If you take a look at a map of Bali, you’ll see countless rivers flowing across the island, along which there are various stunning waterfalls. Because of this, waterfall excursions are quite a popular activity among those visiting Bali. While staying in Ubud, we ventured out to Suwat Waterfall, a small cascade tucked in a lush ravine with a great pool for swimming.

Getting to Suwat Waterfall

Suwat Waterfall sits about a 25 to 30-minute drive from the heart of Ubud, though this can vary quite a bit depending on the traffic.

If you don’t have your own scooter or car to reach the waterfall, you can easily grab a taxi or Grab/Gojek. Note that the “taxi mafia” is prevalent in Ubud, so Grab and Gojek drivers may only pick you up in certain areas of the city to avoid issues. If you’d like your driver to wait for you at the waterfall to take you back, ask beforehand and agree on a price. If you plan to call a Grab or Gojek for the return, you may have to walk down the road from the waterfall parking area for pickup because ride shares aren’t allowed to pick up here.

Planning to see a few sights in the area? You may consider hiring a driver for a half-day or full-day excursion. We wanted to visit Tibumana Waterfall, Suwat Waterfall, and Goa Gajah Temple this day, so we opted to hire a driver. There are various Bali companies that advertise their driver services online that you can reach out to. We just asked our hotel if they knew of somebody to drive us and they provided contact info for us to reach out via WhatsApp.

If you’d like a structured visit to some highlights in the area, there are various tours that include Suwat in the itinerary. Tours can be found online on sites like Get Your Guide, Viator, and individual company sites. You can also find options at tour offices as you walk around Ubud.

Upon arrival at Suwat, there’s a small parking area where you can park your car or scooter or where your driver can wait as you hike down to the waterfall. When we visited, there was no cost for parking on top of the waterfall entrance ticket.

Fees & Hours

Suwat Waterfall is open daily from 7 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. The waterfall may be closed on some public holidays.

As of early 2025, it costs Rp 40,000 per person to visit Suwat Waterfall. This is only payable in cash. Bring additional cash if you want to grab a drink or bite at the warung near the parking area or if you want to use the bamboo raft down at the waterfall. When we went, they were charging about Rp 25,000 to use the raft.

Visiting Suwat Waterfall

Overview

Trail Type: Easy out-and-back path. There are stairs leading down to the falls, but it’s only a short ways down and not too steep.

Distance: About 0.3km (0.2mi) roundtrip

Duration: 10-20mins of walking roundtrip, plus however long you want to spend at the waterfall.

Our Visit to Suwat Waterfall – What to Expect

We arrived at Suwat Waterfall after visiting Tibumana Waterfall. Near the parking area, there’s a small warung and restrooms/changing area. After paying the entrance fee, we began heading down the stairs to the falls. The walkway was pretty as it lead through a tunnel of bamboo.

After only a few minutes, we found ourselves along the river just below the waterfall. Suwat Waterfall isn’t very big, but it’s quite picturesque tucked in a narrow ravine covered in lush vegetation. The water flows over the cliff onto a large rock formation and then into the pool below. Around the pool is a small shore area consisting of large boulders.

If you’d like to get your “Instagrammable” shot, you can pay the man near the pool to use the bamboo raft and take your photo. We didn’t use the raft, but just swam and jumped off the boulders. Matt and Derek climbed the rock under the falls and jumped the short ways into the water. We were there at the edge of rainy season, so the water wasn’t flowing too strongly.

Despite being there mid-morning, there were only a few other people at Suwat with us. In our opinion, there are prettier waterfalls to visit in the area, but we picked this one as we had read that it isn’t quite as popular and it was not far from Tibumana. Many of the waterfalls around Ubud can get very crowded if you don’t get there really early.

The ravine and shoreline are pretty rocky and there isn’t a ton of space to sprawl out and relax. So, we enjoyed mostly swimming at the waterfall before heading back up to the lot.

What to Bring to Suwat Waterfall

Water: To stay hydrated during your adventure

Cash: To pay the entrance fee and for food, the raft, etc. if desired.

Swimsuit & Towel: If you want to take a dip. There is a changing area here too.

Comfortable Shoes: Wear comfortable shoes to walk the steps down to the falls. If you want to swim, you may want to wear or bring shoes you can wear in the water since the surface is rocky in spots.

Sun Protection: Much of the area is shaded, but you may want to bring sunscreen, a hat, and/or sunglasses.

Camera: If you want to capture your excursion