THE GUIDE - The Rough Guide to Bali and Lombok - page 332

lively late nineteenth-century carvings of daily life before and after the Dutch takeover are
among the most photographed in Bali. The best are on the outside front walls: on the left of
the main gate is village life before the Dutch invasion - kite-flying, fishing, climbing coconut
trees; next to them are the Dutch arriving by car, boat, plane and bicycle, destroying the com-
munity. There's also a much-reproduced carving of two Dutch men in a Model T Ford being
held up by bandits. Nearby, a statue of folk character Pan Brayut shows him being crawled
over by some of his scores of children. And inside the right-hand wall the crocodile eating
the man is taken to represent the Dutch conquering Bali.
The Gitgit Falls
Daily 8am-5pm • Rp5000 at each • All buses between Singaraja (Sukasada terminal) and Denpasar via Bedugul
pass Gitgit
South of Singaraja, 10km along the road to Bedugul and spread over a 3km stretch, are three
well-signposted waterfalls at Gitgit . All get busy and are not a patch on Sekumpul falls , but
they're worth a look if you're passing by, though probably don't deserve a dedicated visit by
public transport. The main Gitgit Falls , a 40m single drop, is the one nearest to Singaraja;
2km south the Multi-Tiered Falls has pools for swimming in; and 1km further towards Be-
dugul are the underwhelming Twin Falls . According to local legend couples who come to
Gitgit will eventually separate - the hordes of visitors don't seem that bothered.
Sekumpul Waterfall
Daily dawn-dusk • Rp10,000 • Access by own transport via Sekumpul, signed 9km south of Jagaraga
Bali's most gorgeous falls, Sekumpul Waterfall , tumble 70m in seven cascades in a beauti-
ful valley filled with clove, cacao and coffee trees. A ten-minute walk from the ticket booth
and café, during which you gain a fantastic view over the waterfalls, then a steep, sometimes
slippery flight of concrete steps leads you to the bottom of the chasm; water levels permit-
ting, you can wade across the river and walk another ten minutes to reach a swimmable pool
beneath the falls.
The falls are between two villages: Sekumpul , 11km south of Jagaraga (21km from Singa-
raja or about 30km from Lovina), and Lemukih , 2km further south up the same road.
TREKKING AROUND SEKUMPUL
Without your own transport the easiest way to visit the falls is to arrange guided treks
between Sekumpul and Lemukih, via the falls, taking in the various plantations and rice ter-
races as well as a swim. Lovina agents offer this for Rp300,000-500,000 per person all in-
clusive (see Trekking ) . If you visit by yourself, contact guide Kadek Ardita, the owner of a
coffee stall on the path from Sekumpul ( 08523 704 4245, [e-mail] ),
who provides trekking guiding for two to four hours and charges Rp200,000 for up to three
people for a three-hour trek.