Last Updated on April 29, 2024 by Sam
The small village of Munduk is home to some of the most beautiful nature and landscape in Bali, Indonesia. Located in the mountains of North Bali, it’s a peaceful escape just an hours drive from Lovina and two hours from Ubud. Munduk is one of the best destinations in Bali for waterfall lovers, with plenty of stunning waterfalls nearby to visit on a day trip, including Sekumpul waterfall and Banyumala twin waterfall. Perhaps the best thing about staying in the area though is the chance to go trekking from Munduk village through the jungle to discover 3 of Bali’s lesser-known waterfalls. This 3-4 hour trek is one of the best things to do in Munduk and leads you through some of the most incredible nature in Bali to visit Laangan Melanting waterfall, Red Coral waterfall and Golden Valley/Munduk waterfall. Find out exactly how to do this wonderful hike with this guide to doing the Munduk waterfall trek in Bali!
Waterfall 1 – Laangan Melanting waterfall
The Munduk waterfall loop trek starts in the village, unless you are doing it in reverse. Guesthouses in the area may offer a map for hiking to the Munduk waterfalls, but we recommend using maps.me – a smartphone map that works offline – as it makes the route a lot easier to follow. Set your destination as Laangan Melanting waterfall and follow the route suggested. Just before the hill you will take a steep path to your left. Follow this path along until the end of the trail.
For about 10 minutes the path will no longer be there. Instead it will consist of a rocky track, but you should keep following the route. We thought we were going the wrong way, but thankfully we weren’t! After following the track you’ll arrive at a shop where you will have to pay an entrance fee of 20,000 Rupiah per person. When we visited this was the only waterfall in Munduk with an entrance fee.
Once you’ve paid, there are a number of steep stairs to climb down. After about 10 minutes you’ll arrive at the beautiful Laangan Melanting waterfall. Make your way across the bamboo bridge to enjoy the falls from a great viewpoint. During our visit they were constructing some new stairs to make the viewpoint easier to access.
Waterfall 2- Red Coral Waterfall
After descending so many steep steps the last thing you want to do is climb back up them. Unfortunately, to reach the Red Coral waterfall the only way is to go back the way you came. Once you pass the booth where you paid, turn left. Continue on this path uphill until you see a warung on your right hand side. At this point you need to make a sharp right turn and continue on this path.
From there the path is relatively straight forward until you reach the waterfall, but continue to use maps.me if you want to make sure you’re going the right way! On maps.me Red Coral waterfall is incorrectly labelled as Munduk waterfall. There are 2 waterfalls on the map listed by this name, so make sure it’s the closer of the 2 that you select. Close to the waterfall the map shows a tollbooth, which should help you distinguish.
The Red Coral waterfall is another wonderful work of nature for you to enjoy, and in our experience was the busiest of the waterfalls in Munduk. Prepare to get wet as the spray from the falls is quite powerful, which can make it hard to get a photo without water on your lens! On top of this there’s quite a lot of sun glare around midday.
Take your time to enjoy this lovely spot, and make sure to give yourself a rest from all the walking you’ve done so far. When you’re ready, set off towards the final waterfall of the trek.
Entrance fee for the Red Coral Waterfall is now 20,000 IDR per person on the Munduk Waterfall Trek.
Waterfall 3- Golden Valley/Munduk waterfall
There are two ways to reach Munduk waterfall from Red Coral. If you follow maps.me it will lead you along the main road for most of the way before taking a turning down to the waterfall. Fortunately, there’s a more scenic route!
Set your destination on maps.me to Eco Café 1 and begin to follow the route it suggests. As you are following the steep path up you will reach a warung. There is a sign nearby for the Golden Valley Waterfall and Eco Café. Follow the path the sign points to and it will lead you to a glorious viewpoint of Bali’s countryside.
Around 15 minutes after you started the path from the warung you should reach the Eco café 2. The cafe is in a brilliant location overlooking the wonderful Munduk/Golden Valley waterfall. It’s the perfect place to get a tasty lunch, so we recommend ordering some food and then heading down for a closer look at the waterfall while you wait.
Once it’s ready, enjoy your meal in this beautiful spot. It’s hard to find a café/restaurant in Munduk with a better view than this one overlooking the waterfall. Finish your food and enjoy the area’s lovely scenery before you begin to make your way back to the village.
From Munduk waterfall you need to make your way back up to the main road. Take the stairs up besides the café, which will lead you over the a bridge at the top of the waterfall. Continue on this path and after about 5 minutes you’ll reach the main road.
The best way to get back to Munduk village from here is to ask a passing driver to give you a lift. As you aren’t too far away this should cost no more than 20,000 Rupiah per person. If you’d rather save cash or aren’t tired out from the waterfall trek then you can also follow the road back towards the village. Whichever you decide to do, take the rest of the day easy and treat yourself to a well earned drink in the evening!
There is also now a 20,000 IDR fee per person to visit this waterfall.
Tips for the Munduk waterfall trek
Shoes – If you’re planning on doing the waterfall trek, then it’s important to have comfortable shoes on your packing list for Bali. Although it’s probably possible to do the trek in flip-flops, we’d recommend something with a bit more grip as the path is often uneven and uphill.
Trek in reverse – If you’d prefer you can do the trek in reverse. To do this you’d need to walk along the main road from Munduk village until maps.me tells you where to turn. Alternatively, you can pay a driver to drop you off at this end of the trail and start from there. The good thing about doing the trek this way is that you’ll end up back in the village.
AllTrails – There is a route on AllTrails that combines the first two waterfalls in a loop if you would prefer to do that. You can follow this trail by clicking here!
Bring water and snacks – We recommend bringing a good amount of water with you when trekking to the Munduk waterfalls. It can get very hot and it’s important to stay hydrated when doing exercise in this kind of heat. It’s also worth bringing some snacks with you so make sure to buy some from a shop beforehand. There are a few warungs on the route so you will be able to get some food and drink, but it’s best to have some with you just in case.
Start early – It’s a great idea to start your adventure early to avoid the midday heat which is a general tip for your travels in Bali. Although the walk isn’t too challenging, setting off during the hotter part of the day will only make it harder for you!
For more ideas of what to see in Bali read our 2 week Bali itinerary!
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