Taman Sari Waterfall is one of the most beautiful places for a swim close to Ubud. The waterfall starts as a single drop and then divides into multiple cascades which flow over the rock making it especially picturesque. The spectacular emerald pool is large and deep enough for a proper swim.
It’s also incredibly easy to walk to so if you’re not keen on slippery trails, this is the one for you.
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Taman Sari Waterfall and natural pool.
Taman Sari Waterfall and natural pool
The walk to get there
Distance: 360m return
Elevation gain: 30m
Difficulty: Easy
The walk to reach Taman Sari is probably one of the easiest waterfall trails in Bali. It’s not a flat walk, but the path has been made using thick gravel which stops it getting slippery when wet like most of the other waterfalls around Bali.
The path is in great condition and takes you downhill through the forest on a series of well maintained stairs.
The trail
From the car park you cross the road to a concrete path on the other side, it’s signposted. You’ll soon reach a series of stairs leading into the jungle.
After a minute, you’ll reach a junction next to a small warung. From here you can make a 30 second detour to the right which takes you to a nest, and an alternate viewpoint.
It’s nice enough, but not as good as the views you will get from the bottom.
At the warung, the trail that goes straight on will lead you down to the waterfall in a couple of minutes.
The very last few steps to the pool are not gravel and do get slippery when wet, but it’s literally just for a few seconds.
There are then steps into the pool making it really easy to access the water.
The upper pool
Just before the pool you’ll also see a path heading slightly uphill on the left. This takes you to the top of the falls and another small swimming hole, just 30m from the main pool.
This part of the path is more rustic but it has metal rungs in place if you need.
The final metre or so to the top pool is really slippery so definitely watch your step.
Rudimentary steps are cut into the rock taking you right down into the small pool, although the water flow was too high for a dip on our visit. Further into the dry season it would make for a lovely little plunge pool.
Swimming at the bottom pool
Swimming in the lower pool is glorious. It’s a really big pool and varies in depth between pretty shallow and very deep.
There are a few submerged rocks close to the cascades, but generally the pool is pretty clear of obstacles, so it’s a relaxing place to swim without having to worry about bumping into things.
The water is both clear and a shimmering deep green at the same time and the jungly setting completes the scene. It’s one of those spots that’s definitely hard to leave.
There is an area beside the pool where you can leave your things and even an inner tube if you fancy a lazy float.
Taman Sari Waterfall and access
The entry fee for Taman Sari Waterfall is 20k rupiah per person. No guide is required and it’s a really relaxed experience.
A lot of work has clearly gone into creating a great path and you get the impression that the community is really keen for the falls to take off as a tourist hotspot.
Whilst it’s still relatively unknown amongst international tourists, I am sure that will change in time when people get word about how good it is for swimming. It’s also very photogenic which almost guarantees it will take off in the future.
In terms of the road in, it’s paved all the way to the car park, when it then becomes dirt. During heavy rain it quickly becomes waterlogged and muddy.
The parking area is accessible by car as well as by scooter and it’s big enough not to have to worry about spaces.
The best time to visit Taman Sari Waterfall
The crowds
At the moment the waterfall is still quiet enough that you can get it to yourself even in the middle of the day - even if that’s only for half an hour or so as it was for us. A few people did stop by at various points, but they tended to spend less than half an hour here before moving on.
However, if you want to have the best chance of getting it completely to yourself you should come early.
Best time for photography
In terms of photography, it’s easiest to photograph on a cloudy day when you don’t have to worry about uneven lighting.
The water colour will not be at its brightest, but you won’t get shadows or light patches which are hard to edit. Early mornings on clear days would be softer light too.
We visited in the afternoon on a sunny day and most of the pool and falls were in shadow which worked quite well, but it wasn’t 100% even light. There was a nice glow above the top waterfall at this time.
Seasonality
In terms of seasonality, if you come in the wet season the water colour may be diluted and can even turn brown if the rain has been really heavy.
We visited when there was still a high flow in the falls (in May) but the water colour was happily still gorgeous, so you’re probably ok in all but the wettest times.
Getting to Taman Sari Waterfall and natural pool
The falls are located a 30 minute drive (15km) from Ubud. The road is windy in places but it’s all sealed and in good condition. It’s very close to Suwat Waterfall and Tibumana Waterfall, and you can easily visit all three in a day.
If you’re coming from Kuta it’s going to take you a little over an hour and the same for Canggu.
If you’d like to go with a driver instead of independently we’d recommend our friend Wayan (based in Ubud). We’ve done loads of trips with him over the years and he’s fab.
Just to be clear: we don’t get any kick backs from recommending him, but we’d love to send him some business as he’s always been brilliant for us.
You can contact him on Whatsapp: +62 812 3792 3151 or through his Instagram account - @wayan_driverbali. Tell him you came from our blog and I am sure he will give you a good price : )
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