By Rafa A. Ramadhan – senior writer at Alveo
A trip to Indonesian giant curtain waterfall of Tumpak Sewu
Located in between Lumajang and Malang Districts, Tumpak Sewu waterfall boasts magnificent natural scenery. The distance, which is 66 kilometers from the city of Malang, East Java, can be easily reached. Indeed, travelers can access the waterfall with no fuss. A two-hour drive from the city, you can relish the magnificence of waterfall. It’s not free as you have to pay Rp10,000 per person. Yet, trust me the beauty that will pamper your eyes is worth much more than the entrance fee.
Tumpak Sewu is derived from Javanese words: “Tumpak” and “Sewu”, literally meaning f low and thousands, respectively. As the words suggest, the scenery features waterfalls that are combined into the depiction of one giant curtain.
Not only beautiful, but Tumpak Sewu is also unique because it’s very different from most of the waterfalls you can find in East Java, most of which are classified as plunge waterfall; it’s the water was directly cascaded into the water below it. As for Tumpak Sewu, the waterfall is cascaded to directly hit the rocks beneath it. Here is where you can also see the astonishing rainbow form formed by the water splash.
Beautifully situated nearby Mount Semeru, Tumpak Sewu’s upstream is located in the mountain and it streams down 14 kilometers to the waterfalls, delivering exceptionally fresh, clear and cool water. This site is indeed considered the pride of the nation, dubbed a doppelganger of Niagara Falls in Northern America.
Although the water discharge is not as much as what Niagara has, Tumpak Sewu still boasts heavenly magnificent natural scenery. Once you hike a little bit up the hill around the waterfalls, you will get a better picture of what the natural beauty is all about. In fact, photographers find this place a heavenly nature to shoot the scenery from various angles.
As you explore more, you will get the vibe of a supernatural nuance that results from the combined breathtaking views of Mount Semeru and Tumpak Sewu waterfall. Not only does it serve great landscape above the waterfall, but right there below the waterfall is also where the tremendous panorama that will freshen your eyes and mind. It’s such a beautiful vista that takes travelers to witness the presence of wonderful waterfall soaring high up to 12 meters above the ground.
Besides boasting the exceptional landscape, Tumpak Sewu also offers a challenging trip for mount hikers. Surrounded by cliffs, the site is truly suitable for hiking tracks. The hiking paths are quite difficult to be forded. Hikers need to climb the cliffs through soft bamboo stairs; and in some places, travelers have to hold on to the rope.
Those seeking a challenging adventure will undoubtedly find Tumpak Sewu a fun field t o explore, even though they have to walk in the river to reach the most beautiful part of the waterfall area.
While you are there, you should also not miss visiting Tetes waterfall, which is located only 200 meters away from Tumpak Sewu waterfall. What makes this site interesting is the caves covered in stalagmites and stalactites on the cliff on the side of the waterfall.
Originally published in 3S Magazine, January-June 2020 edition
