Sumampan Waterfall: Bali’s Hidden Gem

The Sumampan Waterfall is one of Bali’s best hidden gems. This stunning waterfall is located near Ubud and is a massive 2-tier waterfall with beautiful carvings in the rocks. I’d recommend adding this epic location to your Bali itinerary ASAP before it gets discovered and overrun with tourists. I’ve prepared this complete guide that covers everything you need to know about the Sumampan Waterfall.

Table of Contents:

• Where is the Sumampan Waterfall Located?
• How to Get to the Sumampan Waterfall From Ubud
• How to Get to the Sumampan Waterfall From Canggu
• How to Get to the Sumampan Waterfall From Kuta
• Entrance Fee
• What to Expect
• Best Time To Visit
• Tips & Suggestions
• Nearby Sights & Tourist Spots
• Bali Packing List

Where is the Sumampan Waterfall Located?

The Sumampan Waterfall is located in the South-West of Bali, Indonesia. This waterfall is between Kuta & Ubud. If you’re traveling between Ubud and Canggu/Kuta, It’s worth it to stop and check this waterfall out! This is a great place to stop on your Bali itinerary, especially if you’re already going to visit the more famous Tegenungan Waterfall.

How to Get to the Sumampan Waterfall From Ubud

Ubud is where I departed from to get to the Sumampan Waterfall, it’s the closest tourist area in Bali to the waterfall. The ride is a quick, 21-minute (6mi/10km) drive through the Bali interior, passing some small villages and beautiful rice fields. Surprisingly, I have not heard of any tour operators offering trips to this waterfall, yet.

Best bus from Denpasar airport to Ubud

The best option to get to the Sumampan Waterfalls from Ubud is to rent a motorbike and group this waterfall with other nearby sights such as the Kanto Lampo Waterfall & the Tegenungan Waterfall (it’s less than 10 minutes from Tegenungan). If you don’t want to rent a motorbike you can take a taxi and they’ll wait for you while you enjoy this awesome location!

Best Hostels in Ubud, Bali

• WW Backpackers Hostel
• The Wayan House

How to Get to the Sumampan Waterfall From Canggu

Getting to the Sumampan Waterfall from Canggu is pretty straight forward despite there most likely not being any tours available. The drive is very similar to driving to Ubud from Canggu, head North-West from Canggu. It’s a 56 minute drive from Canggu and the distance is 18mi/29km each way.

Best bus from Denpasar airport to Canggu

You can easily drive there yourself if you’re comfortable driving in Bali traffic or hire a taxi/mototaxi to take you there. As with Ubud, I’d suggest grouping this waterfall with other sights on the way such as Tegenungan Falls!

Best Hostels in Canggu, Bali

• Lay Day Surf Hostel
• The Farm Hostel

How to Get to the Sumampan Waterfall From Kuta

Getting from Kuta to the Sumampan waterfalls is similar but slightly further than Canggu. It’s a 57-minute drive (20mi/33km) in each direction. You can rent a motorbike in Kuta and check out the Sumampan Waterfall and others nearby on a day trip from Kuta. This is certainly one of the best waterfalls near Kuta.

Best Hostels in Kuta, Bali

• Bali Caps Hostel
• Puri Rama Hostel

Sumampan Waterfalls Entrance Fee

After parking my motorbike, I had some time to spare before my friends got there, so I chatted with the owners on the property for a bit. They were very nice and explained how their family had owned the property for many years. The entrance fee is IDR 30k ($2 USD). The entrance fee includes parking and access to the waterfall and other swimming spots. You can buy some snacks and drinks at the entrance to Sumampan Falls if need be.

Ultimate Guide for the Sekumpul Waterfalls in Bali

What to Expect at the Sumampan Waterfall Bali

The trail to the Sumampan Waterfall is a 10-minute hike from the parking area. The trail starts off flat but quickly descends down some steep cement stairs. Take care going down these stairs, especially if they’re wet! Once at the bottom of the stairs you’ll be greeted with the waterfall!

The Sumampan Waterfall is located across the river from where the trail ends so the only way to get there is to cross the river. The owners have put a small rope across the river for assistance, if it’s rained recently you’ll need it! Crossing the river where the rope is located is not very deep, maybe 4ft max.

Once you get across the river, you’ll be able to check out all of the awesome carvings in the rock. The family that owns this property takes great pride in their carvings and I can see why! They’re very detailed and intricate.

The Sumampan Waterfall is actually a 2-tiered waterfall. There is the large, 10-meter falls that drops onto a flat surface with all of the carvings, and just below that there’s a 2-meter drop that stretches across the entire platform. You can walk around the backside of the big drop, it’s pretty crazy actually so be careful and use the hanging vines to assist.

Note: The water was not deep enough to jump off the lower waterfall into the natural pool. So check before you jump!

This waterfall is one of the best hidden gems in Bali! After you’re done at the main waterfall, take a swim along the rocks downstream to admire more carvings! I’d plan to spend 1-hour at the very least at this awesome waterfall! We were the only people there during our stay, which is pretty wild for a place like this.

Best Time to Visit

As with most Bali waterfalls, the best time to visit is during the wet season or shortly after. The wet season in Bali typically runs from November – March, so I’d suggest visiting the Sumampan Waterfall between February and June to ensure the best waterflow. The best time of day to visit this waterfall is as early in the morning as possible, to ensure less people will be there!

Tips & Suggestions

• Pack Accordingly: Bali’s weather is not predictable. It can change from clear to raining in seconds so bring a rain jacket.
• Rent a Motorbike: The best way to travel Bali is undoubtedly by motorbike. This makes it very easy to stop at all of the amazing destinations at your own pace. Renting a motorbike in Bali typically costs around IDR 50k ($3.28 USD) per day.
• Bring Snacks: I always have some quick snacks in my backpack when travelling, you never know when you’ll be hungry!
• Ask for Help: The Balinese people are very helpful, So don’t be shy to ask for assistance!
• Get a Sim Card: Having internet everywhere is very helpful for obvious reasons. I’d recommend Telksomel as the provider since you can find them all over Bali.
• Use Maps.Me: This is an offline maps app for phones that has helped me on countless occasions. If there’s no service during your trip you’ll still always have access to your maps and custom pins.

Nearby Sights & Tourist Spots

The Sumampan Waterfall is near Ubud, so there’s plenty of awesome other places to check out! Nearby waterfalls I’d recommend bundling into the same day are Tegenungan Falls, Kanto Lampo, and Tukad Cepung. If you want to go a little bit further away you can also check out Sekumpul Waterfall, Nungnung Waterfall and the unbelievable Banyu Wana Amertha Waterfalls! I will have travel guides to these waterfalls available in the near future!

If you’re tired of waterfalls then head to the Tegallalang Rice Terrace or the Monkey Forest in Ubud! Ubud also has lots of restaurants and cafe’s to grab a bite. Some of the best food I had in Bali was in Ubud.

Bali Packing List

• Universal Travel Adapter
• Salomon X Ultra Hiking Boots
• Travel Packing Cubes
• Osprey Porter 46 Backpack
• Stretch Ozonic Rain Jacket
• Portable Luggage Scale

Final Thoughts

I hope this guide to the Sumampan Waterfall helps during your travels & itinerary making! If you have any questions about this place or Bali in general, leave a comment below and I’d be happy to assist! Check out my latest posts here. If you enjoyed this post please share it!