Madakaripura Waterfall

At the end of a narrow, steep-walled gorge on the northern slopes of the Tengger massif, near Mount Bromo, the Lawean River drops some 200 metres into a deep, rounded basin of rock. Madakaripura is usually described as the tallest waterfall on Java and the second tallest in Indonesia, and its setting is as remarkable as its height: the cliffs close in on three sides like the walls of a giant cylinder, so that standing at the bottom feels like looking up from inside a bottle towards a disc of sky.

The main fall is only part of the spectacle. Water seeps and drips across the whole face of the surrounding cliffs, falling as a constant fine rain over anyone approaching the basin, and several of these trickles gather into further falls of their own. The upper part of the gorge sits at around 1,000 metres above sea level, and the air in the canyon is noticeably cool and damp. Because the flow stays high throughout the year, local people also call it the "eternal waterfall". The walk in follows the river upstream through tall forest, crossing the stream repeatedly before the gorge narrows around the final pool.

The name connects the waterfall to Gajah Mada, the 14th-century chief minister of the Majapahit empire, who is remembered for his oath to unite the islands of the archipelago under Majapahit rule. Madakaripura was the name of an estate granted to him, and tradition holds that he came here for his final meditation, in a cave in the cliff wall beside the falls. The site is still regarded as sacred.

Getting there

Madakaripura lies in Lumbang district of Probolinggo Regency, East Java, about 24 km from the city of Probolinggo; the usual road approach branches off at Tongas on the north-coast road. Abdul Rachman Saleh Airport (MLG) near Malang is about 35 km away in a straight line, but on the far side of the Tengger massif. Juanda International Airport (SUB) in Surabaya is about 58 km away in a straight line and connected to Probolinggo by the Trans-Java toll road.