How Do You Get To Aling Aling Waterfall?
If you’re coming from Ubud, Canggu or Kuta in South Bali it’s about 2.5 hours to drive to the waterfall and can be done in a single-day trip.
You can rent a scooter and drive out here, but we don’t recommend that – Bali’s roads aren’t great in the first place and out in North Bali, they’re worse than usual.
Another option is to use a private driver and car and get them to take you out to the waterfall, but you should know that this will work out quite expensive, particularly, if there’s only one or two of you..
The best way to get to Aling Aling Waterfall is to join a group tour of the area and enjoy a safe journey with somebody else doing the driving.
When you arrive on the site, there is a nice set of cement stairs that are in good repair and it has a sensible drop between each stair and a handrail.
There is a well-maintained path at the bottom to take you from waterfall to waterfall and a concrete platform that serves as a viewing area too.
That is, it’s an easy and short walk and nearly anyone can get from the car park to the falls, though wheelchair users cannot.
When Is Aling Aling Waterfall Open?
The Aling Aling Waterfall opening hours are between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
How Much Does It Cost To Get In?
There is a small office building in the car park at Aling Aling Waterfall and you must visit it and buy a ticket for the waterfall there.
This entrance fee is a mandatory requirement and you are not being ripped off, it’s the standard process to access the falls.
If you intend to only view the falls, you will pay 20,000 IDR to get in.
However, if you want to do cliff jumping or the water slide or swim then you must pay for a local guide.
This will cost you 125,000 IDR.
In either case, the entrance fee allows you access to all of the waterfalls at this site.
Please note: Don’t try to save money by buying a viewing ticket and then jumping anyway. 1. You will be caught and then made to pay up and 2. You’re going to endanger your life – the guides are there to ensure you don’t bash your brains out on the rocks below when you jump.
In our experience of the Aling Aling Waterfall, the guides here are awesome and they really know their stuff.
They’ll entertain you while you wait to jump and their local knowledge is unparalleled.
What To Pack For An Aling Aling Waterfall Trip
You don’t need to pack a whole suitcase full of stuff for your trip to the waterfalls but you want to bring a few things to make life better/easier.
These include:
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A change of clothing – this is doubly true if you intend to go cliff jumping, of course. It’s Bali, it’s warm and humid, so wet clothes don’t dry out that quickly and can become uncomfortable. It’s better to have a change of clothes with you so that you can ditch the wet ones and enjoy the whole day.
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A quick dry towel – there are four falls and you can cliff jump at three of them. It’s a good idea to bring a towel and ideally, a towel that will dry out quickly between jumps.
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Decent shoes or sandals – arguably, you can probably manage in thongs at this fall as the walk down to the water is super easy but it’s better to wear shoes or sandals that have some grip and won’t leave you sliding all over the place.
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A hat and sunscreen – being out in the sun all day is awesome but getting sunburned is definitely not awesome. In fact, it’s horrible. So, make sure to protect yourself from getting burned.
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Drinks and snacks – there are places to buy food and drinks in the car park but we always recommend carrying some just in case, because there’s nothing worse than being hungry and thirsty and still trying to have a good time.
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A camera (in waterproof or water-resistant casing) – if you want some great Instagram shots of your day’s fun, then you really want to make sure that you’ve got a camera or, at least, your smartphone on you. However, these places are super wet, so you need to ensure that they are protected against water. Travel insurance is unlikely to pay out for a drowned camera.
What To Expect At Aling Aling Waterfall In North Bali
When you arrive at the footpath at the bottom of the steps going down, you can turn left for the three minor waterfalls and then retrace your steps to visit the Aling Aling Waterfall at the end (turn right, instead).
Kroya Waterfall: Prelude To The Main Event
The Kroya Waterfall is the first waterfall that you come across and it’s at the Kroya Waterfall where you will make your first cliff jump of the day.
