East Java’s Tumpak Sewu is one of the most impressive waterfalls in Indonesia. It tumbles down in a semi-circle sheet from the perch of a precipitous cliff, creating a marvelous curtain of water. And, even better….when you research blogs on things to do in Java, supposedly Tumpak Sewu is a stunning “off the beaten path” site you can see as a day trip from Malang. The day trip from Malang is true. However, we soon found out, it is NOT so “off the beaten path.” In fact, they might as well re-coin it “Instagram Land” or “Falsie Falls.” Fortunately, we redeemed our day by heading to the OTHER sites nearby, which featured a cave, more waterfalls and only a few people. 😁
And yes, for the record, we went during high season…(August 2024). We’ll show you the Instagrammy photos first because, like any bloggers, of course we wanna hook you up with the majesty of this place. This photo above was snapped from the bite-sized panorama platform which you will be charged 50k rupiahs ($2.50 each) to see. (You are then charged again to see it from the bottom.) The volcano Mount Semeru, an active ash belcher, adds to the dramatic scenery. Adding to the atmosphere even more is a gentle buzzing in the distance of a swarm of bees…oh wait, those are drones.
Nearby, as we mentioned is a series of waterfall features, and caves near “Goa Tetes”, and a smaller waterfall curtain you can walk freely under. All you need to do to get to these sites is veer left at the bottom of the stairs.
The stairs we’re referring to is the 120 meter (400 foot) drop through lush jungle with a conga line of tourists, many with phones or go-pros permanently raised so they don’t miss a moment of the action, which is really not most brilliant idea on a trail this treacherous.
This two-way artery clogging path (see our strategic IG photo with no people but Mandy?!) includes several waterfall stream crossings, which are easy enough to traverse so long as it’s dry season, and you have adequate footwear! But note that, no matter the time of year or your footwear of choice, YOU WILL GET WET!
One of the traffic jamming mini falsie falls you pass along the way. At long last, after a 30-40 downhill minute parade, and some newly acquired jellied knees you reach the bottom of the falls and another $50k pay wall.
Mandy peering timidly around the corner for her first glance, alongside our thousands of new bloggie friends!
From back here it’s not so bad! In fact, it’s actually really pretty…
…just like Princess Mulan! To protect her identity, (not that she wants that), we turned her magical sexy cloak into a niqab.
To be honest, the pictures really don’t describe what an absolute madhouse it was, or how many times we were asked to move for someone’s photo.
Mandy playing along. Apologies if you think we’re kind of being assholes. We were just a wee bit frustrated that there was seemingly nowhere to escape to enjoy what should be a magic moment in a sacred place, so we had to create some laughter.
Ok, enough of that. Moving on, we wondered if this area to the left would be more of the same….
…and debated opening our wallets for yet another pay wall. This one being only 20k ($1.30). Turns out, it saved the day! Not only did we get to see a whole other gorgeous crowdless section, we also got to exit via a different route rather than back through the stairs of panic attack!! Plus, there were completely unnecessary comical cairns (rock piles) along the trail to keep us from getting lost. 🤣
And after this, although on a smaller scale, it was one beautiful waterfall after another.
We then began our uphill climb in a much less peopled and adventurous way…
…did a lot of wading, and some cautious foot maneuvering.
One of the bigger caves ripe for a wander. Bring a flashlight! We forgot! Caves and waterfalls…now that’s an award winning Mother Nature combo.
It was so great to explore and almost made the two-hour $45 ride with a private driver worth it. Regardless, it felt great to get into nature!
The long schlog back up, at our own pace were sprinkled with fun monkey moments along the way. At the very end, there was a couple warungs (food stands) and even some cottages for rent. We considered coming out here to stay, but unfortunately the bus situation to get out there is quite challenging, which is why we ultimately went with a driver.
