Private Tegenungan, Tibumana and Tukad Cepung Waterfalls Tour Bali

Tibumana Waterfall in Bangli

Tibumana Waterfall lies in Apuan village in the Bangli regency, about 30 minutes east of Ubud. From the car park a short, shaded path of around ten minutes follows a stream through jungle, past a small village shrine and over a little bridge, to a single column of water falling about 35 metres into a round pool framed by mossy rock walls.

The pool is shallow enough at the edges for a refreshing swim, and the morning light here is soft and green. Plan about an hour and a half, enough to swim, rest and take photos before the day gets busy. Tibumana is often called the most photogenic waterfall near Ubud because of its symmetry, and an early visit, as on this tour, is the best time to see it.

Tukad Cepung Waterfall, the canyon fall

Tukad Cepung Waterfall is in Tembuku, also in Bangli, and feels like a hidden world. After a walk down steps through the forest, you wade along a shallow stream into a narrow canyon of layered rock, where the waterfall pours through an opening in the cave roof. On sunny mornings, roughly between 09:00 and 11:00, beams of light cut through the spray and create the scene that has made it famous.

Bring sandals or water shoes and a towel, because your feet will get wet and the rocks can be slippery. The visit takes about an hour and a half with time for photos and a swim. People often ask how to get to Tukad Cepung from Ubud or Seminyak: with a private car it is simple, and the early pickup on this tour is timed for the best light.

Tegenungan Waterfall on the Petanu River

Tegenungan Waterfall is in Kemenuh village in the Gianyar regency and is one of the closest waterfalls to Ubud and South Bali. Here the Petanu River drops in a wide, powerful curtain of around 15 metres into a broad pool, surrounded by jungle-covered cliffs. A long stairway leads from the viewing terraces down to the riverbank, and there is a small shrine near the base.

You spend about an hour here: admire it from the top, then walk down to feel the spray and, if conditions allow, swim in the calmer side areas. The steps are steep on the way back up, so take your time. The best time to visit Tegenungan is earlier or later in the day when the light is softer, which this route allows.

Tegallalang Rice Terrace

The Tegallalang Rice Terrace, north of Ubud, closes the day. Curved green terraces step down both sides of a valley, shaded by coconut palms and fed by subak, the cooperative irrigation system that Balinese farmers have used for more than a thousand years to share water from temples and springs. Paths run along the terrace edges, with cafés and craft shops at the top.

Allow about an hour to walk down into the terraces, take photos from the ridges and watch farmers at work in the paddies. A small donation is usually requested by landowners along the paths, and swings and photo nests cost extra. If you are wondering whether Tegallalang is worth visiting at the end of a waterfall day, the soft late light on the terraces makes it a perfect finish.

A private day around Ubud

The waterfalls of Gianyar and Bangli are fed by rivers that run off the slopes of Mount Batur and the central volcanoes, which is why the region is so green. The route links them by country roads through villages, temples and rice fields, with a lunch stop at a local restaurant near Tampaksiring, where you choose and pay for your own meal.

Because the tour is private, you decide how long to stay at each place, whether to swim or simply enjoy the view, and when to move on. Our driver-guide knows the quieter times at each site and can adapt the order if one place is too crowded. The day lasts about seven hours from pickup to drop-off.