Goa Raja is one of Bali‘s most unique and picturesque waterfalls—a tall curtain of water cascading into a large grotto (in fact, Goa Raja means “The King’s Cave”). If that wasn’t enough to convince you, the path to the falls is equally impressive as you walk through a scenic narrow canyon following a gentle river with lush jungle vegetation all around. Goa Raja was definitely one of our favorite falls to visit in Bali. There’s also a small manmade pool for those wanting a refreshing dip. Although it is gaining popularity, Goa Raja is fortunately not yet one of the most crowded Bali waterfalls – it’s a great alternative to the nearby Tukad Cepung which can get ridiculously busy with people. At just under an hour’s drive from Ubud, it’s also one of several beautiful waterfalls you can visit in the area, including Tukad Cepung and Yeh Bulan. To help you plan your visit and get the most out of your time here, we put together this visiting guide for Bali’s beautiful Goa Raja.
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You might also be interested in these pages (coming soon):
Best Things to See and Do in Bali
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The Perfect Three-Week Bali Itinerary
Everything You Need to Know About Visiting Bali
Goa Raja Waterfall Location & Map
Goa Raja is located in Bali’s Bangli regency (southeastern region of central Bali), near Sidemen and relatively close to Ubud (link to Google Maps).
How to get to Goa Raja Waterfall
The Goa Raja Waterfall car park is located here (Link to Google Maps), a short walk from the waterfalls.
Distance from Ubud: 30 km // Average Drive Time: 50 – 60 minutes
Distance from Kuta: 50 km // Average Drive Time: 1h20 – 1h40
Distance from Canggu: 50 km // Average Drive Time: 1h25 – 1h45
Distance from Sanur: 25 km // Average Drive Time: 1h15 – 1h30
Distance from Sidemen: 25 km // Average Drive Time 50 – 60 minutes
In our opinion, the three best transport options to reach the Goa Raja 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 Goa Raja 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 Goa Raja waterfall:
Goa Raja Waterfall – Ticket Price and Operating Hours
Waterfall Entrance Fee
The entrance fee for Goa Raja Waterfall is 25,000 IDR per person (2025), which roughly amounts to 1.50 US$/€.
As of 2025, parking is free at Goa Raja.
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
The Goa Raja Waterfall is typically open daily from 8 am to 6 pm – though it may close for the day during important Hindu holidays, such as Nyepi, the “Day of Silence”.
Waterfall Facilities
Near the falls, you’ll find changing rooms and toilets, in addition to lockers that you can rent to store your belongings.
Along the path down to the waterfalls, you’ll cross a beautifully designed restaurant (Blessing Restaurant) in the middle of the jungle. We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch there after having visited the waterfalls.
The Trail to Goa Raja Waterfall
From the car park, it takes about 10 minutes to reach the waterfall following a 700-meter trail. The first section is the trickiest as you will go down several staircases that can be slippery when wet, so proper footwear is recommended.
About halfway to the falls, you will have descended into the valley and the path flattens out. You’ll follow and occasionally crisscross over the river on bamboo bridges. We found this portion of the walk incredibly scenic as you are surrounded by beautiful and lush jungle vegetation. You’ll also pass by a small temple and a smaller waterfall along the way.
At the very end of the trail, you might have to cross a very shallow stream to reach the falls. You might appreciate water shoes here, though they aren’t as necessary here as they are for other waterfalls where you’ll have to walk through rocky streams such as Kanto Lampo, Tukad Cepung and Yeh Bulan.
The View – Bali’s Stunning Goa Raja Waterfall
As you near the end of the canyon, you’ll first notice the manmade pool with a sleek wall of small cascades flowing into it. It’s a beautiful spot that provides great views of the cave in front of which flows the Goa Raja Waterfall.
From the pool, you can cross a stream over to a sandy bank to get an even better view of the falls. You can continue onwards into a first large open cavern, in between the cliffs over which flows the waterfall and the king’s cave.
Can You Swim at Goa Raja?
For those looking to enjoy a swim near a waterfall, unfortunately, Goa Raja is not the place to do that. The river that flows from the falls is generally ankle-deep and the small pool that forms under the falls is neither large nor generally more than knee-deep. The manmade pool near the falls is only 2-3 feet deep and isn’t particularly large either – it’s best used for a quick plunge to cool off or to sit and relax while admiring the view of the falls. The best Bali waterfalls where you can swim by the falls are Taman Sari, Suwat and Tibumana.
How Long Do You Need at Goa Raja
If you just want to enjoy the view and take a few pictures, you probably won’t need more than 45 minutes to visit the Goa Raja waterfall (about a 10-minute walk each way + 25 minutes at the falls). But you can definitely stay longer by enjoying some time in the pool.
Best Time to Visit Goa Raja Waterfall
Best Time of the Year
Although we visited during the dry season, there’s no bad time of year the visit the falls. There’s a higher risk of rain during the wet season (November-April), but that shouldn’t discourage you as the falls might be even more powerful and striking.
Best Time of Day
Although Goa Raja 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.
Alternatively, we also visited once just before noon, a time when sun rays are shining through atop the waterfall, which definitely added a touch of magic to the atmosphere.
Other Nearby Waterfalls
Although there are many nearby waterfalls (Bali is full of them!), there are two in particular that we consider worthy of a visit, both of which are at most 20 minutes from Goa Raja.
Tukad Cepung waterfall
(coming soon)
Yeh Bulan waterfall
(coming soon)
Where to Stay Near Goa Raja Waterfall
In our opinion, the best place to stay in the area is in Ubud, whose location makes it a great base from which to explore several nearby waterfalls and temples. 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
Other Sights and Attractions near Goa Raja Waterfall
Apart from the two waterfalls listed above, Goa Raja is also near Pura Kehen, a small but neat temple to visit, and the fascinating Penglipuran Village.
But if you don’t mind driving just over 30 minutes west, you’ll reach an area that is home to not just one but rather 4 fantastic temples: Pura Gunung Kawi Sebatu, Pura Tirta Empul, Pura Mengening, and Gunung Kawi Tampaksiring.
For a more complete list of attractions that you can visit from Ubud, check out our guide on the Best Day Trips from Ubud.
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 Goa Raja Waterfall and that it will prove useful for planning your trip.
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