What Instagram Doesn’t Tell You About Kanto Lampo Waterfall

I first visited Ubud in 2015, when it was still quite popular but nowhere near the tourist Disneyland it is today.

After returning in 2024, I struggled to love Ubud like I did on my first trip to Bali; this time, I found it crowded, busy, chaotic. Honestly, I couldn’t wait to go on some day trips and escape for a bit.

I think it’s funny how hectic Ubud is, when in reality, it first sprung up as a tourist destination among the hippie set: people who first came to Ubud for the yoga scene, vegan vibes, and good old-fashioned Eat-Pray-Love-style soul searching.

And you can still find little glimpses of that between the mass-manufactured items for sale on the sidewalks, people offering you taxis every few minutes, and constant roar of motorbike traffic.

But if that peaceful, self-discovery vibe is what you came to experience in Ubud, I wouldn’t be surprised if you ended up disappointed.

Luckily, I was back in Ubud for another reason: chasing waterfalls. This interior portion of Bali — roughly located around Ubud, Gianyar, and Sidemen is absolutely overflowing (pardon the pun!) with beautiful waterfalls tucked into its jungle-dense river valleys.

And one of those waterfalls that was highest on my list? Kanto Lampo, located about a 30-minute drive from central Ubud, which had long been on my Bali bucket list.

What exactly is the draw of Kanto Lampo Waterfall in particular? Mostly its shape and giant width, a huge cascade that endlessly tumbles over a broad rock face into a dippable natural pool below.

It’s only about 15 meters high (roughly 50 feet), so it’s certainly not the tallest waterfall you’ll find in Bali, but it’s beauty comes from its width and its power.

And the best part? It’s easy to climb up onto the rocks (though they are a bit slippery, so be cautious) and capture some of magical, misty waterfall photos that just scream “Bali vacation!”

But there’s some misinformation out there about Kanto Lampo, perhaps not having been updated regarding all the changes in Bali, including its post-COVID tourism boom… or because people want to make it seem like they stumbled across a place that’s a lot more “hidden” than it actually is.

Here’s what Instagram won’t tell you about Kanto Lampo… but I will!

In short, yes, it’s worth visiting Kanto Lampo, but like everywhere in Bali, you should have the right expectations before you go.

What to Know About Visiting Kampo Lanto

It’s not a hidden gem

If there’s one phrase that’s more misused by anything in the English language, particularly amongst travel bloggers, it’s the phrase “hidden gem.”

Kanto Lampo is definitely not hidden from anyone — I mean, it’s one of the most famous waterfalls in Bali!

Especially since it’s so close to Ubud, the literal epicenter of mass tourism in Bali, there are a LOT of people visiting Kanto Lampo. Also, the fact that many day tours include Kanto Lampo on their itineraries doesn’t help with the crowds!

That doesn’t mean that visiting the Kanto Lampo waterfall is not enjoyable, but I just want you to have the right expectations that it’s not a hidden gem, despite how some blogs describe it. Maybe it used to be… but the secret has long been out!

Be careful how you get to Kampo Lanto

If you have your own scooter while you’re visiting Bali, that’s great—you can easily visit and just pay a small amount for parking—typically around 5K IDR—and go on your way.

The issue is for people who don’t have scooters and instead want to visit using one of the popular taxi apps like Gojek or Grab.Yes, you can take a Gojek bike taxi to Kanto Lampo — that part, at least, is no problem.

But here’s where the problem arises: when it comes time to leave, the locals have a strict “drop-off only” policy and will not let any Gojek/Grab bikes or taxis in. Since they control the local market, they can (and will) charge a premium.

I asked my driver how much they might charge to bring you back to Ubud, and he said about 300K IDR, or nearly $20 USD. For reference, I paid him 600K IDR (about $37 USD) for a full-day trip with a driver to Tegalalang, Tirta Empul, and three waterfalls!

There’s a lot of infrastructure around the waterfall

Like most of the waterfalls in Gianyar near Ubud, a micro-economy is built around the waterfall which supports the local community — this is a great win-win for tourists and locals alike!

At Kampo Lanto, there’s a warung and several places selling drinks and snacks, as well as some pretty clean changing rooms, showers, toilets, etc.

