Our 8 Favourite Things To Do in Munduk, Bali

In the heart of Bali's central highlands, Munduk offers a peaceful escape from the large crowds and chaotic energy of the island’s south. Often overlooked by visitors rushing to the beaches, it’s one of our favorite places in Bali to slow down and reconnect with nature.

Located in the Buleleng region, Munduk is best known for its many huge cascading waterfalls, as well as lush rice terraces and dramatic landscapes. In this guide, we’ll share some of our favourite things to do in Munduk and the surrounding area.

Map of Munduk

Things To Do in Munduk

1. Take the famous Munduk Waterfall Trek

While there are numerous waterfalls in the Munduk region, four stand out the most. These are Golden Valley, Red Coral, Labuhan Kebo, and Melanting.

These four make up the famous Munduk Waterfall Trek, all connected via one walking route. The popular trek takes around 3-4 hours to complete and involves climbing up and down steep stairs to each waterfall, so you do need a decent level of fitness. The trek begins at either Golden Valley Waterfall or Melanting.

You can also visit each of the waterfalls separately, which is what we did across two days, or just pick one or two to visit. Red Coral is the easiest to reach.

Golden Valley Waterfall

Golden Valley is a large waterfall where the water cascades down the volcanic rockface, surrounded by dense jungle. But our favourite thing about it had to be the small cafe that overlooks the valley - a unique spot to enjoy a snack or refuel with some Balinese coffee.

The direct path to Golden Valley Waterfall zig-zags down the hill with steps and slopes. It was steep in places, but felt suitable for most people. It took us just 15 minutes to reach the waterfall from the main road where we parked our scooter (or you can get dropped off, but there's no parking for cars).

There's no charge to visit Golden Valley. But if you’re not purchasing something from the cafe, there’s a donation box where you can leave a tip for the local family and village priests who maintain the site.

Red Coral Waterfall

Red Coral is the most popular of Munduk’s waterfalls. Located in a small enclave, it’s a tall single-drop waterfall with a powerful stream of water that crashes into the small splash pool below.

The trail is well looked after and mostly concrete, so we found it pretty easy to reach. The walk took us around 20 minutes each way from the parking area. There was a slight incline on the walk back up, but it still felt suitable for anyone with a moderate fitness level.

There is a 2,000 IDR parking charge, and the entrance fee is now 45,000 IDR ⓘ for adults, making it the most expensive of the four Munduk trek waterfalls.

Labuhan Kebo and Melanting Waterfalls

The final two waterfalls on the Munduk Trek are Labuhan Kebo and Melanting. You have to walk past Labuhan Kebo to reach Melanting, so it's best to visit these two together. The best place to park is by Melanting Cottages.

Labuhan Kebo is a multi-tiered waterfall that cascades down the cliff face, surrounded by lush green vegetation. There was plenty of room to take a dip, and a bamboo bridge at the bottom that made for some great photos.

From Labuhan Kebo, we continued just a short distance along the road to find Melanting Waterfall. The route down to Melanting was a few hundred steep steps and definitely the most challenging. But it was worth the journey, as the final of the four waterfalls is the tallest and most impressive.

The entrance fee for each of these waterfalls is 20,000 IDR ⓘ. On our latest visit, they still only accepted cash.

2. Go trekking around the twin lakes

Bali's central highlands are home to some incredible trekking routes. One of these can be found in the area around Lake Tamblingan and Lake Buyan, known as the twin lakes. The start point is about a 15 minute drive from the centre of Munduk, towards neighbouring Bedugul.

While you can hike independently, we'd recommend hiring a guide who knows the best routes. We did this 3-hour guided trek around the twin lakes, and passed by amazing tropical fauna, giant banyan trees, and ancient temples.

The trek ended with a 30-minute traditional canoe ride across Lake Tamblingan. Our guide even made us some amazing crowns out of leaves to wear on the boat, which was a fun addition!

After the trek, our trip included a traditional Balinese lunch in a lovely local restaurant, followed by a visit to Banyumala Twin Waterfall (optional), where we enjoyed a refreshing soak in the crystal clear waters (more on this waterfall later).

Remember that you’re trekking through the jungle, so creepy-crawly sightings are a possibility. We saw a HUGE spider during our trek, but luckily it was pretty far from the main path.

3. Walk through Munduk’s rice terraces

If a 3-hour trek through the jungle isn’t quite for you, then perhaps you’ll enjoy a gentler stroll through Munduk’s lush green rice terraces. These are some of the most beautiful in Bali and far less busy than the famous ones in Ubud.

There are several rice terraces in Munduk you can visit, including Munduk Rice Terraces, Dayang Rice Terraces, and Bada Rice Terraces.

Some people choose to hike the 2.4-mile Munduk rice terrace loop (available on All Trails), but we're not the biggest fans. Having done part of this route ourselves, a lot of the hike is actually on hilly paved roads and through villages, rather than in the terraces themselves.

Instead, we drove straight to the Dayang Rice Terraces and took a lovely stroll along the public pathway that runs through the fields. We parked our scooter here (bikes only, no space for cars), and followed the short walking path up towards Puri Sunny Camp and beyond.

On our way back, we stopped at the small Warung Enjoy Cafe (here) and had the largest coconut we've ever seen, which they cut from a tree right in front of us, and soaked in the stunning terrace views.

4. Visit Munduk Moding's coffee plantation & country club

Munduk Moding Plantation is our favourite eco-luxury resort in Bali, located within an organic coffee plantation. We'd highly recommend staying here, but even if you don't, you can still visit the resort and enjoy the fantastic activities offered at the on-site Kamu Nakal Country & Coffee Club.

