There are quite a few things to do in Munduk, Bali, considering it is a really small town. This little village sits high in the mountainous northern area of Bali and is surrounded by lush green jungle and several waterfalls. The weather, although hot and humid in the day is much cooler at night, and a refreshing change from other parts of the island.
If you are looking to get away from the crowds, this is the place to come. You generally will not find many other tourists here, although the place is starting to become popular with those looking for a bit of adventure in the waterfalls and jungle treks.
For now, Munduk remains once of those hidden gems, and quiet getaways from the busy resorts down south of the island. You will not find any night clubs, fancy bars, cheesy tourist shops or anything like that here, which is what makes it such a nice getaway.
So, here are some fun thigs to do in Munduk, Bali…
Waterfalls
This is one of the main reason’s tourists venture up this way, especially those who like getting adventurous and who love being out in nature. Most of the waterfalls are easily accessible from Munduk village, and some you need to pay a small fee for. When I visited, I do not remember paying for any of the falls, but they are super cheap anyways.
Also, I think they have built a few more bridges and cafes since I visited, which will be nice to stop off and enjoy the views!
I had access to a waterfall path straight from my accommodation (I believe this was the Munduk waterfall trek).
Munduk waterfall trail
You can head on the popular Munduk waterfall trail, which will lead you around several beautiful waterfalls. This leads straight from the village. Some homestays may give you a hand drawn map, or you can search for Laangan Melanting waterfall on a map app. This is the first waterfall you will come across. The path leads off from the village. If you get lost the locals are very friendly, so you can always ask for help if you get lost.
The trail starts quite small but will eventually lead to shop where you will need to pay an entrance fee of 10,000 Rupiah per person (around 50p), for Laangan Melanting waterfall. Then there is a steep set of stairs to walk down to the bottom of the falls. When I visited it was so quiet, with hardly any people, so a great chance to take some pictures without tourist-bombs! Get here early.
To get to the next waterfall, which will be the Red Coral Waterfall, you will need to walk back up the steps. This is a bit of a pain in the humidity, but you will not be disappointed! Once back at the shop, take a left turn and continue along the trail. When you see a shop, turn right, and continue along this path. After a while, you will reach the Red Coral waterfall, another beautiful scene. The entrance fee here is 20,000 Rupiah.
After enjoying Red Coral Waterfall, continue to follow the steep upwards trail, until you reach a sign for Golden Valley Waterfall and Eco Café. After around 15 minutes, it will lead out to a café overlooking the Golden Valley Waterfall (also known as Munduk waterfall), where you will need to pay 20,000 Rupiah. They serve food and drinks here, so take the time to have a nice lunch after all your hard trekking!
Stairs from the café will lead you back up to the top of the waterfall and then back out onto the main road.
There is also another waterfall on the trail, which is around a 10-minute walk from Golden Velley waterfall, named Labuhan Kebo waterfall. This is a little hidden gem for those looking for a quiet spot.
I would recommend doing this walk early to avoid the heat, and you may even have the path to yourself! Funny story, along this path I happened to run into a British man who had been living in Bali for many years after falling in love with a Balinese woman. He invited me into his home, where he and his wife gave me a bottle of water and he recalled many incredible travel stories from his past! It was pretty special.
Other nearby waterfalls to visit are the Banyumala Twin Waterfalls, where you can take a refreshing dip, the Aling-Aling Waterfalls, Sekumpul Waterfall, and Gitgit Waterfall.
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Banjar Hot Spring
I visited this hot spring as a small day tour, where my driver took me around to several places surrounding Munduk. Known to locals as ‘Air Panas Banjar’, the natural hot springs have several bathing pools, a café, spa, and souvenir shop.
The water, which is approximately 38°C, is known to have therapeutic benefits due to the sulphuric content. The hot pools are a relaxing way to spend a couple of hours, and the complex is really pretty. Perhaps not as picturesque at Tirta Empul, but MUCH less busy.
Bali Botanic Gardens
The Bali botanic garden is one of the biggest botanic gardens in Indonesia. It is huge and covers a range of types of terrain like jungle, open trees and grass sections, formal gardens, statues and water features. There is also a tree top adventure park, with zip lines for those after a bit more of a lively activity. I just walked around and took in the sights and sounds of the forest. The noise forms the wildlife was incredible in some parts. When I visited it was so quiet and also felt like I had the place to myself!