It’s only a 5-meter fall from a cement platform which makes it a very easy place to learn to jump.
Don’t panic if it feels like you’re falling backwards, the jump at the Kroya Waterfall is very safe, if you follow your guide’s instructions.
You can wear a life jacket for the Kroya Waterfall jump which is really handy.
Once you land, swim to the other side and then climb up to where your guide is waiting for you.
Lean back and cross your arms and then slide down the waterfall itself! This is a near-vertical water slide and it’s absolutely amazing!
Kembar Waterfall: Jumping For A Second Time
It’s less than a minute’s walk to Kembar Waterfall and it’s here that they start to separate the cliff jumpers from the voyeurs.
The jump at Kembar Waterfall is twice the height of the last one – 10 meters and you can do backflips as you fall, if you’re feeling brave, that is.
The guide will show you exactly where you are meant to land from this point, so just follow their instructions and you’ll have a great time.
The name “Kembar” means “double waterfall” and this is one of the most impressive falls you’ll ever have the chance to jump from!
Pucuk Waterfall: The Biggest Jump So Far
Pucuk Waterfall is the biggest beast of them all when it comes to cliff jumping and you really need to make sure that you jump out as well as off the jump point here.
It’s about a 15-meter jump which sounds fairly small when you’re reading a number on a page but it’s huge in real life and there’s no shame at all in deciding that Pucuk Waterfall is a jump too far for you.
We’ve had several friends opt out here and nobody teases you for it, if things go wrong on a cliff jump of this scale, you can get badly hurt, and only you can decide if you’re willing to risk that.
There is also a platform over the water here where you can sit and dangle your feet in the water. Be prepared for curious fish to nibble at your feet, if you do, but don’t worry – they can’t hurt you.
Aling Aling Waterfall: No Jumping Here
The Aling Aling Waterfall is huge. It comes down the cliff faces for approximately 90 feet before landing in the pool below and the sound is incredible.
It’s considered to be a sacred place by the local Balinese and that means there is strictly no swimming or cliff jumping at Aling Aling Waterfall.
We’d note that it looks far too vicious in the water here for anyone to want to jump into it and the water is falling far enough that it would feel like you were being beaten with sticks if you were under it.
There is a nice little deck here to take photographs from, however, we strongly advise you to watch your footing if you decide to use it – it’s incredibly slippery and it would be very easy, indeed, to lose a camera or a phone when you fall.
If you enjoyed cliff jumping at the falls, you can find other great places for a cliff jump in Bali here.
Photography Tips For Aling Aling Waterfall
The Aling Aling Waterfalls are a brilliant place to take dramatic shots of both the falls and people cliff jumping.
However, you need to pay some careful thought to the camera equipment that you bring with you if you want to get awesome shots.
We’d recommend:
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Only use a weather-sealed camera. If your DSLR or mirrorless isn’t weather-sealed, it’s better to use your smartphone. Cameras do not like water and it’s not a great idea to get them wet. If you must bring a non-weather-sealed camera, we recommend keeping it in a water-sealed bag except when it’s in use.
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Bring a lens cloth – weather-sealing or not, the spray of the waterfalls has a habit of coating the front lens element. If you bring a lens cloth, it’s easy to get rid of this water and get clearer and sharper images.
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Use your lens hood – it’s all too easy to drop things when sliding around near a waterfall. A lens hood isn’t the perfect protection for a lens or camera but it might just save the front element if you drop your camera.
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Think about taking a tripod – if you want long exposure shots of the falls so that the water looks like flowing cotton candy? You will need a tripod. It’s also handy to have a remote trigger if you want to shoot yourself jumping off a cliff!
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The best light is morning light – you can’t get to the falls in golden hour as the park’s not open at that time of day, but you can get there early enough to get some lovely light before the main part of the day arrives.
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Consider bringing a drone – waterfalls are amazing places for drone shots and the Bali Drone Rules are very easy to comply with.
