[ad_1]
A complete guide to the little-known Tiu Sekeper Waterfall, Lombok’s highest waterfall.
Although Tiu Sekeper, also known as Air Terjun Tiu Sekeper is easily the tallest and most spectacular of Lombok’s waterfalls, you won’t find it pinned in any tourist magazines or posters.
In fact, most Lombok locals have never heard of it.
That’s because this behemoth is located deep within the jungle foothills of Mount Rinjani, far from any established tourist routes.
I first tried to find this waterfall in 2018 but ended up getting lost and decided to turn back. However, emboldened by my failure, I recently set out to find it with my friend Luke. This time, we were successful, making it to the base of the waterfall after a long, grueling hike through Lombok’s rainforest.
If you’re up for the challenge, below I’ll detail everything you need to know about Lombok’s tallest waterfall based on our experience, including how to get to the base, what to expect, and some tips to help you plan your adventure.
I’m Olly, a full-time traveler for the past 5 years. I visit every destination I write about & handpick all recommendations.
About Air Terjun Tiu Sekeper
Tiu Sekeper’s source is a river with the same name, cascading down the vertical Bukit Sekeper in three prominent tails. This cliff is tucked into Rinjani’s green forested hills hills forming a spectacular arena.
At the base of the falls is a pool of around 1.5 meters maximum depth that is suitable for swimming although slightly dangerous. This is due to its height, creating extreme forces of typhoon-like winds and water spray, with incredibly loud crashing sounds.
We also found a large cave directly behind the waterfall which we were able to climb into and experience its force from behind.
Height
Due to the remote nature of Tiu Sekeper, finding official resources to identify its height has been difficult. However, most resources indicate that Sekeper Waterfall is 110 m tall. This seems to be accurate based on my observations and drone checks.
As a result, Tiu Sekeper Waterfall is the highest waterfall on Lombok and nearly three times the height of the popular Tiu Kelep and Benang Stokel & Benang Kelambu waterfalls.
This also ranks it in the top 10 highest waterfalls in Indonesia.
Where is Tiu Sekeper Waterfall?
Sekeper Waterfall is located in the northwest region of Lombok within Rinjani National Park at an altitude of around 900 meters above sea level.
This waterfall is only accessible via a maze of remote plantation trails leading on from the slightly more known “Tiu Teja” waterfall. The trailhead is near a village called “Waker” (pronounced wahkher), which is good to remember in case you get lost and need to ask for directions back.
Many also call this area “Santong”.
While the roads to get here are in decent shape, this hilly region is quite remote. Expect at least a 1.5-hour drive from Senggigi, 1 hour from Senaru, or 3 hours from Kuta.
Below I have pinned the exact location of Tiu Sekeper, but you’ll need more than that to find it.
GPS Coordinates: 8°23’40.8″S 116°20’33.2″E
How to Get to the Trailhead
While it is possible to arrange a taxi or private transport to the trailhead, I recommend renting a motorbike and riding here yourself.
You can find these for as little as 100,000 IDR per day in Senggigi, Kuta, and Mataram. However, I recommend paying a little more (150,000 is a good price) and getting at least a 150 cc bike as the roads leading up to the trailhead are steep in sections.
I was unable to find any local tour company offering trips to Tiu Sekeper waterfall.
Once you have your transport, you want to head to a small parking area for the Tiu Teja trailhead. Conveniently, this is marked as “parkiran air terjun tiu teja” on Google Maps.
The road here is not signposted but we had no trouble navigating to it using Google Maps. Once you arrive, you’ll see a small warung and you can park your bike or car beside it.
Hiring a Local Guide
The owners of the warung beside the parking area invited us for a coffee, which they refused payment for. Shortly after, a local man approached us and identified himself as the “manager” of the waterfalls.
We insisted that we did not want a guide to Tiu Teja but wanted to find Tiu Sekeper. The locals told us that it was very far and dangerous. However, we were quite experienced, and having made it close a few years back, I was determined to find the waterfall independently.
The locals told me that it is possible to hire a local guide to find Tiu Sekeper. I’m not confident about how much they would charge, but I suspect somewhere in the vicinity of 500,000 per person is fair as it is a long journey.
If you want a guide, I recommend asking the locals in the warung.
The Tiu Sekeper Waterfall Hike
- Hike Distance: 11.3 km return
- Duration: 5-6 hours return
- Elevation Gain: 463 m
- Difficulty: Difficult
You have to earn this waterfall. Getting here is quite a challenge and involves hiking through a network of remote banana and cocoa plantations before departing off the trail and descending a steep, eroded cliffside.
There are no signposts leading to Tiu Sekeper and there are quite a few forks which makes finding the way very difficult without a map. There is also very limited internet connectivity in the region, with both XL and Telkomsel sims cutting out near the end.
If you need the GPX file to help navigate, you can download it by filling out the form below.
Below I’ll also provide a recap of my hike to Air Terjun Tiu Sekeper from the Tiu Teja parking area.
Parking Area to Tiu Teja
After sharing a coffee with some locals at the warung, we set off on the trail. There’s a small signpost marking the way at the fork but this is very easy to miss. If you have trouble, ask the locals.
