Tumpak Sewu Waterfalls

Tumpak Sewu does not fall in one ribbon but in hundreds. On the southern slopes of Semeru, the highest mountain on Java and an active volcano, the Glidik River and its many streams pour over the rim of a deep, curving amphitheatre of rock, so that the whole semicircular wall streams with threads of water dropping some 120 metres into the green valley below. With the cone of Semeru often visible behind, the scene has made it one of the most photographed waterfalls in Indonesia.

The name describes the view. In Javanese, tumpak sewu means roughly "a thousand stacked up", evoking countless waterfalls piled side by side; locals also call it Coban Sewu, "the thousand waterfall". It is classed as a tiered fall, and its curtain-like appearance comes from the way the water spreads across the curved cliff before gathering in a valley that runs southwards at around 450 to 500 metres above sea level. The amphitheatre itself is a product of Semeru's volcanic activity: layers of lava and pyroclastic deposits were cut back by water into the steep, arcing walls that give the place its shape. Dense tropical forest clings to the slopes, holding the soil together and feeding the springs.

Tumpak Sewu sits exactly on the boundary between two regencies of East Java, Lumajang and Malang, divided between the villages of Sidomulyo in Pronojiwo district and Sidorenggo in Ampelgading district. Below the falls the Glidik flows on to join the Besukcukit and reaches the Indian Ocean on the south coast. Visitors can view the falls from the rim of the amphitheatre or descend into the box canyon itself, where paths and other infrastructure have been built; local residents play the leading role in managing access and guiding, and the climb down and back is steep and takes around an hour.

Getting there

Tumpak Sewu lies on the border of the Lumajang and Malang regencies in East Java. The nearest town is Dampit, about 19 km away. The nearest airport is Abdul Rachman Saleh Airport (MLG) at Malang, about 40 km away.