by Annabel Claire -

Tegenungan Waterfall, Ubud – Bali, Indonesia

Ah, Bali.

We are no strangers to Bali being home of countless waterfalls. Some easy to find, some not-so-easy. Luckily, Tegenungan Waterfall in Ubud is one of the easier ones to find. By easy, I mean it is more well-known and popular with the tourists.

During my short stay in Kuta, myself and my boyfriend of the time organised for a driver to take us on a day-trip, with the number one priority the monkey forrest in Ubud. It’s not hard to find driver’s and deals in Bali, and he set us a good price which happened to also include various stops along the way (highly recommend Luwak coffee, a jewellery place, temples and rice fields).

Photos in Monkey Forrest, Ubud.

Not that you would need to know if you have a driver, but the falls are located in Tegenungan Kemenah village (which is just north of Denpasar) and a small tiki-hut at the edge of the carpark requires you to hand over 20,000 Rupiah per person as entry.

It was my first time in Bali, and the muggy humidity paired with the blazing sun was starting to get to me. The felt-like-a-million steps to the falls did not help.

But, like anything, if you put in the hard work, it’s worth it. After what felt like an endless descent, we finally caught a glimpse of the falls, which seemed many more miles away.

We then had to snake around to the left, along what looked like pretty unstable wooden platforms and bridges to then make our way down to the bottom, where the surroundings are luscious and beautiful.

By this time, we were sticky and sweaty and more than ready to get into the water. Hobbling over smooth pebble-stones and muddy slush to get to the water wasn’t the easiest thing, but we managed.

We quickly discovered these falls have an enormous amount of strength to them, water with brute force literally cascades down them and can push you over if you stand under it.

Laughing and spluttering in the spray, we had a ball.

If you’re adventurous and want to get a bit closer to the top – a small path up the right-hand side can lead you up to a rocky ledge much closer to the top of the waterfall, for some different angles of the falls, surrounded by luscious greenery.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to these falls, as do many of the tourists who visit Bali. Would highly recommend making the pit-stop and allocating some time in the refreshing spray.

Quick Facts

Last visitDecember 2015
Best Time Year-round
Start / Finish Carpark at
Jl. Raya
 
Unsealed Roads Yes but good condition
Walking distanceShort but with over 150 steps
Time 15 minutes one way
Difficulty Easy
Facilities Cafe
Lat & Long 8.5754° S, 115.2884° E
Nearby Monkey forest (30 mins), Ubud
Watercourse unknown
 

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by Annabel Claire -

Yalgardup Falls, Yallingup – Western Australia, Australia

Delving into the South West of WA…

You come across gushing waterfalls like Yalgardup Falls, divine wineries and quirky cafes. Throw away the makeup, the hair products and expensive accessories. You won’t be needing them…

These gorgeous, low-formed falls can be found down a windy road in Margaret River. Not too far away are the Waterfall Cottages, perfect for a cute short stay and quite close to the falls – you simply have to follow Kevill Road East, which comes off Walcliffe Road in Margaret River.

Road Map, Margaret River. Google Maps (2016).

My friend Morgan is often my exploring buddy – and I ought to give her credit for the amount of research she does to help us discover places.

However, we stumbled upon these falls by driving around random roads (Kevill Road East) and trying to stay ‘off the beaten track’. But, Yalgardap falls are by no means hidden, even though they aren’t actually marked on the map.

Literally right next to the road, they are difficult to miss. A small stopping bay next to the falls allows you to pull over and experience their beauty.

The above shot is taken from near the road, but if you go at the right time of the year (after the winter months, during September, or even later October and November, heading into summer) you can walk along the top of the falls, facing either the wide flat river behind them, or the thinning river in front of them filled with shrubs and weeds.

Exploring is what got us these great shots.

I had to wade through freezing cold water, since it was mid-September, with one arm out of the water holding the camera above me. It was quite the entertainment for Morgan, who watched me anxiously, hoping I didn’t ruin her camera in the water. But I was successful, and placed it precariously on some rocks and pressed record.

I then monkey-d my way to the top of the falls, up the bank to the left of the above photograph, avoiding tree branches and spider-webs, and with the camera on video we achieved these photos. It was cold, sure, but it was bliss. And really, “It’s not that cold once you’re in,” is the saying, right?

Waterfalls are always an adventure – embrace that! Bare feet and slippery rocks meant we had to be extremely careful, but we managed to see all angles of these falls in the middle of the river. And believe me, it was worth it.

