(Part 1) : A day trip to Northen part of Bali – MUNDUK WATERFALL

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- There are still many places in Bali I have not yet discovered and explored despite the fact that I’ve been living is this sun, sea, surf island for about 9,5 years. This is a serial of 3 blog posts of A Day trip to Northern part of Bali (trilogy!). Written NOT in an order of where to visit first, although for your easy guide, I will give an itinerary* that most people usually does. Enjoy! -

If you are going up to North of Bali, to the highland village of Bedugul, that is famous with its Botanical Parc (Kebun Raya Bedugul) and Ulun Danu Temple on Beratan Lake, your journey can continue up to Buleleng, to the splash spot of the area : Munduk Waterfall. This is not only a visit to a beautiful waterfall place in Bali, but also a short hiking deep into the rain tropical forest of Munduk Village. Very recommended for Bali visitors after 4 or 5 days with skin tanning beach days and Seminyak night life, you should definitely schedule a day trip to Singaraja area.

Munduk is a quite village much different from  the south of Bali area situated at 1,500 meters above sea level, at the Northen part of Bali, Buleleng. That’s 2 hours drive from Denpasar. After passing Ulun Danu Temple in Bedugul, turn left at Wanagiri Village, Munduk is about 5 km downhill from here. A special small parking lot next to a small ‘warung’ is available right on the steep hill road of Munduk village. Be careful when you cross the road as cars and motorbike are speeding up as they enter to an extreme up hill and down hill road at the same time, from 2 ways. Waiting for you crossing the road (slowwwly…) is almost impossible at that speed level.

The path way as you enter Munduk rain forest is a mix between natural trail road and paved way. You will have occasionally to share the small path with the villagers on motorbike..Interesting hiking type!

You will be captured by the beauty of green lush tropical forest across the hill, with coffee and clove plantation around you. Stop by for a photographic moment! I was really in the middle of a pretty forest jewels having seen these giant bamboo trees, tropical colorful flowers and plants.

To get to the waterfall is actually easy, as they made the sign boards clearly enough to follow. But! at one intersection Bart and I got lost into another part of the forest area where it led us to a village  with no tourists/visitors but us..and the sound of  the pigs grunt! We actually missed one (OBVIOUS!) sign! haha..So I think I should just post some pics here just to give you a guidance, in case you giggle too much with your friends (like I did) you didn’t notice the sign boards to the waterfall.

To the right..to the right…

Just right after you did a wooden board surfing to cross the wet watery soil, there will be a local people sitting on a plastic chair taking Rp 5,000 (50 cents) of entrance fee to the waterfall. The ticket guy was away when we got there, so the waterfall visit was free of charge

I noticed this is one of favorite destination for french and taiwanese tourists, with a big difference of attitude. The french tourists only took a picture of the waterfall, enjoy the splash, then leave. The taiwanesses took half an hour to change 20 (almost the same) poses of 2 victory fingers under the waterfall, one by one, and there were 4 of them…and that’s the only reason why Bart and I had to spend more time just to wait for them to finish their victory and ‘vogue’ pose so we could take ours…*sigh*..

You will be as happy as I was when the rainbow struck across the water right under the waterfall, leaving a shinning reflection on the river beneath it. Who wouldn’t be jaw dropped when you see this beauty of nature moment..

*An ideal and strongly suggest itinerary for a day trip to Bedugul & Buleleng area would be :
- Bedugul  : Visit Ulun Danu Temple, then Botanical Garden.
- Munduk Waterfall.
- Stop at the highest point at Wanagiri Village, Sukasada sub-district, Buleleng,  at this open air sitting area overlooking 2 magnificent twin lakes of Tamblingan and Buyan.
- On the way back to Bedugul, a MUST visit to : Bedugul Market where ‘warung’/stalls displaying an array of fresh colorful fruits and vegetable, harvested from Bedugul land itself. Why I put Bedugul Market at the end, because shopping should be on your last itinerary after other nature spot destinations -  that’s if you don’t want to loose to much time between bargaining and spending your money