Complete guide to two hidden waterfall gems, the Batu Santek & Tibu Bunter waterfalls in Central Lombok, Indonesia.
Batu Santek Waterfall and Tibu Bunter Waterfall are two falls located in central Lombok. If you’re looking for a short waterfall hike that’s completely off the beaten path, then this is for you.
With very little information online, I found these waterfalls by speaking to some Lombok locals. While they’re not as impressive as the nearby Benang Kelambu or Benang Setokel waterfalls, they’re free to visit and you’ll almost certainly have them all to yourself.
How to get to Batu Santek and Tibu Bunter Waterfalls
Both Batu Santek and Tibu Bunter Waterfalls are accessed by a short hike from the same carpark in the village of Desun Pesantek.
To get here, you'll need your own transport or guide as there are no current tours that visit these waterfalls. It will take roughly 1 hour to ride here from both Senggigi and Tete Batu. For exact directions, I've pinned the location of the Batu Santek and Tibu Bunter car park below. Note that the carpark pin is named "Batu Santek".
If you'd prefer a Lombok waterfall tour instead, then I'd recommend this epic Sasak Villages & waterfall tour, which visits tribal villages, viewpoints, and two epic waterfalls: Tiu Kelep and Sendang Gile.
There aren't any signs for these waterfalls, but if you follow the Google Maps directions to this pin, you'll see a roadside clearing with a large tree where you can park your bike.
The track to Batu Santek and Tibu Bunter Waterfalls starts on the left side of this carpark. It seems that there's been a landslide here, so it's a slippery yet short walk descent to the terraces below.
Follow the obvious path until you reach a river and cross it. From here, you can turn right to follow the path to Batu Santek and left to Tibu Bunter Waterfall.
Batu Santek Waterfall
Batu Santek Waterfall is approximately 10 meters in height and plunges into a shallow pool. Unlike many of the other nearby waterfalls, these two falls have decent flow all year round. With that in mind, you can expect that it can get fairly powerful in the wet season.
Around Batu Santek, you'll also find some smaller, trickling waterfalls. Unfortunately, since the pool is very shallow, you can't really swim here. Still, it makes a good waterfall to cool off at and snap some photos.
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Finding Batu Santek Falls
After turning right, follow the river on the clear path for approximately 10 minutes. Soon, you'll reach the waterfall clearing.
To the right of the main waterfall, there are two more cascading flows which trickle down the rocks. The scene at Batu Santek is great to chill out, take some photos and cool down in the freshwater pools.
Tibu Bunter Waterfall
Tibu Bunter Falls is another waterfall in very close proximity to Batu Santek. If you have time, then I'd definitely recommend taking the track around to see this second waterfall.
Tibu Bunter is similar in size and shape to Batu Santek, and pours into another shallow pool in the clearing.
Finding Tibu Bunter Falls
Once you return to the junction at the start of the river crossing. This time, take the left path that leads up and around some fields. After about 10 minutes of walking, you'll see a large clearing with beautiful rice plantations.
By now, you'll undoubtedly already hear the flow of Tibu Bunter roaring from the small canyon below.
To reach it, follow the concrete path until you see a small wooden sign pointing right. Continue down this grassy path to the river where you'll find Tibu Bunter Waterfall.
Tibu Bunter Rice Fields
My favorite part of Tibu Bunter Falls is the adjacent rice fields. If you visit just after sunrise, you might be lucky enough to catch the morning sunrays filling the fields with warm light.
This scene also made for what I thought was a pretty cool drone shot since Tibu Bunter waterfall and the rice fields were able to be fit into one frame!
Make it a Waterfall Chasing Day Trip
If you're looking for a full day of waterfall chasing, then it's possible to visit Tibu Bunter and Batu Santek waterfalls on the same day as Benang Kelambu and Benang Setokel.
In fact, both sets of waterfalls are located only about 45 minutes motorbike ride apart. Since we were riding from Senggigi, we decided to visit Batu Santek and Tibu Bunter first, since they were closer.
More Photos of These Epic Lombok Waterfalls
I hope you found this guide useful. Here are some more photos of these Lombok waterfalls.
If you visit in the wet season, please feel free to share some pics with me on Instagram! I'd love to see them in full flow.
Also, if you're looking for more things to do in Lombok, you can find some travel ideas on this Lombok travel guide.
More Lombok Travel & Adventure Guides
I hope this hidden gem waterfall guide has helped you find these awesome cascades in Central Lombok. Check out this epic Lombok travel guide or some of my other similar guides below for more inspiration.
Leo
Saturday 15th of April 2023
Came here form your amazing Lombok guide and now I am wondering where the waterfalls are. Do I oversee your google maps pins? Tibu Bunter Falls seems to be pretty far away from Batu Santek Waterfalls which doesnt make sense to me. Hope you can help us out?