Gitgit Waterfall is a real beauty. It’s huge and cascades over the cliff top through a tiny gap in the jungle. It tumbles into a small pool surrounded by giant boulders and lots of lush greenery. The walk is short and generally well maintained, so it’s accessible to anyone who can manage a few staircases. It’s easy to see why it’s become such a popular spot.
Despite this, you can still have a great time here, but you’ll need to come early if you want to escape the crowds.
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Gitgit Waterfall.
Gitgit Waterfall
Finding the ‘right’ Gitgit Waterfall
This is challenge number one because there are currently three Gitgit waterfalls marked on Google Maps. This is the one you need to head for - it’s the one labelled Gitgit Waterfall car park (ignore all the others marked Gitgit Waterfall on Google Maps as they lead to different waterfalls).
After a mix up with our car rental in Munduk, we ended up having to hire a driver last minute. We asked to go to Gitgit Waterfall and the one he initially took us to was definitely not the one we had been intending to visit.
The guy working at the waterfall then told us Gitgit was over an hour’s walk and very expensive to get in to so we should just go to this waterfall instead - luckily we knew this wasn’t the case! The best thing to do is have the pin dropped for the waterfall (in our link above) so that you can avoid having to ask anyone where to go!
Avoiding the guide scam
It’s not always the case that you’ll be told you need a guide (we weren’t), but we had been warned beforehand that we would be. There is no requirement to have a guide for Gitgit and the correct entry fee as of May 2022 is 20k rupiah.
As long as you find the right path, you won’t have any trouble finding the falls, so the best thing to do is just start heading down the trail and hope that you aren’t followed! If you are followed by someone, insist that you want to pay at the ticket booth and then you should be presented with the opportunity to pay the correct entry fee.
Some waterfalls in Bali do have a mandatory guide situation such as Sekumpul, but Gitgit is happily not one of them.
The walk to Gitgit Waterfall
Distance: 850m each way
Elevation gain: 70m
Difficulty: Easy but not flat
First things first: from the car park you need to cross the road and turn left to head up the road for a short distance.
You’ll soon see a signpost for the waterfall on the right so you’ll know you’re in the right place. From here it’s a really easy and straightforward walk to the falls.
You can then begin heading along the trail that weaves through a couple of houses before heading into a more open and greener area.
You’ll soon come to the official ticket office (250m from the start the trail) where you can pay the entry fee.
The walk to get to Gitgit falls is paved all the way. It can still be a little slippery when wet but when dry it’s fine.
There’s some flat track and as with all Bali waterfalls, several sets of stairs. It’s a pretty walk with the usual gorgeous plants and flowers and some lovely views including your first glimpse of Gitgit from above after 600m.
The final descent is steep, but well maintained, and then you’ll come to a rocky area which is usually damp from all the spray.
From here to get closer to the falls you need to head over the rocks and prepare to get soaked! You could have a shallow dip in the pool at the base of the falls, but depending on the season the spray is intense!
Even if you just come for a look you won’t be disappointed. It’s a huge waterfall and the power of the flow is mesmerising.
It’s the sort of spot that does feel busy with even a small handful of people there though, so you’ll want to factor that in if you don’t like crowds.
The best time to visit to experience some serenity is early morning. Photography-wise early morning will also be softer light.
Unlike a lot of waterfalls in Bali, Gitgit is very open and gets the full sun. For that reason, cloudy days are ideal if you are passionate about waterfall photography as you’ll have even light and no harsh shadows.
We went on a sunny afternoon which wasn’t ideal and I’d definitely opt for morning next time.
Getting to Gitgit Falls
The road to Gitgit is paved all the way and although it’s windy, it is in good shape and easy enough to drive. The car park is a decent size, so you shouldn’t have a problem getting a space. You need to pay 5k rupiah to use the official car park. If you’re coming by motorbike you might be able to just leave it by the side of the road, but I wouldn’t say it’s worth it when the fee is so small!
The road to reach the falls if coming from Ubud or Munduk gets quite windy and steep, although it’s not too narrow like many of the other waterfalls. It can be pretty busy though, so be careful if you’re on a scooter.
If you’re staying in Munduk the drive time is around 45 minutes, it’s 1 hour 45 minutes from Ubud and over 2 hours 20 from Kuta.
Another stunning waterfall nearby
So the waterfall that we mentioned earlier (the one which has an aggressive scam running at the entrance) is an epic waterfall. It may have the aggravation of having to argue with someone to even get in, but the falls are amazing.
If you have time I’d highly recommend adding in Gitgit Twin Waterfall to your itinerary and it’s only a few kilometres up the road from the main Gitgit falls.
It’s a double drop waterfall that is surrounded by tall canyon walls and cascades into a decent size swimming hole. In honesty I ended up loving it even more than Gitgit itself! However, for us at least it did come with more hassle.
You can read the full details on the Gitgit Twin Falls here.
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