Gembleng is definitely a unique waterfall experience in Bali. The waterfalls themselves are usually the attractions in Bali, but at Gembleng it’s rather a series of small pools at the top of the waterfall that are the attraction. The first pool in particular is the main draw as it provides visitors with an infinity-like pool experience with a jaw-dropping jungle view ahead. It’s definitely a must-visit if you are in nearby Sidemen or touring east Bali. To help you plan your visit and get the most out of your time here, we put together this visiting guide for Bali’s Gembleng waterfall. Like many waterfalls in Bali, you’ll have to walk a short trail to reach the falls, except here you’ll have to walk uphill instead of downhill like for most other waterfalls.
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You might also be interested in these pages (coming soon):
Best Things to See and Do in Bali
Best Things to See and Do in the Gili Islands
The Perfect Three-Week Bali Itinerary
Everything You Need to Know About Visiting Bali
Gembleng Waterfall Location & Map
Gembleng Waterfall is located in Bali’s Karangasem regency (in eastern Bali), relatively close to Sidemen and not too far from Ubud (link to Google Maps).
How to get to Gembleng Waterfall
The Gembleng Waterfall car park is located here (Link to Google Maps), a short walk from the waterfalls.
Distance from Ubud: 35 km // Average Drive Time: 1h15 – 1h30 minutes
Distance from Kuta: 50 km // Average Drive Time: 1h30 – 1h50
Distance from Canggu: 50 km // Average Drive Time: 1h40 – 2h
Distance from Sanur: 40 km // Average Drive Time: 1h15 – 1h30
Distance from Sidemen: 8 km // Average Drive Time: 20 – 25 minutes
In our opinion, the three best transport options to reach the Gembleng Waterfall are: renting a scooter (moped), joining a group tour that hits several nearby attractions within a day or a half-day, or hiring a car and driver (which really isn’t as expensive as it sounds).
You can also use Bali ride-hailing apps such as Gojek or Grab, and make use of local taxis, but these options will typically cost more, especially if you plan on visiting several sites and attractions on the same day. Also, Gojek or Grab are not authorized to pick up people in certain locations where local taxi unions limit their services, including Canggu, Sanur, and Ubud. For more information on getting around the island and the different available options, check out our How to Best Get Around Bali guide.
Regardless of your chosen transportation method, you are likely to enjoy the ride there. The road leading to the waterfall is very scenic. You will pass small villages and beautiful rice fields.
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Getting to Gembleng Waterfall by Scooter: Once you get to Bali, you’ll quickly realize that scooter rental operators are everywhere. Although most street-side vendors will regularly be the cheapest option, they come short in several other aspects compared with more reliable and established vendors. For instance, most won’t offer roadside assistance or insurance that covers theft, nor do they regularly sanitize the helmets or have their scooters undergo regular maintenance. For this reason, we highly recommend using Bikago for your scooter rentals. Renting from them might be slightly more expensive (but still can be rented for as low as 12-15 US$/€ per day) but you get great peace of mind as among many other perks, all scooters undergo extensive quality checks.
What you get with your Bikago rental:
-Helmets
-Full tank of petrol and unlimited mileage
-Free Delivery and Collection at your Hotel
-24/7 Roadside Assistance and First Aid Medical Kit
-Charging Mobile Phone Holder
By Car and Driver hire: Hiring a car and driver to explore Bali can be a practical and cost-efficient way to experience a full day of sightseeing. Although this option is more expensive than renting a scooter (typically 40-60 US$/€ per day), you don’t have to worry about navigating the Bali roads and traffic, Also, most cars are modern and air-conditioned, which is welcome in Bali’s humid heat, and the local drivers always know the best routes to take and can optimize your ideal itinerary. Here are some of the best options to choose from:
By Group Tour: Group tours can be a great option to lower costs and reduce the hassle of having to plan an efficient itinerary. Their main downside is they might not exactly be tailored to your specific interests and preferences. But if you are mostly interested in hitting the main sights and attractions, there is this great tour option departing from nearby Ubud that visits Gembleng waterfall:
Gembleng Waterfall – Ticket Price and Operating Hours
Waterfall Entrance Fee
There is actually no entrance fee for visiting Gembland Waterfall. There is however a suggested small donation of 25,000 IDR (2025), which roughly amounts to 1.75 US$/€ and is in line with the mandatory fees to visit Bali’s most popular waterfalls.