Our favourite experience was the coffee plantation tour, where we strolled through the coffee trees and learned about the process of growing and processing coffee beans. Our guide also taught us about composting and the sustainable water systems used at Munduk Moding.

Our tour finished at the bamboo clubhouse, where we had a guided coffee tasting, including the famous Bali kopi luwak (coffee made from beans eaten by the civet cat). Munduk Moding is one of the only places in Bali we've found that produces luwak coffee ethically, so this is the place to try it!

We also joined a guided tour of the organic vegetable garden, learned about sustainability and made our own bracelets at the recycling centre, and visited the friendly goats, rabbits, and horses in the animal farm.

The country club also has a tennis court, a padel court, a games room, and a yoga shala. You can also enjoy the sweeping views from the watch tower, grab lunch at the clubhouse, or get a pass to use the resort's iconic pools and jacuzzis.

You can book set packages to visit the country club by messaging them in advance or simply arriving and paying at the door.

5. Head to Bedugul and Ulun Danu Beratan floating temple

Around a 30-minute drive from Munduk is the village of Bedugul. This village is best known for the famous Ulun Danu Beratan temple, whose pagodas appear to float on the shores of Lake Bratan, earning it the nickname "the floating temple."

Unfortunately, the temple’s fame has caused it to become somewhat of a tourist trap in recent years, full of photo spots and odd children’s attractions – there’s a rabbit petting zoo and a dinosaur head filled with cacti.

We think the best way to enjoy the floating temple is from the water itself. We hired a Jukung (a traditional Indonesian rowing boat) to explore the lake and temple, which was a much more peaceful and unique experience.

You can hire boats just to the east of the main temple entrance (here) without paying the entrance fee. You’ll need to negotiate on price. On our most recent visit, we paid 300,000 IDR ⓘ for a 1-hour boat trip (with driver).

As well as the temple, there are several other activities in Bedugul so you can turn it into a full day out. These include:

• Bali Botanic Gardens – The largest botanic garden in Indonesia, with an orchid collection, a huge cacti house, and a tropical rainforest trail among the areas to visit. You could spend at least half a day here.
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• Bali Farm House – Bedugul's new farm experience and petting zoo, with farmyard animals such as ponies, donkeys, goats, bunnies, and alpacas. Offers animal feeding sessions and even picnics with some of the animals.
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• The Handara Gate - This is the grand entrance to a luxury hotel and golf resort just north of Bedugul. It’s less culturally significant than other Balinese split gates, but the lines for the photo spot are shorter.
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• Bedugul Strawberry Farms - Bedugul is known for having many fruit farms, in particular, strawberry farms. Many will let you pick your own strawberries if you visit at the right time of year.

There are easily enough activities for a full day out in Bedugul. Don’t forget to look for the local monkeys who roam the main road between Munduk and Bedugul!

6. Feed the monkeys of Wanagiri

Sitting between Munduk and Bedugul is the small village of Wanagiri, which literally translates to “forest of monkeys." So it should come as no surprise that this is one of our favourite places to see wild monkeys in Bali. You’re guaranteed to find monkeys hanging out all along the village's main road.

If you’re feeling brave and want to feed them, head to this pullover (here) where you'll usually find locals selling nuts and bananas to feed them for around 20,000 IDR ⓘ.

The monkeys here are some of the calmest and friendliest we’ve experienced in Bali. They waited patiently beside us for their turn and gently took the food straight from our hands.

7. Snap some photos at Wanagiri Hidden Hills

The main road of Jalan Raya Wanagiri, which leads into Munduk, also offers some of the best views over the twin lakes, Lake Buyan and Lake Tamblingan.

Several places along this road offer photo opportunities with swings, platforms, and Instagram props with a view over the lakes or the lush jungles. The most famous is Wanagiri Hidden Hill.

If you do want photos here, it’s worth noting that you usually have to purchase a set package that gets you access to several of the props. There’s not the option to just use one swing. The entrance fee is currently 100,000 IDR per person.

If you just want to enjoy the view of the lakes without paying, head to Twin Lakes Viewpoint. Here, you’ll find a free viewing platform or warungs (local restaurants) with covered outdoor seating areas overlooking the lakes.

8. Visit other waterfalls around Munduk

If having four waterfalls on your doorstep wasn’t enough, Munduk is well located to access the wealth of other waterfalls across northern Bali. These are a few others that are easily reachable from Munduk:

Banyumala Twin Waterfalls

This waterfall is around a 30-minute drive from Munduk. It’s known as Banyumala Twin Waterfalls as it cascades down the cliff in two distinct streams. You’ll want to pack your swimwear as this is our favourite spot for a refreshing dip.

The waterfall is relatively easy to reach, about an 8-minute walk from the ticket booth down some steps and pathways. Although you need an additional 10 minutes if travelling by car, as you'll need to park further from the entrance.

Banyu Wana Amertha

Banyu Wana Amertha is a series of four different waterfalls along one walking trail. It’s one of the lesser-known waterfall trails in Bali, and we didn't encounter many other tourists along the route.

The waterfalls on this route are quite diverse, including one you can walk behind and one that's a wall of water sprawling over the rocks as dozens of smaller streams.

The waterfalls are fairly easy to reach by Bali standards. Although it still took us a couple of hours in total to see them all. These waterfalls are also about a 30-minute drive from central Munduk.

Where To Stay in Munduk

Where To Eat in Munduk