascading down above you. It is a breath taking sight.

There are tons of great photo spots, some people were on rocks others on ledges, lots were feeling the full force of the waterfall as close s they were able. We spent another couple of hours here taking pictures and watching the incredible view.

Climbing to the alternative Tumpak Sewu viewpoint.

On the way out we were told about another exit. The guys selling the base tickets told us we could climb up the orange metal ladder which takes you to an alternate viewpoint. The other option was to walk around to the left to see Goa Tetes waterfall with an extra cost of 20k. Our friends had done this and loved it but we decided to head up the orange ladder instead.

We started to go up the orange ladder. It was pretty scary and honestly I’m not really sure how safe it was. It didn’t fill me with confidence and as we climbed higher. The poles were slippery from being in the base of the waterfall and the foot supports were thin pieces of metal. It is not for the faint of heart that’s for sure as you can see the ground below you through the ladder.

I don’t exactly recommend it although Mike swears it’s fine, his spirit is a little braver than mine! We did make it up to the view which was lovely and much quieter than the main one. There were a few locals coming down this way so I guess it’s still used.

Tip- At the exit we were told that if you enter this way you pay 50k only once and can exit the way we came down, seeing the whole waterfall for only 50k. if you’re up for a challenge, brave and don’t mind some risk to save 50k it’s a cheaper way to do it.

We called our driver who came to pick us up at the exit here. All in all it was a beautiful waterfall and a wonderful experience and one of our favourite things to do in Java! Check out this tour for the best way to experience Tumpak Sewu Waterfall.