As of 2025, parking is also free at Gembleng.
Having the exact change or small bills to pay for all costs is preferable as the majority of waterfall sites don’t accept credit cards and they may not have enough change for large bills. To our knowledge, there are no nearby ATMs.
Waterfall Opening Hours
Gembleng Waterfall is typically open daily from 7 am to 6 pm – though it may close for the day during important Hindu holidays, such as Nyepi, the “Day of Silence”.
Waterfall Facilities
There are toilets at the top where the waterfall pools that can double as changing rooms. There’s also a restaurant (Gembleng Restaurant) at the top from which you can enjoy fantastic views while enjoying a refreshing drink or a snack.
The Trail to Gembleng Waterfall
Gembleng waterfall is unique in Bali in that the trail to reach the falls goes up instead of down. Most trails in Bali lead to the base of waterfalls, which are found at the bottom of river-carved valleys, whereas the trail at Gembleng leads to a series of crystal-clear pools from which the waterfall descends.
Although the path to the pools is somewhat steep, it’s fairly short (at just over a quarter km in length) and shouldn’t take you more than 10 minutes to reach the top. If it does take you longer, it’s probably because you made a lot of photo stops as you ascend a long staircase that runs parallel to the falls, which is surrounded by beautiful lush vegetation. The path also has several openings towards the falls along the way where you can stop to enjoy the view. It’s definitely one of the more scenic waterfall paths we experience in Bali.
Note that the steps can be quite slippery when wet, so proper footwear is recommended after recent rain.
Gembleng Waterfall: Beautiful Pools and Stunning Views
As you reach the top of the path, you’ll come across the first of the Gembleng waterfall pools (which is actually a series of small interconnected pools). This pool also happens to be the most popular of the pools as it mimics an infinity pool with a stunning view of the jungle and waterfall below.
If you decide to enter the pool, please do so with care as the rocks tend to be very slippery. When we visited there was a staff member present to help people get into the pool.
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To continue beyond the first series of pools, depending on the water level, you’ll possibly have to hopscotch over a few rocks to make it to the other side where the path briefly continues upward to the second pool and the Gembleng Restaurant, and then eventually to the third pool. The three pool areas are very close to one another and are roughly a 30-second walk from each other.
The second pool is a great spot to cool off while enjoying superb views as well, particularly of the first pool below.
The third pool is tucked away behind some foliage and doesn’t really have a view, but it’s a nice and quiet spot that doesn’t get as much traffic.
Another great spot to visit is the large new viewing platform built in front of the restaurant, which rewards visitors with stunning views of the valley below.
Can You Swim at Gembleng?
For those looking to enjoy a swim near a waterfall, unfortunately, Gembleng Waterfall is not the place to do that. Although the pools are great for taking a dip in refreshing knee-to-waist-deep pools, they aren’t large enough to properly swim. Some of the best Bali waterfalls where you can swim by the falls are Taman Sari, Suwat and Tibumana.
How Long Do You Need at Gembleng
If you come early and just want to enjoy the view and take a few pictures, you probably won’t need more than 45 minutes to visit the Gembleng waterfall (about a 10-minute walk each way + 25 minutes at the pools and viewing platform). But if you are really keen on getting your picture taken in the infinity-like pool, you might have to wait a bit for your turn. Unlike other waterfalls in Bali, however, Gembleng doesn’t get that crowded so we doubt you would have to wait too long.
