Tumpak Sewu Waterfall

Tumpak Sewu sits in a steep gorge on the southern side of the Semeru massif, where a river spreads out and falls in a broad semicircle of streams more than a hundred metres down. The name means a thousand waterfalls, which is only a slight exaggeration at full flow. There are two ways to see it: from a viewpoint on the rim, where the whole horseshoe is laid out below, and from the riverbed itself, reached by a steep scramble down bamboo ladders, wet steps and fixed ropes. From the bottom you stand in spray among the falls. A short walk upstream leads to Goa Tetes, a cave with mineral-stained flowstone.

The landscape

• The rim viewpoint - the full horseshoe of falls seen from above, best in morning light.
• The descent - bamboo ladders and fixed ropes down the gorge wall to the riverbed.
• The base of the falls - standing in the spray where the streams hit the river.
• Goa Tetes - a cave of stained flowstone a short way upstream from the falls.

When to go

April to October is drier and the river is safer; in heavy rain the gorge floods fast and the descent is closed, sometimes without warning. Go early, before nine, for the best light and to avoid queues on the ladders. The descent takes roughly an hour each way and is not a stroll.

Before you go

The way down is genuinely slippery and exposed in places, with bamboo ladders and ropes that would not pass an inspection anywhere else; people have been hurt. Guides at the top will push their services hard and fees are collected at several points. In dry months the flow thins out. Everything you carry will get soaked in the spray.

Nearby

Mount Bromo and the Semeru trailhead at Ranu Pani are a few hours north.

Key facts