Added Value?

Coming from a 2 km walk through the surrounding hills (altitude around 1000m) from Candi Sukuh temple one enters this waterfall through the lower riverside entrance. It being a Friday just after prayer time, the car park is very much deserted and the ticket officer has to scramble to present himself at the other side of the ticket booth.

Tickets are on a premium. Though the practice is commonplace in some Southeast Asia countries, this is one of the few places I've encountered in Indonesia to ask the poor foreign tourists to pay for overtime: 19,000 INRs. Still it’s not much (~2 $US) but compared to other cheaper waterfalls there’s not much in return. An area set aside for the waterfall (20 ha). A load of poorly maintained and unusable facilities (why a fishpond, if there’s not even water in it?), a track of upturned stones (which seems to dissuade everyone from continuing onwards to the waterfall), a complete lack of refuse collection understanding and a troupe of loitering monkeys which have taken up residence of the only bridge.

Anyway Air Terjun Grojogan Sewu (which translates as 1000 waterfalls) is seen to be famous. The LP Indonesia terms it as ‘probably the most famous waterfall in Java’. Other than that the water drops about 80m onto a bed of rocks (source, though it may be an overstatement), there doesn’t seem to be any other reason why it might be famous. Visitor numbers are down, but the fact that there are 2 parking areas might be the reason why it’s famous.


Between the car park and the falls themselves there is the aforementioned footpath, which alternatively to stumbling along can be taken by horse, some even cripple. Nearer the bridge which is the termination point of the trail are a number of stalls whose sole intention is to add to the refuse blending in with the scenery. There are a number of picnic spots as well as the odd pool in which to paddle.

Getting here other than described above is via Tawangmangu, 2 km away, a town which maintains good transport connections with Solo city.

Not so far away is the waterfall of Jumog, a better place to picknick. And Pringgodani.

Over-looked?

Sometimes there are waterfalls right in the middle of a heavily touristed area where nobody seems to come. Batu district, already characterized as 'Small Switzerland' by the Dutch, sees many national tourists, none seemingly missing out the chance to visit Selecta's swimming pool.

But only a km or 2 upstream from this Dutch era swimming pool is the waterfall of Air Terjun Coban Talun. Getting here involves continuing up the mountain for about 2 km (following the main road) and then taking a well-signposted left for another 1,5 km. There is a small ticket office which doesn’t seem to be at all attached to the falls themselves, but it's simply the end of the road. Entrance fee is something like 3,100 INR (~3,50$US).

View along the way, after crossing the river. Far away one can see the town of Batu.

The track starts again off to your left and you gradually descend to the river level, above the falls. Here the track goes through the river and continues on the opposite bank. For another 750m the track hugs the mountain side as the valley drops away. Then a steep descent and after a total walk of 30 minutes one is at the foot of the 50m+ high falls.

Underneath (and probably above) the quite clean surrounded waterfall are some nice pools to cool off in. Do note that the climate here is already a lot cooler ... The lack of refuse may well indicate that there was lack of visitors ...., all the better for others to enjoy!

Nearby are other attractions such as a cave used during the Japanese occupation. This according to eastjava.com.

In the Batu region other significant natural attractions are Cangar hot springs (about 8 km up road) as well as further away the hot springs in Songgoriti and Cubanrondo waterfall. Coban Rais is another local waterfall.

Poor widow

Prior experience with Indonesia’s waterfalls gives a mixed picture. Some are well-known and despite the natural beauty they are often trashed beyond recognition. Others, less well-known, are pristine and exude the expected beauty.

Air Terjun Cubanrondo (or Cuban Rondo / Coban Rondo) lies on the well-trodden route surrounding Batu town, located just over 30 km west of Malang. Located above Malang and squished between 2 volcanoes, the landscape and cooler climate lead to a great many tourists coming here, though mostly Indonesian nationals. As said very few foreigners make it here, most stick to the big attractions on Java: Bromo volcano and Borobodur.

That does not imply the rest of the island is not interesting. Quite the opposite. And having an extremely dense population rate, combined with increasing prosperity discovering Java is quite easy.

However that easiness might not apply here. Eventually we made it to this waterfall on the backs of motorcycles for a hefty sum. Best accessed from the main Malang to Kediri highway, Cuban Rondo is found by taking the first turn left once over the pass beyond Batu.

After 1 km on this road, one is required to pay the entrance fee of 10,000 INR (~ 1,10$US) and one continues for another 5 km through park like surroundings. Camping grounds, possibilities to hike and cycle are all possible. The car park is definitely geared to swarms of visitors though even on a Saturday there are only 20 plus vehicles.

From the car park it’s a short stroll along the stream to the waterfall proper, which drops about 60m (source), though a wikitravel entry cuts that height by 50%. No pool underneath, though the stream has a couple. Water is very cold though. Alas, due to the influx of tourists the direct surroundings from the car park to waterfall are in desperate need of a clean up.

From internet are many blog entries, some though come with some additional info.

‘In the past, there was a beautiful princess who were married to an ordinary man. Their marriage was not blessed by the princess' parents and they run away. On the way of their trip, they met a man who also fell in love to this princess. The princess' husband and that man fought for days and nights. The princess was hidden by her husband behind a waterfall and he asked her to stay there and wait for him. However, her husband and the man were both killed on their battle. The princess did not know. She stayed and sat on a rock behind the waterfall. She waited for her husband faithfully until she died. That is why the locals named the waterfall as 'Cuban Rondo'. Cuban (in Javanese) means waterfall and Rondo (in Javanese) means Widow. So this waterfall is not recommended for couple who are not married yet. There is a belief that you will break up with your boyfriend or girlfriend after the visit’.

That explains the naming of the falls. Worthwhile destinations in the area are Songgoriti hot springs and a outlook point from which one can view Batu valley and take a tandem dive down.

Video's from internet. Cobanrundo from Eastjava.com.