It’s all well kept up, all thanks to the locals who keep it up and the way you support the waterfall with your 25K IDR (about $2 USD) entry ticket.

Honestly, I think it’s a more than reasonable charge to access this beautiful waterfall and for all the hard work the community puts into taking care of the land.

Getting to the waterfall is quite easy as well — it’s all a series of paved pathways and stairs, and it takes no more than 10 minutes to get to and from the waterfall. As long as you don’t have any mobility limitations, you should be able to access the waterfall pretty easily.

Once you get down to the waterfall area, you can rent lockers for 5K IDR (about 30 cents) to store your bags and clothing safely and easily.

This is especially helpful because access to Kampo Lanto is via a steep stairway down to the waterfall/pool area. This area gets very wet and crowded so you really don’t want to put your stuff here!

Plus, there’s a lot of foot traffic, and you will be entirely distracted while you’re at the waterfall. If you don’t have a dry bag you can bring into the waterfall area, you’ll definitely want to put your stuff in a locker just to be safe!

You have to wait for photos at the waterfall, assembly-line style

This is what I found the most interesting about Kanto Lampo that no one really talks about.

Honestly, I find it kind of sad that people don’t mention it, and I think people don’t talk about it because they want the experience to seem really spontaneous and magical when really, it’s the result of a lot of local effort.

To get the photo everyone wants at Kanto Lampo, you typically wait in line in the water for people to finish their photos. And sure, about half the time, the photos are taken by people’s friends or significant others. But importantly, the other half of the time, locals are the ones taking these photos.

There are several unofficial guides who hang out at the waterfall and wait their turn to offer the next person in line help taking a series of photos—including offering a ton of posing tips and also taking videos—for a small donation.

Since I was traveling alone, I was super grateful for their help in taking a photo — thank god I didn’t have to try to balance a tripod somewhere or bother a stranger who was just trying to enjoy their day.

I was really grateful for the help of the locals in taking my photos, and I think it’s messed up that most people don’t mention how much they help you and how valuable their assistance is.

They do this all day, day in and day out, so they help you find good poses and make adjustments so you don’t look like a hunchback like I usually do.

There is no official charge for this and how much you tip is up to you.

When I tip someone who works unofficially like this, my rule of thumb is that I want them to be able to buy themselves a basic meal at a local warung based on my tip—meaning I tip at least 25-30K IDR.

Kanto Lampo is great, but there are other even better waterfalls in the area!

So Kanto Lampo is really pretty, and it’s nice to get that iconic photo here, especially with the help of the locals and all their really good posing advice!

But it’s not exactly a calm and relaxing spot to relax and enjoy the waterfall… it’s a bit more of an Instagram assembly line, if I’m honest.

There’s not a lot of room to swim in the pool, and the water isn’t very deep. Most of the time you spend there, you’re just standing in line waiting to get your picture taken.

If you want to enjoy Bali waterfalls that are more of an experience—where you can take pictures, but you can also swim and really take your time enjoying the natural pools and the refreshing cold water—I recommend visiting Tibumana Waterfall and my favorite, Suwat Waterfall.

Combining them into a trip makes it easy to fit it all into a day; for reference, I spent about 4-5 hours visiting these three waterfalls together on a day trip.

As mentioned before, I paid 600K IDR (about $37 USD) for a driver for the day, who picked me up around 7 AM and took me to various sites in the Ubud/Tegalalang/Gianyar area until around 4 in the afternoon.

What you pay may vary; this was organized by someone at my guesthouse, but I thought that was quite a fair price so I didn’t bargain further. You can also contact my driver directly if you want to book a similar trip. His name is Dewa, and he is incredibly nice and speaks excellent English. You can reach him at +62 813 3894 9294.

Allison Green

Allison Green is a former teacher who has been travel blogging since 2016, visiting 75+ countries in total. She has a Masters in Teaching and a B.A. in English and Creative Writing. As a former educator, she merges her writing and educational experience to encourage ethical, sustainable travel. She has been a speaker at the World Travel Writers Conference and TBEX. Her writing, photography, and podcasting work has appeared in National Geographic, CNN Arabic, CBC Canada, and Forbes, amongst others. When she’s not on the road, she lives in Bangkok, Thailand.