There was no real path to follow to get to Madakaripura waterfall, so we just followed the banks of the river towards its source. Every five or ten minute the track would suddenly end and we would be forced to cross the fast flowing river, hopping from stone to stone, to get to the other bank so that we could continue on our way.
I heard the sound of the Madakaripura waterfall before I saw it; the low rumble of water cascading over the edge of a cliff into the open air, before gravity caught up with it and it came tumbling down onto the rocky boulders below. The sound echoed off the high cliff walls of the canyon that surrounded it on all but one side, before being pushed out into the valley we were walking down.
Turning the final bend of the river we entered the canyon we were greeted by the picturesque Madakaripura waterfall. What we saw wasn’t one continous waterfall, but a series of small streams tumbling over the edge of the cliff and fell like rain, soaking everything in its path. The cliff face was covered in green lichen and other plants, while dozens of miniature rainbows were formed as the light refracted through the water.
After spending a frantic five minutes trying to keep my camera dry while taking pictures of the view, we continued up the canyon. We tried to stay as dry as possible by walking on the far right side of the canyon, but it did little good. After a short climb and feeling very wet, we reached the final waterfall. If anything this was even more impressive than the last waterfall. A river of water thundered down into an icy deep pool. It took me less than a minute to decide that the only thing to do was have a swim.
One hour later, feeling tired, but refreshed, we got back into our rented car to head off to the hotel, for some much needed sleep. Although sunrise over Bromo was supposed to have been the highlight of the day (there certainly were a lot more tourists), I was glad we had come here, because the Madakaripura Waterfall was a hundred times more interesting.
Madakaripura
