Bali Highlands’ Waterfall Walk

‘Location, location, location” is the first, second, and third rule of real estate. And it’s the reason Matt Oullette, owner of Desa Eko, chose this particular plot of land in Munduk: not only for the drop-dead beautiful mountain and valley views but for what lies at the bottom of the valley: a rambling brook and nature trail with not one or two but five big waterfalls cut straight out the Garden of Eden.

“Back in 2015 when I was scouting around for land, I was shown even better plots with even better views. In some parts of Munduk, you can see both mountains and coast,” says Matt.

“But then I saw this place, which has direct access to the nature trail. Ten years have passed since the first time I went down there but I’ll never forget that moment. It was pure joy, like walking through the Amazon, lush jungle and roaring waterfalls, each one bigger than the last.

“In most parts of the world where there are great natural wonders, businesses are built around them so that people can enjoy them. So I was amazed that there was nothing here.”

The nature trail begins as Desa Eko’s riverfront yoga deck and cuts through thick jungle with massive bamboo plants, tropical red flowers and overhanging vines. It is a steep 350m descent to the first waterfall, Golden Valley, which is about 10m high and has a natural swimming pool at its base. You can take a dip there though the final descent is quite steep and the water is quite cold. There’s also a small cafe.

From there the trail rises and falls and crosses two rickety wooden bridges for a brisk 1.3km until Red Coral, a 30m high waterfall that cascades over a sheer rock wall carpeted with tropical plants. This is a better place for swimming as the pool at the base is bigger and shallow in parts. Red Coral also marks the halfway mark of the 2.88km trail. You can do it on your own or with one of Desa Eko’s accredited guides, which costs $60 per person, and includes entrance passes to all the waterfalls and a car to take you back to the hotel at the end.