Touted as one of
the rare waterfalls in Bali that's pretty accessible to visitors, a visit to
Tegenungan Waterfall was indeed convenient as it's just a short ride
from Sukawati Art Market!
Thought we were
there at a good timing since it wasn't terribly crowded and the driver even
managed to drop us off at the ticketing counter.
Pricing at 15,000
rupiahs per person for tourists. In Indonesia, there are often differences in
the entry fees for foreigners and domestic travellers; sometimes, foreigners
commanded a marked premium as i personally encountered at Tangkuban Perahu in
Bandung.
Furthermore, what
you see on the web may already have changed by the time of your visit; when i
google, many web pages mentioned an entry ticket of 10,000 rupiahs but as you
would have noticed from the stub i had, there's a 50% increase.
Whatever the
case, it wasn't insanely expensive and since we were already brought there,
there's no reason why we should grumble about the unfairness. p.s. on the other
side of the coin, i would be super pleased if Singapore attractions were priced
especially low for local residents.
Managing your
expectation for the attraction; as it wasn't rainy season, i would not be able
to see the waterfall turning into brown sugar as claimed. Frankly, it looks more
like gushing cup of teh tarik!
500 meters away -
with just 45 minutes allocated, i guess a number of us assumed it would be more
than sufficient. It's just a waterfall right?
Many toilets in
Indonesia imposed a usage charge of usually 2,000 rupiah and i usually choose to
just hold my bladder until its limit. At least for here, i can choose to buy
something so that i didn't have to pay a single centre. Yes, that's how cheapo i
can be.
The ticket stubs
were issued for a reason; to be collected back before you can venture any
further down the path towards the waterfall.
A downward path
as i mentioned - easy to go down which also have a corresponding effect on the
difficulties when we climbed up afterwards!
Viewing platform
and a pavilion - the latter is important as almost half of our entourage decided
to stay put after seeing the steep stairs. I felt bad to leave them behind but
there's still 35 minutes to go and knowing myself, i would deem it as a major
regret if i were to decide to stay with them.
In addition, the
sight of the waterfall in the midst of dense greenery was too huge an appeal for
me.
For a better spot
(and for those who prefer not to trek down), i believe the Bumbu Asli
International Warung on the right would be a great place to chill
out.
Bringing
attention to a notice for those forging forward - no jumping with a caveat that
you could do only when the staff checks the depth of the water. That's
encouraging since it's not a direct no.
Another viewing
platform which was way less crowded.
Look at the
steepness! Those who have the intention to bring their elderly parents should
note that the climb would be daunting both ways! A walking stick would be
beneficial although slow and steady would be the way to go.
Much smaller
waterfall that required side-tracking a bit from the main route. Given the lack
of time, i couldn't afford a walk there and the path looked like it would be too
slippery for my sandals.
Balinese temple
at the end of the stairs.
To the right
would be the stacked stones that i shared previously
in my post here. I was in fact more intrigued by the strange
phenomenon than with the waterfall.
Stairs with no
handrails by the side! Key to conquering this from the perspective of a person
suffering from acrophobia would be to walk down in the middle and to do it
fast!
Overlooking the
waterfall, the altar with canang sari and incense stick seemed to act as a
protection charm. Protect it from what? Well, maybe accidents like drowning or
reckless acts by daredevil visitors?
The trek
continued.
Here it is; even
though it appeared somewhat short from the initial viewing platform, i was
gawking in awe as i got closer. The volume and intensity of the burst were also
very strong and i regretted not bringing an extra set of
clothing!
Photo spots that
were purposely built to make your visit more memorable (and likely the reason
for the hike in entrance fees).
Another
structure, a woven boat made of tree branches, was in the making and may already
have been completed by the time you read this post.
An elaborate Do's
and Don'ts for all visitors; a funny notice if you care to read further.
Something like we don't want to see more accident again, rain will make a big
water etc.
Oh yes, prepare a
good pair of shoes and as a loyal supporter of Crocs shoes, i would obviously
recommend the "ugly shoes" which are comfortable, light and dries easily after
getting wet.
Backward view of
where we came from and where most of the stacked stones were.
The waterfall! Up
close, it was indeed not as tall as i expected it to be although the gush of
water was still impressive. Loves waterfalls and would like to have it in your
view for an extended period of time? Grab the lounge chair!
For rent at only
25,000 rupiahs! Duration? Unsure.
Customary shot of
the waterfall for families. For friends, selfie sticks are the way to go and
even though i have plenty of selfies at the waterfall, i would not want to scare
you off with my tired, heavy eye-bag face.
Crossing the log
wasn't a mammoth task and i know i could do it; however, my only worry would be
dropping into the water and damaging my camera.
Heck with the
concern; we only live once and as the water was pretty shallow, i am sure i can
hold up the camera and sacrifice my pants if i were to fall.
Taken from the
middle of the log; haha, can't imagine i still have the will to take this photo
when i should be more anxious to make it across to the other
side.
Another angle of
the back view which showed clearly the position of the Bumbu Asli International
Warung i shared earlier and also the gradient of the steps from top to
bottom.
The crowded side
since not many were adventurous enough to cross the log.
I am not blind
and had already noticed the people standing on natural platforms next to the
waterfall, with one that overlooked the top of it. At that time, i only had
about 10 minutes left.
Decided to
quickly check out the path as i should make full use of the 15,000 rupiahs paid
and whatever i experience would eventually become information that might be
useful (hopefully) for any new visitors to Bali.
Bloody, it's a
separate admission! I understood from the driver afterwards that this side was
controlled by another village and technically, it's travelling from one
attraction to another attraction.
Did i
pay?
Hell no! Not when
i didn't have much spare time and it's irritating to see commercialism displayed
in such incredulous ways. Is it wrong? Of course not but as consumers, we have a
choice to take it or not.
Back at the
bottom end of the waterfall. To be truthful, the need to pay again left a bad
taste in the mouth even though it's a common practice in Indonesia. I should
have known since i just travelled to Bandung less than
a year ago.
Holy water -
don't know if i can drink it but judging from the condition of the pipe and the
algae-covered umbrella, i would give it a miss.
Me.Memman; anyone
knows what this means? From the direction it pointed to, i can only guess it
might have been the stacked stones area although a search online
draws a blank.
Want to take a
shower after getting yourself dirty at the waterfall? Shower using
the natural spring water that's located nearer the
staircase you came down from. Click here for more photos.
Clean toilets
were available at no charge; donations would be welcome.
Time to make
ourselves back to the meeting point; i had 4 minutes left! Not looking forward
to the climb up which was expected to be physically exhausting!
Maybe that could
explain the graffiti; made when someone was sitting on the stairs and likely by
one who was too tired to walk any further.
I did it and i
deserved a reward - ice cream!
=====
Location
Jl.
Raya Tegenungan, Kemenuh,
Ubud
80581, Bali, Indonesia
For
a summary of my four days, three nights trip to Bali,
click here.
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