The trail follows a worn track that many local banana farmers use daily on motorbikes. In fact, if you have the experience and a suitable bike, it is possible to begin this first section by motorbike.
Looking forward to the hike, we set off on the Tiu Teja trail on foot. We passed some local houses and banana plantations as the path undulated lightly.
After roughly 20 minutes following an obvious trail of the mixed sealed and unsealed path, we reached an abandoned building beside the track descending to Tiu Teja.
There is a very small sign here that is easy to miss directly beside a shaded pergola (berugak). This leads down a weathered set of steps with a broken blue rail.
If you have time, it’s worth making your way down to Tiu Teja waterfall as well. We decided to do this on the way as we knew we’d be too tired on the return trip.
Navigating Through the Plantations
After a short stop at Tiu Teja, we continued for our main goal, Tiu Sekeper, Lombok’s tallest waterfall.
We continued passed the turn for Tiu Teja, following a similar track. After 1.8 km, near the sign letting you know that you are entering the Gunung Rinjani National Park there is a fork leading straight and to the right. You want to turn right here.
We took a wrong turn here and began climbing up unnecessarily before realizing we were off the GPX track.
Fork at Tiu Prabu Waterfall
Shortly after, we reached a small bridge beside another small waterfall with a pleasant pool beneath it called Tiu Prabu.
There’s a dog-leg turn here and you want to take the right track (facing the waterfall). We met some locals on a motorbike while resting and filling our bottles who offered us some pisang goreng for fuel.
Following this turn is the last section through the plantations before taking the rough waterfall path. This section is the most confusing and is roughly the area where I got lost on my first attempt to hike to Tiu Sekeper Waterfall.
I highly recommend preparing an offline map and GPX file to get here. This helped us a lot.
Eventually, you’ll reach the final plantation hut. Here, you may (depending on the growth) see a very rough trail through the rainforest leading up to a ridge.
Rainforest Trail to Tiu Sekeper Waterfall
The final 800 meters is a tough slog through dense rainforest along a mostly unmarked trail. This is the hardest part of the Tiu Sekeper hike.
There are also many stinging plants here known as jelateng which is best to avoid as they leave a very itchy sting for a few days afterwards. We found this out the hard way.
Additionally, it’s best to keep an eye out for ribbons in the trees which we found very helpful to make our way. Eventually, the path winds onto the face of a steep ridge which was eroding quite badly during our visit. There is a steep drop to the right so be careful here.
This path undulates slightly then drops steeply. Luckily, there were roots and even some sections of fixed ropes which helped us make the steep descent.
Eventually, after a very steep 150-meter drop, we turned the corner to reveal the rainforest giant in full rainy-season force! This is a good spot to rest before another steep descent down to the river, which again is slippery and quite dangerous.
Following the River to the Base of Tiu Sekeper
Once we reached the bottom of the valley, we continued around the slippery rocks and back up through the jungle before once again walking down to the riverside.
We decided to drop our shoes near the start as the rocks were extremely slippery and I’d say it would be very easy to slip and fall into the river, which was flowing quite hard during our visit.
Eventually, we finally made it to the base of Tiu Sekeper, which was absolutely roaring!
Swimming at Tiu Sekeper
Once we finally arrived we enjoyed a quick swim and explored the large cave behind the waterfall. It was a surreal experience to stand beneath this incredibly powerful waterfall.
The pool is roughly 1.5 meters at the deepest section, which is close to the cliff. There’s also a soft, sandy beach surrounding the pool.
However, this is far from relaxing as the force of the water dropping over 110 meters down the vertical cliffside was whipping up torrent winds projecting needle-like droplets with nowhere to hide.
After a swim, we took a moment to appreciate this wonder and gave ourselves a pat on the back for completing this grueling hike, before turning back and following the same track back to the trailhead.
Tip: Between October and February, this region produces a lot of Durian, a delicious exotic fruit that local farmers will be glad to sell you.
Tips for a Successful Tiu Sekeper Hike
This waterfall mission was one of the rawest and most rewarding adventures I’ve had in Lombok after multiple visits. However, as mentioned above I did fail to reach it on my first attempt. To help you reach it successfully and safely, here are a few useful tips.
- Come prepared with offline maps and navigation aids as there are no signposts or internet connectivity
- If you get lost, ask locals for directions to Tiu Sekeper. The village at the trailhead is called Waker “Wahkher” which is useful to know on the way back.
- If you have them, bring gaiters as they’ll help to avoid stinging plants.
- Sealed hiking shoes are a must.
- Bring a dry bag to protect your valuables.
- Bring snacks and plenty of water to prepare for 5-6 hours of moving time.
More Must-Do Adventures in Lombok
Below is a list of the most popular and worthwhile experiences that you can book on the island. If you’re up for sightseeing on Lombok, don’t go past these 3 must-dos.
2. Rinjani Volcano Trekking Adventure
The most epic adventure experience on Lombok is to climb to the summit or crater ridge of Rinjani Volcano.
More Lombok Adventure Blogs
I hope that this detailed guide and trip report from Tiu Sekeper waterfall has been helpful for you to find Lombok’s tallest waterfall.
If you have any updates, please let me know in the comments below. Also, while you’re here on my blog, make sure to check out some of my other guides.
