Aling Aling Waterfall Guide [Secret Garden of Sambangan]

Set among the lush landscapes of northern Bali, Aling Aling is one of the island's most impressive waterfalls. Adding to the experience, the trail to reach it (known as the Secret Garden of Sambangan) includes three other stunning waterfalls.

Among locals, Aling Aling is believed to hold sacred healing powers. But tourists are more likely to know it as the spot for sliding and cliff jumping. In this guide, we’ll share our honest review after visiting Aling Aling and some tips to help you see it with or without a guide.

Quick Summary

Is Aling Aling Worth Visiting?

The Secret Garden of Sambangan is a trail where you can access four waterfalls with one ticket, so it’s great value for money. The final one, Aling Aling, is the largest and most impressive of the four and is definitely worth seeing.

But if you're feeling extra adventurous, the other three offer you the chance to experience a huge natural water slide and several cliff jumps as high as 15m. Although we didn't jump, it was still fun watching others take on the challenge.

Three of the four waterfalls are reasonably easy to access, provided you can conquer the 400 well-paved steps to reach them. The third waterfall on the trail, Pucuk, is more difficult as you’ll have to wade through a deep river. But it’s easy to skip this one – more details later.

Without any water activities, allow a total of 1hr15 to visit all four waterfalls, with time to take photos and watch others sliding and jumping at each. If you add the slide and cliff jump, it can easily take up to 2 hours.

Beware of the tourist trap at the ticket counter, where it seems like you need a guide to visit. You only need a guide if you want to do the slide or go cliff jumping. Otherwise, you can visit the falls alone.

While visiting the waterfalls at The Secret Garden of Sambangan, we recommend checking out Top Vibes Pool Bar too. Don’t let the name put you off, it has a beautiful infinity pool overlooking the jungle and is worth the detour.

Where To Park?

Free parking for scooters and cars can be found along the roadside and in a dedicated parking area behind the ticket counter.

How Much Does it Cost?

When you first arrive at the ticket counter, you'll be presented with three packages to visit the waterfall with a guide, starting at 125,000 IDR ⓘ per person. It might seem like these are the only options.

But you only need to visit with a guide if you plan to slide down the waterfalls, cliff jump, or swim.

If you’re only looking at the waterfalls, you do NOT need a guide and the entrance fee should be just 20,000 IDR ⓘ.

This wasn’t made obvious to us at first. Fortunately, we'd done our research, and once we requested the standard entry tickets, they were happy to provide them.

If you do want a guide, here are the three packages on offer:

• Short Trekking – Four waterfalls at Aling Aling with activities (125,000 IDR/person - up to 2 hours).
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• Medium Trekking – Four waterfalls at Aling Aling with activities, Blue Lagoon, rice terraces, and a fresh coconut (250,000 IDR/person ⓘ - half day).
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• Long Trekking – Four waterfalls at Aling Aling with activities, three additional waterfalls nearby, Blue Lagoon, rice terraces, fresh coconut, and lunch (500,000 IDR/person ⓘ - full day).

If you’re planning to do the water activities, these packages offer good value for money compared to other watersports in Bali. All of your safety gear is included and the guides are excellent at taking photos and videos so you can relive the experience later.

What’s the Trail Like?

The trail is a mixture of forest pathways and stone steps that meander through the trees before following the river to the waterfalls. There are close to 400 steps in total, but it’s not a difficult trail and the incredible waterfalls along the way help break it up.

Anyone with an average level of mobility should be able to visit at least three of the four waterfalls on the trail. We saw people of all ages, including some families with younger children.

The only waterfall on the trail that’s difficult to access is the third one (Pucuk). You can easily skip this as we’ll explain later.

How Long Does It Take?

Visiting all four waterfalls took us around 1hr15 from start to finish. This included plenty of time to take photos and watch others sliding and jumping.

If you skip the third waterfall, you could probably reduce this to around 1 hour.

With the water activities included, we were told it could take up to 2 hours in total.

What To Expect?

After purchasing your ticket, head 50m along the road and turn left to begin the trail.

The path is straightforward to follow, except for one fork in the path which is unclear. At this point, you should bear left.

From the entrance, it takes around 8 minutes down 170 steps to reach the first waterfall (Kroya).

Waterfall 1: Kroya

Kroya is a 12m high waterfall that cascades down the rocks with a slight S-shaped curve in its flow.

If you’re visiting with a guide, Kroya has a smooth rock surface that you can slide down. But brace yourself, it’s much taller than the photos give it credit for, and certainly not for the faint-hearted!

The bottom half is a straight drop so you’ll gain some speed before plunging into the splashpool. Be prepared for a shock - this is a cooler part of Bali, so the water is pretty cold.

After sliding down the falls, you can climb back up the other side where there's a 5m high cliff jumping platform (the smallest one of the day). It's a good spot to get some practice in before braving the much higher jump at Kembar Waterfall.

Waterfall 2: Kembar

From Kroya, the second and third waterfalls are accessed via a side path from the main trail. After just 2 minutes along the side path, you'll reach the second waterfall, Kembar.

Kembar means ‘double falls’ - no prizes for guessing why this name was chosen. The waterfall flows over the cliff in two thunderous streams, merging in the splashpool below. Locals believe that this merging is what gives it the power to cleanse the mind, body, and soul.

Those with a guide can cliff jump off a platform in between the two streams at Kembar. At 10m tall, this is twice the height of the first jump.

Waterfall 3: Pucuk

To reach the third waterfall (Pucuk), we had to wade through the knee-high river across the top of the second waterfall (Kembar).

The current is strong and the smooth river bed can be slippery, so use the guide rope and only attempt it if you’re feeling confident. Once you’re over the river, follow the path down 80 or so steps to reach the base of Pucuk.

Again, those with a guide can cliff jump here. This is the final jump of the day and the tallest at 15m.

Waterfall 4: Aling Aling

Finally, retrace your steps back to the main trail and continue to the last waterfall. This stretch only takes around 5 minutes or so with another 150 steps.

The fourth waterfall is Aling Aling, the crowning jewel of this trail. At 35m high, it dwarfs the previous three and is one of our favourites in Bali.

Although some people head straight to Aling Aling and work backward, we think it’s nicer to save the best until last.

You can’t jump or slide here, nor can you swim in the splash pool because it’s considered sacred. But expect to get wet regardless as there’s an intense cloud of mist coming from the waterfall where it plummets against the rocks below.

What Are the Crowds Like?

We visited Aling Aling during wet season and there were a fair few people on the trail, including one big tour group.

Luckily, it didn't feel too crowded at all. But we've heard that it can get much busier when the weather is nice, so arrive early in the morning if you can.

Facilities at Aling Aling

There are no facilities at Aling Aling except a few shelters to take cover from the rain (or sun). There's a convenience store directly opposite the ticket counter if you need to top up on drinks or snacks before the walk.