Tumpak Sewu 1,000 Waterfalls Trek: Indonesia’s Most Spectacular Falls

The Hike Down to the Base of the Falls

Once you start descending into the ravine there’s an observation deck about a half-mile in where you can look at the falls from a distance, but if you want to get up close you have to go on a crazy vertical trek down into the ravine. I would only recommend this if you’re pretty decently fit and have hiking sandals or sneakers you don’t mind getting wet.

To get to the path to the waterfall from the observation deck you go back up a few meters and take a right, and then at the end of that path, you take another right to the start of the staircase. What started out fairly secure soon turned chaotic; some of the stairs were metal and some were bamboo, the bamboo steps were in the process of falling apart when we went so be really careful watching your step. 

💡 Note: If you’re over 6ft beware; there are a ton of face-height wires holding the walkway together, and my friend was clotheslined on one.

At the Base of the Falls

At the end of the climb, you’re rewarded with being inside the waterfall – it’s crazy. Tumpak Sewu is crescent-shaped, so being inside kinda gave me the feeling of being in an Imax theater. The view is surreal and totally worth the trek.

Watch Out For Mud!

It is SO slippery and muddy at the base of Tumpak Sewu, there aren’t many places tourists can go without risking slipping on the rocks. It’s more a place to get crazy panoramic views than a place to play and climb around.

About Goa Tetes: The Cave Waterfall

After Tumpak Sewu we went to Goa Tetes (cave waterfall), expecting it to be the less impressive of the two attractions, and while it might not be as Instagrammable, I enjoyed myself much more at Goa Tetes because it’s a more interactive experience. To get to the cave you have to hop through a shallow pool, so this isn’t recommended if you don’t mind getting wet.

The pool is man-made with a dam made of bags of sand, I’m not sure what the point of it is but the water came up to my chest and it was a nice place to cool down. You also need to buy a separate 20K IDR ($1.50) ticket to enter Goat Tetes.

The actual “waterfall cave” isn’t what I thought at all, I thought it was a waterfall in a cave, but it’s more of a waterfall in front of a cave. The cave itself is very shallow and mossy, filled with stalactites and stalagmites (and probably bats), so it’s not really great to go inside. Most people were using the waterfall as a shower or just enjoying the views.

Climbing The MASSIVE Ladder At Tumpak Sewu: Alternative Hike!

When we were getting ready to leave we noticed a ladder across the bridge from where we bought our tickets to enter Tumpak Sewu. It was kinda out of the way and we couldn’t see where it ends. The man who sold us our Tumpak Sewu entrance tickets told us that the ladders go all the way up to the entrance, and we could take it if we didn’t want to hike back up the way we came – We asked if it was safe, and he said “Yes, yes, safe”, and all our questions after that were answered the same way. I wasn’t 100% convinced but it looked fun.

We started climbing up the oldest rustiest ladder I’d ever seen. I regret not getting a tetanus booster for this trip, but there are no nails sticking out. The ladders are fastened mostly with ropes, and there’s a rope to hold onto as you climb, giving the illusion of safety. You really don’t want to look down during this. 

I have no idea how this climb was built; all of the ladders seem to be from different decades, after the first rusted one the second ladder looked like it was brand new and straight from Home Depot. Some of the ladders were only fastened to each other (and nothing else), making right angles in the air. The ladder climb up took less effort than when we climbed up the other hike, but it took longer because we had to make our way to the east entrance after we reached the top. 

💡 Note: We visited Tumpak Sewu and Goa Tetes in the dry season, I would check if the ravine is open if you’re coming during the rainy season (October-April).