Best Time to Visit Gembleng Waterfall
Best Time of the Year
Although we visited during the dry season, there’s no bad time of year to visit the falls. There’s a higher risk of rain during the wet season (November-April), but that shouldn’t discourage you (the waterfall is open to visitors year-round).
Best Time of Day
Although Gembleng Waterfalls doesn’t have as many crowds as other nearby waterfalls, we still recommend arriving as early as possible if you want to enjoy the scenery with fewer people around and don’t want to have to wait for your turn to get into the infinity-like pool.
Another time to potentially avoid the crowds is to come later in the day, close to closing time.
Other Sights and Attractions near Gembleng Waterfall
There are no other must-see attractions in the immediate vicinity of Gembleng waterfall. About 20 minutes away is one of our favorite towns in Bali, Sidemen, which is set in the mountains and surrounded by beautiful rice field terraces.
The only two sites within about a 30-minute drive from Gembleng are Kertha Gosa Park at Klungkung Royal Palace, a large 18th-century Hindu complex at the center of the city of Semarapura, and Goa Lawah Temple, a small, 11th-century Balinese Hindu temple was constructed around a bat-filled cave. Both were fun to visit, but we particularly recommend the bat cave temple which is very unique!
If you plan on being based in Sidemen during your time in Bali, we highly recommend you check out our guide on the Best Things to See and Do in Sidemen, which includes a list of the waterfalls and temples you can visit from there as part of a day trip.
Where to Stay Near Gembleng Waterfall
In our opinion, the best place to stay in the area is in Sidemen, whose location makes it a great base from which to explore East Bali’s waterfalls and temples. These are two of the best mid-range hotel accommodations that are set in a beautiful location amongst the rice fields:
If you are looking to splurge, Wapa di Ume Sidemen is simply fantastic and is located on the same street as the other two accommodation options above:
Another great base in Bali is Ubud. It’s a bit further from Gembleng, but it’s well-located to visit several other fantastic attractions throughout Bali. All of the following are some of the best mid-range hotel accommodations located within walking distance from the city center:
Komaneka at Rasa Sayang Ubud Hotel
Planning a Trip to Bali?
You might be interested in these pages: (coming soon)
Best Things to See and Do in Bali
Best Things to See and Do in the Gili Islands
The Perfect Three-Week Bali Itinerary
Everything You Need to Know About Visiting Bali
We also highly recommend these guidebooks:
Bali: The Solo Girl’s Travel Guide
Lonely Planet Bali, Lombok & Nusa Tenggara
Photography Gear
If you like our photography, you might be interested in some of the gear we use to shoot our travel and hiking destinations.
Camera Body – Nikon Z 6ii Fx-series Mirrorless Body
Main Lens – NIKON 24-120mm F/4G ED VR AF-S
Zoom Lens – Sigma 745-306 150-600mm f/5-6.3
Polarizing filters – Urth Circular Polarizing (CPL)
Camera Tripod – K&F Concept 64-inch Camera Tripod
Mini-tripod – Lammcou Flexible Camera Tripod
Camera/hiking backpack – Vanguard Alta Rise 48 Backpack
Universal Travel Adapter – VYLEE Universal International Power Travel Plug
Other Travel Essentials
Travel Insurance
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e-Sim cards
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Car Rentals
Discover Cars is our go-to website for car rentals. We almost always find our preferred rate there.
Transfer from Airport
Welcome Pickups is our favourite private transfer service, which you can pre-book at a fixed price. Currently available in 220 cities all over the world (mostly in Europe, but with several major cities in Asia, the Middle East and the US).
Kiwitaxi is another private transfer service – we haven’t tried it yet, but it’s currently available in a few more countries (102 as of 2024).
Hotels and Accommodations (coming soon)
Photography Prints
If you found this blog useful, you can help support our blog by purchasing low-cost digital prints. Printed physical prints are also available for purchase.
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Well, that wraps it up! We hope you enjoyed our guide on Bali’s Gembleng Waterfall and that it will prove useful for planning your trip.
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