Tibumana Waterfall is without a doubt one of Bali‘s most photogenic waterfalls. Hidden in a jungle valley, a 5-meter-high thin curtain of falls gently cascades into an idyllic natural pool from which you can enjoy a relaxing swim. A bonus to the visit is the short yet scenic walk required to reach the falls from the car park, where you’ll walk over beautiful bamboo bridges. Although its popularity is increasing, it’s definitely not as busy as some of Bali’s other falls, such as Kanto Lampo and Tegenungan. At just over half an hour’s drive from Ubud, it’s one of several beautiful waterfalls you can visit in the area. To help you plan your visit and get the most out of your time here, we put together this visiting guide for Bali’s stunning Tibumana Waterfall.
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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
Tibumana Waterfall Location & Map
Tibumana Waterfall is located in Bali’s Bangli province (southeastern region of central Bali), roughly in between Ubud and Sidemen (link to Google Maps).
How to get to Tibumana Waterfall
The Tibumana Waterfall car park is located here (Link to Google Maps), a short walk from the waterfalls.
Distance from Ubud: 15 km // Average Drive Time: 30 – 40 minutes
Distance from Kuta: 45 km // Average Drive Time: 1h15 – 1h30
Distance from Canggu: 40 km // Average Drive Time: 1h15 – 1h30
Distance from Sanur: 30 km // Average Drive Time: 1h – 1h15
In our opinion, the three best transport options to reach the Tibumana 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 a very scenic one. You will pass small villages and beautiful rice fields. Just before the waterfall parking lot, you will drive through a beautiful narrow road surrounded by palm trees on both sides.
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Getting to Tibumana 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 are several great tour options departing from nearby Ubud that Tibumana Waterfall:
Tibumana Waterfall – Ticket Price and Operating Hours
Waterfall Entrance Fee
Upon arrival, you will pass a ticket booth where you’ll need to pay before entering the car park (Link to Google Maps) in Apuan Village.
The entrance fee for Tibumana Waterfall is 25,000 IDR per person (2025), which roughly amounts to 1.50 US$/€.
Modest additional costs are required for parking: 5,000 IDR for scooters and 10,000 IDR for cars.
Lockers are also available to store their gear and clothes for those wanting to swim in the pool below the falls (5,000 IDR per locker).
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 Tibumana Waterfall is 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”.
In theory, you can visit the falls outside of those hours, but it’s likely to be quite dark and you won’t be able to see much. If you do arrive before 7 am, be sure to pay your entrance fee on the way out. This modest fee contributes to the maintenance and preservation of the site, ensuring it remains clean, safe, and accessible for all visitors.
Waterfall Facilities
Near the base of the falls, there are basic change rooms and toilets, and as indicated earlier there are also storage lockers if you’re looking to keep your valuables safe.
For those of you travelling with young children, you’ll be pleased to know that there is typically a lifeguard on duty every day.
Between the car park and the waterfalls, you’ll come across a few warungs and a small café where you can buy food and drinks, most of which have outdoor terraces with open views onto the nearby ricefields. There’s also a small temple (Pura Dalem Agung) next to the trail entrance towards the falls.
The Trail to Tibumana Waterfall
From the car park, it’s a short 5-to-10-minute walk to the waterfalls, depending on your pace. The path to the falls is mostly downhill into the jungle valley and, although it is well-manicured and maintained, it has many steps that can become quite slippery after it has rained recently, so proper footwear is recommended.
Once you’ve passed the warungs, the walk to the falls is a particularly scenic one as you follow a winding path into the valley below. You will quickly be surrounded by a lush jungle forest with relaxing bird and stream sounds heard all over. You’ll also eventually cross over a freshwater river via beautiful bamboo bridges.
Honestly, we felt the walk through the jungle trail was as fun as visiting the waterfalls themselves.
The View – Bali’s Stunning Tibumana Waterfall
Once you reach the falls, you will undoubtedly be in awe of the beautiful 5-meter-high thin curtain of falls that cascades from the dense jungle above into a scenic natural pool.
The pool’s depth is typically around waist-deep (though it can occasionally be a bit higher during the rainy season), which makes it a great spot to leisurely swim around in a beautiful and idyllic setting.
Don’t be too disappointed if the pool beneath the falls looks cloudy or brownish (and not that bright blue you might have seen on Instagram), that’s just how it looks most of the year (as do most waterfall pools in Bali), particularly after a bit of rain that causes the water to mix with dirt and sand.
As you approach the falls and the natural pool, you will notice some signs displaying important warnings: 1) not to swim directly under the waterfall, 2) don’t swim near the cliff walls where debris could fall off, 3) don’t enter the cave behind the waterfalls, 4) don’t leave any garbage in the area.
If you just want to enjoy the view and take a few pictures, you probably won’t need more than 45 minutes to visit (about a 10-minute walk each way + 25 minutes at the falls), but you can definitely stay longer by enjoying some time in the water.
Best Time to Visit Tibumana Waterfall
Best Time of the Year
There’s no bad time of year the visit the falls. There’s a higher risk of rain during the wet season, but that shouldn’t discourage you. In fact, the waterfall will likely be more powerful and the pool beneath it will be deeper during the rainy season.
Best Time of Day
Although Tibumana Waterfalls doesn’t have as many crowds as other nearby waterfalls, the prime viewing area isn’t as large as other waterfalls either, meaning that you should still try to arrive early to enjoy the best viewing conditions. The water in the pool below the falls is also less likely to be cloudy if fewer people have walked around and swum in it, and the atmosphere can be quite magical with early morning sun rays.
Once you’ve passed mid-morning, it might be difficult to get shots of the waterfalls without people in the pool in front of it.
If you can’t make it early in the day, the best time is towards the late afternoon when the number of people visiting will start to diminish.
Other Nearby Waterfalls
Although there are many nearby waterfalls (Bali is full of them!), there are three in particular that we consider worthy of a visit, all of which are at most 20 minutes from Tibumana.
Suwat Waterfall
(coming soon)
Taman Sari
(coming soon)
Kanto Lampo
(coming soon)
Where to Stay Near Tibumana 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 Tibumana Waterfall
Tibumana and the other waterfalls are located in a small area of Bali with few major attractions in their immediate vicinity. But if you don’t mind driving just over 30 minutes north, 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
Another 15 minutes west of the temples is where you’ll find the stunning Tagallalang Rice Terraces. 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 Tibumana Waterfall and that it will prove useful for planning your trip.
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