If you walk along the main streets in Senggigi, you will see a tour operator for various day trips every 50 meters. At these small huts there are also always many pictures to make the tourists curious. For me it worked and especially the pictures of super high waterfalls embedded in nature have fascinated me very much.
My tip: Compare different offers, get the phone numbers and check exactly at which conditions you get which services. Are the entrance fees already included? Is the tour only with a driver or is there also an English-speaking guide who accompanies you everywhere? From my experience there are immense price differences and it is worth investing some time to compare several offers.
The tour started at 08:00 in the morning and I was picked up directly from the hotel. Since I'm currently traveling alone I have opted for the variant that a guide is everywhere with me - so I feel safer and also have someone I can ask questions at any time 😊.
Our first stop was the "Monkey Forest". My expectations and the reality were 2 different worlds. I thought you go to a nice natural area where you can then watch the monkeys in peace. In reality, we parked right next to the road and fed the monkeys right next to the road (or rather, my guide fed them because I didn't want to, because the monkeys seemed very aggressive to me). My guide, Anton, said that you used to climb stairs and watch the monkeys on top of a rock. Since the monkeys learn very quickly, they know that the tourists arrive at the bottom of the road and wait right there to be fed. For me, this stopover was admittedly not a great added value. The aggressiveness of the monkeys fighting over the food rather scared me a bit.
We continued by car to Senaru. From there we started the short hike to the waterfalls. It is initially a very flat path, which winds along rice fields. Next to the path is directly an irrigation system, which leads from the waterfalls to the farmland.
After about 30 minutes of walking, we reached the 1st waterfall, Sendang Gile waterfall. This is divided into 2 stages. At the bottom of the waterfall is a no pool where you can go swimming. During my visit, the waterfall did not have so much water that I think it would have been worthwhile to go swimming here. The waterfall is really high and embedded in a magnificent plant world - a very beautiful picture!
After that, we continued walking for about 15 minutes to the next waterfall, Tiu Kelep. To get there, it pays to wear either very sturdy water shoes or well-fitting bathing shoes, as you often have to wade across the water to follow the path. This waterfall is a bit higher again and you feel very reverent as you approach it. This is where I went for a swim. Just walking to the pool, I was completely wet due to the strength of the splashing water. The water itself was a good cool down and I enjoyed watching the masses of water flowing down every second and eventually collecting in the pool.
After the waterfalls we stopped in a traditional village in Senaru and Anton carried me out. Currently 78 inhabitants live in this village. They build the houses according to the traditional construction method with natural materials such as grasses for the roofs. Among other things, they also have their own small huts on stilts, which they have provided with special stilts, so that the rats have no possibility to get to the rice.
A large part of the inhabitants work either in the fields or as guides for hiking tours in the area. On inquiry, I learned that really only a small part of families live in these traditional villages to maintain the tradition (and probably also because tourism through voluntary donations is also a small side income). Little by little, more and more families are moving out of these traditional villages and living in larger cities in "normal" houses.
Afterwards we made our way back to Senggigi. On the way back we made a short stop at the Malaka Viewpoint. It was a very worth seeing view of the bay.
Afterwards I was brought back to the hotel. I liked this day trip very much and through the various activities it was varied and the time flew by - clear recommendation 😊.
Which waterfall has impressed you the most on your travels so far? 😊
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