Quick Facts

Last visitSeptember 2015
Best Time June/July
Start / Finish Kevill Road
Unsealed Roads No
Walking distance Next to road
Time 2mins
Difficulty Super Easy
Facilities None
Lat & Long -33.942015, 115.039229 
Nearby Waterfall Cottages, Margaret River Town
Watercourse Margaret River

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by Annabel Claire -

Quinninup Falls, Wilyabrup – Western Australia, Australia

Some waterfalls are easy to find.

Others, like Quinninup Falls, you stumble across when you’re sweaty and exhausted, trekking on the Cape to Cape track in Yallingup, Western Australia.

Finding the Quinninup Falls was on the top of my “To Do” list when I took a camping road trip to the South-West of WA. My friend Morgan and I were determined to find them – despite a complete lack of directions on Google, and absolutely no idea how or where to find them.

These falls are actually the reason I was inspired to make my Chasing Waterfalls blog. Well, they sparked the idea. With just our mobile phones as aid, it was really difficult to source information on where we needed to go and what we needed to do in order to get to these falls. I wanted to make it my life’s mission to make it easy for people like me, so that time wasn’t wasted driving up and down the wrong streets, or coming to an unsealed road with a shock. Things like that which would really help a budding traveller.

You see, these falls are tucked away on a segment of the Cape to Cape hiking trail along the Cape Naturalist Region – Leeuwin. Hence, we had to actually hike to find them, but which beach did we need to go to? Did we go left or right at the crossroads? That was dilemma number 1.

We started off in the complete wrong direction – at the end of Moses Rock Road, we went left and after a long dusty road, wound up in a very small carpark that backed onto huge sand dunes. We consequently thought we needed to get to higher ground in order to find the waterfall, because, well, water has to flow from up high, right?

So we hiked an unbelievably steep sand dune (photos do not do it justice but hopefully gives you some sort of idea) and aside from some pretty awesome views, we achieved nothing but losing our breath.

We aborted that mission, and decided to try the next beach (back the way we had come). See there are carparks left and right of the dusty roads, so it’s a bit of a gamble if you don’t know where you are going. (Don’t worry, I will help you out).

We followed the road we had come from and eventually pulled into another carpark – packed-full, might I add (this is Moses Rock  Road Car Park on Google Maps). We stared out to the beach and argued for a second about which one of us were going to ask the local-looking surfers and oldies if we were in the right place. In the end it had to be me, so I manned up and asked, “Which way do we have to go to get to the falls on the Cape to Cape?” trying my best not to sound like a typical tourist.

They kindly gave us directions to drive right to the next carpark, and trek along that section of the Cape to Cape which was apparently clearly marked.

Road Map, Moses Rock Road Carpark, Wilyabup. Google Maps (2016).

So, to sum up. Drive to Moses Rock Road (which comes off Caves Road in Wilyabup) until you hit a fork in the road. Turn right along the white dusty gravel and park your car the first small carpark you come across. Get out, find the sign to the right of the road that says Cape to Cape, and begin the journey.

Because, a journey it is. We trekked through a thin track with barren shrub, and those small plants that smell like urine. Some sections were wet, and we got excited. But we were far from flowing water.

Which way, which way?

Word of advice – don’t get excited until you reach parts that are sandy. A steep sandy hill (which you walk down – thank the lord) winds around a curve until you find rich, red/orange Earth.

Once you walk around the corner, the falls suddenly appear, as if out of nowhere. They are small, but beautiful. Smack bang in the middle of nowhere.

There’s not a big area to admire the falls, so it can be a bit packed with people. Be patient and share the space with everyone. Also be mindful and respectful of the history this treasure bodes with the traditional owners of the land, the Nyoongar people.

We were game enough to get in – though it was absolutely freezing and the sliminess of the floor and debris, I would not recommend.

And yet.

You’ve travelled such a fair way, most likely in blistering Australian heat, so you may as well cool off under the fresh, clean water.

The walk back is hot enough, so a refreshing dip might be just what you need to help aid the hike. I’ll definitely be back here in the winter time, as I’ve heard the falls get much heavier than they were during this time (September).

Looking for other adventurous, waterfall-y things to do in the area? Try Injidup Natural Spa at Wyadup Rocks nearby, or Yarlgadup Falls a little further in Margaret River.

And if you’re heading towards Perth, there’s an abundance of hiking trails and waterfalls in to choose from! Simply head here. 

Quick Facts

Last visit September 2015 
Best Time June/July
Start / FinishMoses Rock Rd Carpark 
Unsealed Roads Yes but in great condition
Walking distance 1.5km one way
Time 45 minutes one way
Difficulty Moderate
Facilities Toilets
Lat & Long 33.7463° S, 114.9953° E
Nearby Injidup Beach, Yallingup Maze, Margaret River Chocolate Factory
Watercourse unknown

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