Tumpak Sewu East-Java
A Thousand Waterfalls
Tumpak Sewu from above
During our travels we have visited many different waterfalls, all with their own charm. However, Tumpak Sewu waterfall (also known as Conan Sewu) is definitely our favorite one. BY FAR. It’s not the highest or the biggest, but truly the most unique waterfall you will ever see. Loosely translated Tumpak Sewu means “a thousand waterfalls”; the pictures will give you enough explanation.
The waterfall lies at the foot of Mount Semeru, an iconic volcano in East Java, providing the district of Lumajang with many many waterfalls. Tumpak sewu is one of them.
Tumpak Sewu! 120m high falls!
We stayed at a small homestay right next to the waterfall. To experience the best views we walked down to the upper viewpoint before sunrise. Early in the morning, before the sun hits the thousand waterfalls, you will get the best moody views as the clouds slowly disappear.
From here we took out our drone for some flight action. The waterfalls look amazing if you fly right above it, but even more beautiful if Semeru Volcano appears as a very impressive backdrop.
Semeru Volcano in the back!
Afterwards we walked all the way down to the bottom of the falls. Don’t go down on your flip flops, as the path is quite steep and slippery. A trail takes you down some bamboo ladders and through small streams, all the way into the canyon.
Once on ground level, you need te walk a bit upstream along the river. The narrow canyon withholds the views until the very end, but sounds of the fall will lead you in the right direction.
After crossing a river we reached this amazing spot!
Be prepared to get very wet, especially when you want to get close to the falls. We walked around and climbed various stones in front of the waterfalls, and were therefore completely soaked. From the upper viewpoint the waterfall is impressive, but from down there it’s another level.
The massive cliffs that surround you with the 120 meter high falls in front of you, made us feel so small! Now we finally got an idea about the scaling of this waterfall. Best of all, and still unbelievable, we were the only ones!
Prepare to get REALLY wet
On our way back we made a stop a bit further into the canyon, at another waterfall called Goa Tetes. We dove into the pool with our wet clothes and then warmed up in the sun before we hiked back up! All in all it was a very satisfying morning at a very special place; one to be on the list, for sure.