Bali Twin Lakes Viewpoint
Get a local driver to take you up to the nearby twin lake viewpoint. There are several viewpoints over the two lakes, with mountainous backdrops. For those who are super into Instagram, there are also ‘selfie parks’ where for a fee you can take a picture form all kinds of quirky views, like birds’ bests, swings, hearts, eggs, and all other kinds of wacky things.
Banjar Buddhist Temple
Banjar Buddhist Temple is actually the largest Buddhist temple in Bali. My driver who I had hired to take me around the sites took me here, and I felt that it was much less touristy than other places and was super quiet. This gives you a much more authentic experience and you can really just sit and take in the tranquillity of the temple complex.
The Banjar Buddhist Temple has a lovely main water feature, and lots of carvings and statues, both Buddhist and Balinese. The views around the outside are stunning too.
Munduk Rice Terraces
There are plenty of rice terraces all over Bali, and they really are beautiful when the sun is shining on them! Whilst there are some main ‘touristy’ ones, the rice terraces in Munduk are super quiet and you can enjoy walking around and taking photos without anyone getting in your way.
I just wandered around some local ones close to my accommodation, but you could also hire a driver to take you to some, as they will probably know the best places to go. The drivers are all super friendly.
Coffee Plantation
Bali’s soil in its mountainous region is known to grow amazing coffee, and there are several coffee plantations around Munduk, and the whole of Bali. I was taken to one by my driver, where the workers showed me around the planation, explained how they roasted the beans, and then gave me several samples of the types of coffee they make.
Bali’s famous coffee, often named the most expensive coffee in the world, is Kopi Luwak. The coffee is made from poo from an animal called a civet. Yes, poo! The civet will eat the coffee cherries, which are digested and then come out in the animal’s poo. They are sifted out of the poo and used to make the coffee. As the civet digests the coffee, it is said to remove the acidity in the beans, resulting a rich, smoothy, and fruity coffee.
Just a word of warning, which I was not really aware of when I visited Bali, is that many of these coffee plantations cage the animals up and only feed them coffee, all for the tourists’ purposes. Some are kept in small cages, so try and avoid these tourist traps by ging to an ethical farm, where they use the beans from the wild civets.
Enjoy the Peace and Quiet
Munduk is a quiet getaway, so enjoy it while you can before it gets put on the tourist map! The crisp, misty mornings are so lovely, so just take this time to slow down, wind down and enjoy the natural environment. I loved just reading my book from the porch of my accommodation, where I had the most amazing mountain views.
Handara Gates
You have probably seen these gates all over Instagram! I did not even know they existed until after my trip but to be honest I have seen images of long queues just so people can take a picture there. It is obviously a lovely spot for a picture (even though everyone now has the exact same one!) and is actually the entrance to a golf course. If you want to avoid the crowds, go at sunrise, which is also a nice time for the lighting anyway.
Ulun Danu Beratan Temple
This is another one of the great things to do in Munduk. The temple Ulun Danu Beratan, which was built in the 17th century, sits on Tamblingan Lake, with some incredible backdrop views of the Bedugul mountain ranges. If you can go on a misty early morning, even better! It was so busy when I visited, so I would recommend going quite early, particularly for those photographers amongst you!
Munduk Village
The village is so small, but picturesque and lovely to just wander down and take in the Balinese way of life. The atmosphere is so different from down south, where there is lots of traffic noise and people, etc. Here, the locals are all very friendly, you could go for a local meal in one of the cafes, or just take a look around the small shops.
Where to stay in Munduk
When I visited, just a few years ago in 2016, there was hardly any accommodation on the map. Now, I see there are many more places, for all kinds of budgets. I stayed at a homestay called Adila Warung and Homestay. I would really recommend his place, and I see now they even have a pool. The place is quite small, with only a few rooms, which is nice as you feel like you have the place to yourself but can still talk to some of the other travellers in the breakfast area.
The host was so lovely, even brought me a slice of cake as it was my birthday during my stay! Most of the rooms back out onto vast mountain views, and you have your own little front porch to read and enjoy the scenery. It also backs onto the waterfall path, which is very handy. The breakfast was super yummy too- a lovely place to stay. Other wise you can check out some of the fancier places too- which also look amazing! There are also more guesthouse popping up with cheaper rooms.
How to get to Munduk
Munduk is around 2 hours north of Ubud, another popular spot in Bali. The best way is to hire a driver, which is actually pretty reasonable. It also gives you the flexibility to go where you want.
You could also rent a scooter if you have a licence or get a local bus or shuttle bus. This would be cheaper, but perhaps a longer journey or more complicated to book. Ask at the reception of where you are staying, and they will be able to help you arrange transport.
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