VISIT INDONESIA: GUIDES TO SENDANG GILE & TIU KELEP WATERFALL, LOMBOK TRIP

Finally it’s here, the day that I start missing my Lombok life. Days I spent working at that shabby yet full of warmth office, spending my weekend with nature or watching movies through my heavy macbook, and eating out almost everyday because no one cook for me. Lombok is a special place for me as you may already know, it is a place I never visit before and one day I have to spend there for 6 months without my family and friends. It’s been 3 years ago, and I haven’t got a chance to go back again. So, here I am writing a piece of my memory I had about Lombok.

Mount Rinjani seen from far

Lombok is blessed with it’s beautiful untouched natural sceneries. Indonesia’s top 2 highest volcano mountain, Rinjani Mountain is located in this area. And the waterfalls I’m going to mention on this post is located on the foot of that mega volcanic mountain. Along with fresh air and clean water, the waterfalls is worth to visit when you have a plenty time in Lombok.

Monkey at Pusuk Forest

They are always hungry, so watch out your snacks

Located in Senaru, North Lombok, the trip might take 2 hours drive from Mataram. There are two routes option to reach this area. If you have to drive by yourself, passing through Senggigi area is a better option. If you hire a driver, ask for a stop at Pusuk Monkey Forest. You could see monkeys live hand in hand with nature. Driving using Pusuk routes might a bad choice if you don’t know the area well and come back a bit late. There are no road lamps, steep roads, and no signal. A monkey suddenly jumping out is not a surprise. So, be careful.

Side angle of Sendang Gile Waterfall

After the entrance, you might need to step down around 200 stairs (and yeah, you have to climb it to go back). After that, you could see Sendang Gile Waterfall. It is the most favorite waterfall to visit in Lombok, because it is easy to reach the waterfall. No trekking required to Sendang Gile. But, a little more effort is needed if you want to see Tiu Kelep Waterfall. Every time I visited these waterfalls, I didn’t spend a lot of time in Sendang Gile, because it is quite crowded and you can’t really swim there, because the water is shallow. But, it is a good spot for kids to play there.

Tiu Kelep Waterfall

The mega waterfall and its popularity

Crystal clear water

If you want to continue to Tiu Kelep Waterfall, you can head north from Sendang Gile. It require a little trekking but, the path is quite clear so, it is not going to be a hard one. At some point, you have to across a river as well as walk against the current, but stay calm. You have to do a little climbing, so wear an anti-slip shoes. And I don’t recommend to visit the waterfalls on rainy season. After you do a little physical activity, you are going to be healed with the marvelous waterfall, Tiu Kelep. The waterfall might be smaller than Sendang Gile, but the rapid is stronger. Because it is quite powerful, be careful to swim near the falls.

BONUS

On the way back, you can take a short-cut to the Sendang Gile Waterfall. You can skip taking the stairs down, by walking the tunnel. All you need is a flashlight and a strong feeling. You can’t see what is below you. This is also another reason, a local guide might help. They can lead the way and show you where should you step. There are few holes that might make you drifted with the currents. 

A dragonfly landed on my honeymooners guests' shoulder

Took few photographs that surprised me. Didn't realize that I'm good with taking photos. A little appreciation won't hurt, right?

1.
Better rent a car or hire a driver to go to this area. It’s quite a challenge to drive to Senaru area. Especially, if you don’t know the area well and the navigation service sometimes doesn’t work well because the signal was pretty bad in the forest. 

2.

Fill in your car gas before the trip. It might be hard to find gas station if you start to driving to North area.

3.

Use an anti-slip shoes. It will change your life! At the first time, I wore my regular sport shoes and it soaked very bad, because you have to cross a river to go to Tiu Kelep Waterfall. It dries after 4 days, I think. Buy an outdoor-specialty shoes. It is an investment for your adventurous trips.

4.

Using local guide is a good idea. Myself is a domestic tourist as well as a tour guide and still need a local guide. They will help you with your bags and lead the way to Tiu Kelep. They also pretty good with taking photos of you. Even more, for foreign tourists. Do negotiate with them about the fee.

5.

Best to visit the waterfalls is in the morning and not on rainy season. Look out for Mount Rinjani activity, because when the mountain is reacting, the waterfalls are closed for public.

6.

Wear an appropriate swimwear. It applies to all area in Lombok, because majority of Lombok people is Moslem.

7.

Use a waterproof shield for your belongings, especially bags and electronic devices. Action cameras, like GoPro is an ideal device to capture moments, but you need to find the way to remove the bubble on the camera (because I don’t know how and here it is my photos are full of water bubbles lol). 

8.

Bring a legit water bottle if possible. It is extremely hard to find a trash bin in the middle of the forest, so a real water bottle is recommended or you bring your own plastic bag to throw your trashes.

All of this tip is given from my own experiences. As a tourism student, I’m using this media to spread the goodness of places in Indonesia as well as contributing for the community. There are a lot of opinion of using local guide or not on the internet, but it is all about your own choice. I hope you enjoy visiting the waterfalls and be a responsible tourist! Thank you for reading this post and showing interest for Indonesia, especially Lombok tourism! 

See ya~