Private Tiu Kelep Waterfalls and Selong Hill Trek Day Tour Lombok

Sendang Gile Waterfall in Senaru

Senaru is a mountain village on the northern slopes of Mount Rinjani, Lombok's great volcano, and the starting point for the island's best waterfall walk. From the entrance a paved path and a few hundred steps lead down through forest to Sendang Gile, a double cascade that drops over a dark rock face into a stony stream. The air is cool and full of spray, and tall ferns and vines frame the falls on every side.

You spend about an hour here with your guide and the local waterfall guide, enough to reach the falls, take photos and rest before continuing. The path is well made but steep in places and can be slippery, so wear shoes with grip. Morning is the best time to visit Sendang Gile, before the day trippers arrive and while the light still filters softly through the trees.

The trek to Tiu Kelep Waterfall

From Sendang Gile the trail continues deeper into the jungle to Tiu Kelep, the most impressive waterfall on Lombok. The walk takes around thirty to forty-five minutes along an irrigation channel and forest paths, with one or two shallow river crossings, so expect wet feet. Your local guide knows the safest route and the rocks to avoid. Then the forest opens and the falls appear: a wide, curving wall of water about forty metres high, pouring into a turquoise pool.

With about an hour and a half at Tiu Kelep you have time to feel the spray, swim in the pool when the water is calm and simply enjoy the setting. Bring a change of clothes and a dry bag for your phone. During the rainy season the river is stronger, and the guide decides on the spot how close it is safe to go.

Lunch and the road to Sembalun

After the waterfalls the vehicle climbs east around the flanks of Mount Rinjani towards the Sembalun highlands. The drive of about an hour is one of the most scenic on the island, with views of forested ridges, terraced fields and villages where life still follows the farming seasons. In the default option lunch is included around midday near Selong Hill, a good moment to rest and refuel before the afternoon walk.

Lombok is a Muslim-majority island and the food served locally is halal, usually rice with grilled chicken or fish, vegetables and sambal chilli sauce. If you choose an option without lunch, your guide stops where you can buy a meal. In a private tour you set the pace, so ask the driver for extra photo stops along the road whenever a view catches your eye.

Selong Hill and the Sembalun Valley

Selong Hill, Bukit Selong, is a low grassy ridge above Sembalun Lawang, and its viewpoint is one of the classic images of Lombok. A short climb of about ten to fifteen minutes on a stepped path brings you to the top, where the Sembalun Valley spreads out below like a quilt: neat rectangles of garlic, vegetable and rice fields in every shade of green and gold, traditional village roofs, and the steep slopes of Mount Rinjani rising behind.

Sembalun sits at about 1,100 metres, so the air is fresher than on the coast and clouds often drift across the peaks in the afternoon. You have time to walk the ridge, take photos and sit on the grass. This is the stop most travellers remember, and in the clear dry-season months it is one of the best views in all of Indonesia's islands.

Pusuk Sembalun viewpoint

The last stop is Pusuk Sembalun, a mountain pass on the edge of the valley with wide views back over the fields and towards the volcano. It is a peaceful place to stretch your legs before the long drive back, with fresh air, pine and forest around and a few small stalls selling coffee and snacks. Groups of monkeys are sometimes seen along the road here; watch them from a distance and do not feed them.

You spend about an hour at Pusuk Sembalun before the return journey, reaching your hotel around 17:00 or later depending on where you are staying. Travellers in Senggigi and northern or western Lombok have the shortest drives; from Kuta in the south the day is longer. Your driver drops you at your hotel or port in the same private vehicle.