Lombok, Tiu Kelep and Sendang Gile falls

The Sendang Gile and Tiu Kelep waterfalls are located in North Lombok, at the base of Mount Rinjani. Through our hotel we were offered a waterfall hike and of course we jumped at the opportunity!

Our guide picked us up early in the morning and we started the 2-3 hour drive to the starting point of our hike. The views as we drove along the coast were beautiful and we could see how small all three Gili islands were. Our guide wove his way through the Lombok roads and took us through the countryside. At the base camp building we stopped for a drink and marvelled at the extraordinary view—layered rice fields, wild monkeys and Mount Rinjani tall and proud in the background. Once our guides were ready we started our hike, which was more of a walk really as it was fairly flat all the way. Our guides were amazing, so funny and chatty. They talked about their families and told us that the crystal clear and ice cold streams that lined our path came directly from the mountain lake Segara Anak. We stopped to look at banana and cacao trees and befriended some local children who made us banana leaf hats which our crazy tour guide wore for the rest of the trip.

Sendang Gile

The first waterfall we visited was Sendang Gile which is actually on route to Tiu Kelep. As we visited around midday it was already fairly busy but not so much so that we couldn’t enjoy the waterfall. With two-tiers it was very powerful and water sprayed at us with quite a bit of force preventing us from getting too close. I think you can also go behind the waterfall too if you wish. After forty minutes, we walked to the Tiu Kelep waterfall which took us over bridges and through the icy cold river. We were helped by some local children (so cute!) which I was extremely grateful for—the rocks were super slippery and my feet went numb after a while. You can hear the waterfall before you see it and as we turned the corner we were met with Tiu Kelep in all its glory. Tonnes of water fell dramatically, sending water spraying towards you. The sound was louder than expected and it all accumulated to give such an intimidating impression. Again, the rocks are slippery so be careful! We walked towards the spray and then stood, arms out wide, feeling the full force of the mist and spray—such an empowering moment!

Bliss!

We were soaked so dried off before starting our journey back to the base camp. Our guide offered us a detour which intrigued us and instead of taking the dirt path, we took an aqueduct water tunnel! Quite dark and with water gushing past us it took five minutes or so and was definitely an interesting experience. Back at base camp we had some lunch and watched the monkeys play in nearby trees before driving back. Visiting these waterfalls was an all round great experience. Not only were the waterfalls and surrounding areas of Mount Rinjani stunning, it was also great to see some other areas of Lombok along the way. Definitely one of my highlights of Indonesia.

Thank you for reading and let me know if you have any questions!