Tukad Cepung Waterfall - Travel Guide

Tukad Cepung is a unique waterfall in northern Bali where the river cascades down into a cave. If you visit in the morning, when the sun casts rays of light down into the gorge, it makes for some epic photo opportunities.

We love this waterfall and think it’s worth going out of your way for. However, avoiding crowds is essential to enjoy the experience properly. We'll explain the best times to visit in this full travel guide.

Where To Park

Tukad Cepung waterfall is near the village of Tembuku, around a 40 minute drive from Sidemen or 50 minutes from Ubud.

The waterfall is a popular stop when visiting Pura Besakih from Ubud as it's around halfway. If you don't have your own vehicle, consider hiring a private driver for the day.

There's a large dedicated parking area at the entrance suitable for cars and motorcycles. You won't be able to miss the car park thanks to the unusual warung with a huge gorilla head as its entrance!

What’s The Trail Like

From the parking area, the walk to the waterfall is only around 700m. Compared to other waterfalls in Bali, the walk was moderate and took us around 20 minutes each way.

The first half of the walk is down a steep concrete staircase. Some of the steps are large and uneven. It can be quite a workout - especially on the return journey. There are handrails most of the way down and a couple of cute little cafes where you can stop for a rest.

At the end of the staircase, you'll reach a manmade irrigation canal that runs through the jungle. This is the easiest section of the walk. You'll follow this for around 5 minutes until you reach the final short staircase down into the gorge.

Once you reach the bottom of the gorge, the last 100m is the most challenging part of the route as it involves trekking through the river itself. The water is around ankle height, so your feet will get wet.

To reach this waterfall, you will need a good level of mobility and an adventurous spirit. As well as walking through the river, there are sections where you have to climb up rocks too.

What To Expect

The entrance fee for this waterfall is 30,000 IDR ⓘ per person. Card payments are not accepted and there are no ATMs so make sure you have cash with you.

Tukad Cepung is one of our favourite waterfalls in Ubud thanks to its unique setting within a cave. However, getting your timing right is essential.

The waterfall opens at 7am and the sun begins to shine down into the cave from around 8am until late morning (the exact time varies throughout the year).

This is a popular waterfall so we recommend going early. If it gets too busy, you could be waiting a long time for a photo as the cave isn’t huge.

We visited around 8.30am and had the waterfall almost entirely to ourselves. But as we were leaving, two big groups arrived which we were lucky to avoid. Try to get there before 9am for the best experience.

You can get most of the way to the waterfall without swimwear. However, there is a strong mist from where the water hits the rocks at the bottom, so expect to get rather damp as you get near. Although we didn't wear swimwear, many people do choose to.

We don’t usually recommend dining at tourist attractions as the prices are usually inflated. However, Tukad Cepung is an exception. There are some beautiful spots to eat and drink about halfway down the route to the waterfall.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have time in our busy schedule to stop at any of them. But it would be a great place to grab breakfast or a refreshing coconut on the return journey.