Mist, lakes and waterfalls
Munduk and the northern lakes
Cool air, three lakes in one old crater, and forest paths to waterfalls.
The place, in short
Over the caldera rim the island turns cool and damp. Munduk is a village of clove and coffee gardens above three lakes, Buyan, Tamblingan and Beratan, that fill the same old volcanic crater, with waterfalls in the forest below.
The village sits at about 750 m and its slopes run from roughly 500 to 1,200 m.
Who it suits
- Walkers who like forest paths and waterfalls
- Anyone who wants cool air after the coast
- People who would rather be somewhere that is not on every itinerary
Not for: A short trip. The roads are long and the village is a place to stay in, not a stop.
What to do
Walk the Tamblingan shore
A forest path runs beside a lake that is usually at its stillest in the morning. Take a layer: it is cool at 1,200 m.
Go early to the temple on Lake Beratan
Pura Ulun Danu Beratan stands on the edge of the lake at about 1,230 m and is among the island's best-known temples. Early morning, before the coaches, is a different place.
Follow a path to a waterfall
Walks start in the village and drop through coffee, clove and forest. Gitgit, the taller and better-known fall, is a drive away; the village paths are quieter.
See where the cloves and coffee grow
The slopes around the village are planted with both, and many guesthouses will show you the drying yard if you ask.
How long, and when
How long to stay: two nights
Two nights lets you do a lake in the morning and a waterfall the next day without hurrying. The drive in is long enough that one night feels like a transfer.
The best time of day: morning
Lakes are stillest and the air clearest early; the hills tend to cloud over later in the day, so put the walks first.
In the year. Cool all year, so bring a layer. The dry months, roughly April to October, are the clearest; in the wet season the waterfall paths are slippery and the views come and go.
Good to know
Each fact was checked on the web on the date shown. Where one source stands alone, we say so. Advice, such as how long to stay, is ours.
- Height of Munduk
- About 748 m for the village, in a district running from about 500 to 1,200 mChecked 6 Oct 2026. Source: Elevation databases and Munduk guides (agreeing); Maplogs
- The three lakes
- Buyan, Tamblingan and Beratan lie in the caldera of an ancient volcano; Tamblingan is about 1,217 m and Beratan about 1,231 m above sea levelChecked 6 Oct 2026. Source: Indonesia Travel and Bali lake guides (agreeing)
- Gitgit Waterfall
- 35 m high, about 26 km from Munduk and 10 km from SingarajaChecked 6 Oct 2026. Source: Wikipedia, Gitgit Waterfall