Mangku Sakti Waterfall

Photo by Emi Lazuardi

More than 10 amazing waterfalls in Lombok are located in Rinjani National Park. One of them is named Mangku Sakti. Mangku means Hindus scholar and sakti means vigor. This name suits its location which is located about 2 km away from Hindus village. Mangku Sakti is not well-known in West Nusa Tenggara Barat. Its beauty is still secret. If you come here, you are likely to be the only one visitor. 

Sembalun was in grey. I was tired enough after     climbing Pegasingan which is about more than 2000 m above sea level. However it didn’t change my mind. I put my helmet on and drove for 10 minutes to Sajang Village. I stopped twice to ask where the location of the waterfall is. It was easy to find. The entrance was still in progress. The sign that made from wood was clear enough to see. I turned left and stoped after about 50 meters. I registered; I wrote my name in a big book and pay the retribution fee for IDR 5,000. Mangku Sakti is manged by Papar—a youth organization that focus on nature conservation.

Some people choose to walk from the first entrance to the waterfall and some prefer to drive until the second entrance. The distance between the first entrance and waterfall is about 3 km. Meanwhile from the second entrance is less than 500 meters. I took the easy one. I paid IDR 5,000 for parking. As I stepped on the path and keep moving forward, I found myself in the wild. I watched my steps especially when I was walking on some slippery stones. The birds twitted and chirped. I saw many types of plants, from ferns to the giant mahogany. As the haze approaching, the rain poured lazily. After 15 minutes walk I could hear the roar of water clearly. 

Mangku Sakti waterfall is special. Although this waterfall is less than 20 meters high, the curves of the river are extremely artistic. The water flows between huge high rocks. Some rocks are shaped like human faces. The mosses in the rock create a beautiful green line. The water is greenish white and is cold.These fusions create beauty and its wild location adds it more. 

It takes about 3 hours drive from Mataram. It is located in Desa Sajang, Sembalun East Lombok. There is no any public transportation that could reach this place. However there are many hostels, bungalow and restaurants around Sembalun.