Things have been way too topsy-turvy lately, and I have been writing and scheduling blog posts during any free time I have – thanks to a super productive Evernote – WordPress workflow I have got going on my phone.
Because I am writing my thoughts as and when they come to mind, the order of my posts is a bit wack atm. So, forgive the back and forth I am doing with writing about Spiti (still!) and Bali at almost the same time.
Now on to the deets.
We went on a 6-day trip to Bali over Christmas. In hindsight, six days was insufficient to explore the place. There’s so much to see and do. Also, choosing to travel during peak times (Christmas time), especially with hotels booked at the last minute, was not the best decision. We weren’t able to book a hotel in Ubud, and because of this, we spent a long time traveling.
Still, Git Git in central Bali was a dream for my daughter; she’d seen it all over Instagram, so we decided, long drive or not, it was definitely on our to-do list. Bali generally has plenty of waterfalls, some even more beautiful, but Git Git is comparatively the most accessible waterfall – with just a short hike from the side of the road.
Git Git Waterfall is a popular tourist destination. It’s well known for its beautiful natural surroundings and the cascading waterfall that is the main attraction. It’s an excellent spot for swimming, taking pictures, and enjoying the peaceful surroundings. The trail leading to the waterfall is also reasonably easy to navigate and well-maintained.
It was about 80 km from our hotel in Kuta, and we decided we were fine with the two-hour travel time that Google Maps predicted. Unfortunately, even Google Maps failed to keep up with the terrible traffic, and the drive was easily five hours each way.
So, we landed at Git Git, somewhat crabby, and the place would have had to be a veritable Niagara to make us feel it was worth the awful drive.
So, it wasn’t quite a Niagara, but it was extremely pretty. The place was green, the water was cold, and the spray was refreshing. The kids loved clambering over the rocks at the base of the falls and would have been game to go swimming at the small pool at the base of the waterfall.
Unfortunately, the day we visited, it had rained, and the rocks around were quite slippery and covered with moss, and I didn’t want to risk a sprained ankle on the first day of our trip.
While researching this place on the web, I was warned that it can get very crowded and is a bit of a tourist trap. I guess we were lucky because we were the only people there. But probably, if there were more people in the pool, I would have felt more confident letting the kids in. I couldn’t even be sure how deep or shallow the pool was.
So, yes. I chickened out of the pool, but the kids didn’t mind. Just the spray of the water was so much fun! I also realized that this was the first time the kids saw an actual waterfall, so just visiting it and getting drenched from the spray was enough for them.
We spent much time just lingering at the rocks, taking pics, and enjoying ourselves. We didn’t want to go back and face another five hours drive back to the hotel.
After hanging around for an hour, we got back to the road and into the car. A stop for lunch later, we then settled ourselves in for the miserable drive back to the hotel.
So, is Git Git falls worth visiting?
Whether or not Git Git waterfall is worth visiting depends on your preferences and travel goals.
If you’re looking for a natural and scenic spot to enjoy swimming and taking pictures, then Git Git is worth visiting. However, keep travel times in mind. It’s a long drive from the coast – Kuta or Seminyak. What could make it worth it is combining the tour with a Lovina dolphin tour or including it in some other tour. This is the tour we were initially interested in (Lovina + snorkeling + Git Git), but the weather wasn’t good, and we decided it wasn’t a good idea to be out in the ocean at dawn amid thundershowers.
So, yes, combine it with another tour. And it is worth the visit. Was it worth driving 80 km each way for us? Definitely no.
That is a long, long, long time in the car! I am sure I would never be able to persuade my wife to make a drive like that. We do like waterfalls, though. Back in New York we used to go up to a nearby gorge where a stream split at a rock outcropping and made two (count ’em!) pretty, rocky waterfalls. Not many people knew about them I guess because we never saw anyone else there. They weren’t Niagara either, but we always enjoyed wandering around there …
I can say there were a lot of very crabby people at the end of that trip.