Indonesia
Tumpak Sewu
Hundreds of waterfalls pour off one cliff into a green amphitheatre below Semeru.
The water does not fall so much as surround: hundreds of streams pour off a semicircular cliff into a green bowl, and from the floor the spray comes at you from every direction. Semeru, Java's highest volcano, stands behind it.
Tumpak Sewu drops about 120 metres off a horseshoe cliff on the Lumajang-Malang border, its many streams earning the name Thousand Waterfalls. The upper viewpoint near Sidomulyo gives the panorama; the descent to the floor is a steep, wet, managed scramble that water levels and local safety staff can close on the day, and the amphitheatre from below is worth the mud when it runs. Mount Semeru's active cone completes the scene, and Lumajang is the practical base.
Solo
Take the local guide for the lower route; the panorama alone still earns the trip.
Friends
The wet scramble down is better with hands to share, and the photographs need a scale figure.
- Hundreds of separate streams pour off one semicircular cliff at once.
- The floor of the amphitheatre puts spray on every side of you.
- Semeru, Java's highest volcano, stands directly behind the falls.
- Upper viewpoint and lower descent give two entirely different experiences of one place.
Warungs at the entrance run to noodles, coffee and simple plates before the descent.
Rawon, East Java's keluak-blackened beef soup, is the region's dish for afterwards.
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