Getting to the waterfall at Yeh Mempeh in North Bali

Sunday morning Ika, Jevon and I ate breakfast at Poinciana. The sun was shining and we were in the mood for some adventure, Jevon positively climbing the walls. Heading north out of the hotel, we drove towards Les. Our destination was the waterfall Yeh Mempeh, that is marked on most maps. The 15 minute drive was along the narrow coast road and traffic wasn’t too bad apart from the occassional dump truck.

The entrance to the waterfall is clearly marked and its possible to drive up the hill to an obvious parking area with a couple of shops. Once there we hiked around the side of the shops and along a path leading to the falls. Sunday has brilliant sunshine and this a particulary pretty part of Bali. The villagers in this area farm rambutan, the hairy red fruit that grows from the trees. Once opened the fruit is translucent and sweet.

Hiking along among the forests of bamboo and coconuts, locals acknowledged us and it was nice for Jevon and Ika to see locals bamboo houses and large cows tethered right there under the trees. Ika is Indonesian, but is a city girl from Semarang. She’s great at pointing out the different fruits on the trees, but never lived off of the land like so many Balinese. Here is a closer look at rambutan for those who have not seen it before.